Northeast Asian countries are taking a series of measures to tackle
their pressing social problems in a bid to improve the living
standards of people under the poverty line.
To
this end, the countries are trying to boost economic development
and create more job opportunities, said sources with the
International Workshop on Networking and Capacity Building for
Social Development in Northeast Asia, which just concluded in
Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province in northeast China.
These countries are also trying to establish a social security
network, mobilize public assistance, put aside part of their
financial budget and encourage the development of private
businesses for this purpose, the sources said.
Northeast Asia geographically covers the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea (DPRK), Mongolia, northeast China, Russia's far
east, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan.
Lai Shian Lung, a United Nations official in charge of economic and
social affairs, said that although countries in this region have
different political and economic systems and cultural backgrounds
and stay at different levels of economic development, they are
faced with the same tasks like poverty relief and increasing
employment.
They have taken the road that fit their own situation, said Lai,
chief of the Socio-economic Policy and Development Management
Branch of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social
Affairs.
The provinces in northeast China have provided professional
training to several million workers laid off from state-owned
enterprises so that they can find new jobs. The provision of old
age insurance, unemployment insurance and the subsistence relief
system have formed a social security network for poverty-stricken
urban residents in these provinces.
The vigorous, rapid development of private enterprises there, which
is encouraged by the Chinese government, has created more and more
job opportunities.
In
the ROK, the Asian financial crisis has directly resulted in a
large number of unemployed and poor people, making its original
social security system outdated.
The ROK government, while expanding the coverage of the social
security system, has formulated an act to guarantee that
poverty-stricken people, regardless of their capability and age,
will have enough food and clothing and have access to education and
medical care.
Caught in the transition from the planned economy to a market
economy, Mongolia also witnesses a growing unemployed and poor
population. The government has drawn out a national
poverty-alleviation program and is working to create job
opportunities and provide basic education and medical services to
the people, with the help of foreign funds and technical
assistance.
In
the northern area of Russia's far east, economic and social
transition, coupled with unemployment, evil natural conditions and
poor infrastructures, has led to a continuous drop in the people's
living standard and forced over one million residents to move
out.
The Russian government, in an effort to tackle the problem, has
established a government fund to help them buy affordable
residences for those moving southward, providing them with jobs,
education, medical care and old-age pension. Meanwhile, those who
remain there are given special allowances.
Affected by natural disasters and other factors, the DPRK is faced
with a series of difficulties in recent years, most prominently, a
severe shortage of food supply.
The DPRK government has increased investment in agricultural
production and is taking steps to stimulate economic growth in
order to create more job opportunities.
(People’s Daily 06/18/2001)