This form is secure
Send a message
Search for members
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Today, ASEAN is not only a well-functioning, indispensable reality in the region. It is a real force to be reckoned with far beyond the region. It is also a trusted partner of the United Nations in the field of development .... Kofi Annan Secretary-General of the United Nations16 February 2000.
.... The ASEAN region has a population of about 500 million, a total area of 4.5 million square kilometers, a combined gross domestic product of almost US$ 700 billion, and a total trade of about US$ 850 billion.....
The Paupers of ASEAN -
Thailand: X00,000?
Phillipines: X00,000?
Indonesia: X00,000?v
Malaysia: X00,000?
Vietnam: X00,000?
Cambodia: X00,000?
Laos: X00,000?
Mynamar: X00,000?
StuartForsyth.com says:
factoryno says:
Jerry Lee says:
Fuel prices crushing the poor: UNDP - 74% rise in energy costs from 2002-05
Published on October 26, 2007www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/10/26/national/national_30053795.php
Soaring oil prices are threatening the prospects of millions of poor people across the Asia Pacific, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said yesterday.
In a report on 'Overcoming Vulnerability to Rising Oil Prices: Options for Asia and the Pacific', the UNDP said rising oil prices were starting to put a brake on human development and in some cases, shifting it into reverse.
"Oil prices have tripled over the last four years. Today the price is approaching US$90 (Bt2,840) a barrel. "This has meant that the Asia and Pacific region has had to pay an additional bill of almost $400 billion for imports compared to the amount spent in 2003.
"This is 20 times the annual aid flow to the region," said Hafiz Pasha, UNDP director for Asia and Pacific, at the launch of the report in Bangkok. "It has become a real issue for an otherwise fast-growing region to absorb this staggeringly large bill," Pasha said.
The UNDP report was based on interviews with poor rural and urban households in China, India, Indonesia and Lao PDR. It showed that between 2002 and 2005 households interviewed suffered dramatic oil-price increases - paying on average 74 per cent more for their energy needs. This included 171 percent more for cooking fuels; 120 per cent more for transportation; 67 per cent more for electricity; and 55 per cent more for lighting fuels.
This has provoked huge public outcries - and incredible hardships for the poor - who are being literally, pushed into the dark. According to the report, millions are being forced "to climb down the energy ladder", reverting to traditional fuels that are unhealthy and inefficient.
The poor are cutting back even on bare essentials of travel and services which are increasingly beyond their reach.
August Wieselmayerpro says:
great to have your picture with such an impressive face in my group!
... and also many thanks for bringing a very dramatic topic on top!
August
Jerry Lee says:
... this is captured in Udon Thani, a neighbouring province 200 km away ...
Babelsalatpro says:
sommerpfuetze says: