Child in Islamabad (Photo: UN)
and put regulatory mechanisms into effect. Participants also point to disparities in the quality of infrastructure, especially in remote rural areas, with regards to roads, electricity, water and sanitation, transport and health care. This is either because of a basic lack of infrastructure or poor maintenance, and has
consequences for the health, economic situation and educational level of the local populations. Power remains very centralized, and the district-level authorities do not have the requisite financial or institutional capacities to respond directly to community needs. Participants also highlighted concerns with law enforcement,
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Society has changed toward consumerism, while sympathy and faith in culture, tradition and wisdom were more valued in the past. The pattern of consumption changed as well. People rely more on external food sources and instant food. The barter system in the community has declined. The knowledge about plantation is fading away from the community. The youth in the community are more influenced by media, internet, and technological devices such as mobile phones and computers. Family members became distant from each other because of different attitudes and daily activities. Communities also face drug abuse.
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Thailand’s Post 2015 Development Agenda Qualitative Data Reporting
76 A M i l l i o n V o i c e s: The World We Wan t | A Sus tain able Fu t ure w it h Digni t y f or All
monitoring and implementation. They express concerns about corruption, nepotism and collusion in government institutions which prevent these problems from being redressed. The consultations also convey a strong view that local businesses and the general public are unable to thrive or improve their capacities, as the lack of effective governance enables foreign players to dominate markets and businesses. Linked to this issue is the persistently low level of human capital development. The consultation points to an education system that is difficult to access, with low-quality education, especially for the rural population. This results in a youth population with low skills and few employment prospects. In the consultations in Iran, participants spoke about the responsibilities of duty-bearers, and a need to focus on responsive governance with an emphasis on human dignity and human rights. Transparency as well as probity and integrity are seen as key attributes for duty-bearers. Similar observations are echoed across all the consultations, reiterating an emphasis on the quality and practice of governance, rather than on its formal structure. In Indonesia, participants see transparency and the eradication of corruption as preconditions for the successful implementation of development interventions, such as government management and regulation of water resources. Good governance also requires greater civic participation in the policymaking and policy-regulating process. Social transformations underway in Asia
Participants in many consultations in the region note that rapid social transformations are underway in their societies, and that these have implications for traditional systems of social protection and care. They are associated with changing dynamics within family structures accompanied by the demographic shift towards smaller family size; the shifts in traditional employment arrangements and the