Financial crisis threatens legal protection for the poor
4 Mar 2009
Bangkok - The economic crisis will increase the demand for justice among the poor, especially to protect their property, jobs, working conditions and their right to do business without extortion, according to economists and development experts taking part in a regional UN Development Programme meeting here this week.
The three-day dialogue brings together more than 80 senior government and UN officials to identify priorities and proposals for countries in Asia to ensure access to justice, property rights, labor rights and business rights for the poor and marginalized.
“A recession in one country has spawned an extensive and devastating global economic downturn, with no exception for
“In an attempt to alleviate these challenges, the Thai government is forced to invest a large amount of its limited human and financial resources that would otherwise have been earmarked for such useful purposes as education or medical care,” added Mr. Chaiyanukij.
He pointed to activities planned by the Ministry of Justice in
The meeting is aimed at finding national and regional ways of applying recommendations put forward last year by the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, which concluded its work with a report titled, "Making the Law Work for Everyone."
Mr. Naresh Singh, former Executive Director of the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, said that in the midst of the financial crisis, it is “important to address the resilience of the livelihood system because people in the informal sector don’t have jobs, they do jobs.” He added, “The working poor in the informal sector have legal needs and demands that must be identified and addressed.”
Source: UNDP
