Policy, laws and regulations
• Thailand has made good progress in developing
a policy and legal framework supporting
older people, although further improvement
is still needed. While building on this
foundation, the government can devote attention
to effective implementation of
existing policies, plans, and legislation
targeting older people. It can also continue
mainstreaming ageing into national development
plans and build coordination among
ministries. Such policies, plans and services
for older people should take into account differences
related to gender, ethnicity, disability
and area of residence (rural or urban). The
majority of older people live in rural areas.
Women exceed men as a proportion of those
in old age and this gender imbalance increases
with age as discussed in chapter 2.
• The role of local authorities is increasingly
important as a result of government administration
reform that promotes decentralization.
Through a better understanding
of ageing issues, local
authorities should be encouraged and
supported to develop effective measures such
as local ordinances and regulations and
monitoring and evaluation systems to ensure
that ageing issues are sufficiently addressed.
• Financing the increasing demand for
healthcare and social welfare for older
people has become a central concern of the
government. An analysis of government
revenue options could present
ideas for financing improvements in the
social welfare system to make them more
equitable and efficient. This could include
exploring current proposals for tax reform
being discussed by prominent research organizations,
such as improving tax collection among
those who are working or have income but are
not paying tax, adjusting mechanisms for the
collection of taxes, introducing new types of tax
such as a property tax or VAT, and reviewing tax
exemption measures (Long Term Equity Fund
and Retirement Mutual Fund).
• Government implementation of the recommendations
of the Social Protection Floor
initiative led by the International Labor
Organization in close collaboration with the
Ministry of Social Development and Human
Security would help address future vulnerabilities
of older people. An assessment through a
series of national dialogues and analyses has
led to recommendations including improvement
in income security and access to health
services across all age groups.
• Thailand’s full support for implementing the
ASEAN Strategic Framework for Social
Welfare and Development 2011-2015 will help
ensure that many of the challenges related to
older people are addressed in concert with its
regional neighbors.
• The government is encouraged to participate
in and support the process of the Openended
Working Group on Ageing, which
was established by the UN General Assembly
at the end of 2010 to strengthen the protection
of the human rights of older people. It
is tasked to review the existing international
instruments, identify gaps and explore ways to
address them, including a possible future UN
Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.