1. Attempts to Manage Population Change to Achieve Sustainable Development

2. Learning objectives
To know who Mr Condom is and understand how he helped Thailand to achieve sustainable population growth.

3. Population change and sustainable development
The concept of sustainable development dates from the first Global Environmental Summit held in Stockholm in 1972.
It was based upon the following environmental objectives:
Maintain ecological processes
Preserve genetic diversity
Ensure the sustainable utilisation of species and ecosystems

4. Population change and sustainable development
Today’s definition derives from the Brundtland Report of 1987
“Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”
Memorise this!

5. Population policies
There are a variety of social policies aimed at ensuring that population change is sustainable.
Policies to reduce the fertility rate, usually by family planning (China, Kerala, Thailand)
Anti-natalist policies
These are aimed at increasing the population, and may be voluntary or imposed (France, Russia, Sweden)
Pro-natalist policies
Some countries control their population by controlling immigration (Australia), encouraging emigration (Philippines) or transmigration (Indonesia)
Migration policies

6. Anti-natalist case study: Thailand
In 1969, women averaged 6.5 children each
Fill in your fact sheet…
Population growth was 3% a year
Population was 26.4 million
16% of the population used contraception
GNP US$110 per capita

7. Anti-natalist case study: Thailand
By 1999 the fertility rate was 1.7
Population growth was 0.8% per year
Population was 55 million
72% of the population used contraception
GNP US$2500 per capita

8. Otherwise known as Mr Condom!
How was this achieved?
Much of the success is directly attributed to Mechai Viravaidya, a former government economist and public relations genius who launched the Population and Community Development Association (PDA), the largest non-government organisation in Thailand.
Otherwise known as Mr Condom!

9. ‘Mr Condom’
Watch this video to learn who Mr Condom is and how he made Thailand a “better place”.
(YouTube, Mechai Viravaidya: How Mr. Condom made Thailand a better place)

10. Learning objectives
To know who Mr Condom is and understand how he helped Thailand to achieve sustainable population growth.
Starter: quick-fire facts on whiteboards, pairs

11. How was success achieved?
The success of the PDA family planning programme is attributed to a number of factors.
Discuss these with your partner and list your ideas.

13. How was success achieved?
The success of the PDA family planning programme is attributed to a number of factors:
Creativity of the family planning approaches.
Openness of the Thai people to new ideas.
Willingness of the government to work with the Population Development Agency (PDA).
Relationships between men and women are considered to be more egalitarian than in most of the developing world.
The prevalence of Buddhism (95% of Thais are Buddhist) has supported the family planning programme as the Buddhist scripture preaches that ‘many children make you poor’.

15. Recap Target mothers – wanted contraceptive pills
Involve everyone – not enough doctors so train shop keepers, etc.
Use religion – bless contraceptives
Involve schools – sexual alphabet, etc.
Micro–credit schemes – only available to women using contraception
Free vasectomies
Involve the military – Radio and TV used to fight HIV
Condoms everywhere! (Cops And Rubbers, In Rubber We Trust, Weapons of Mass Protection…)

16. How did Thailand manage to achieve population change?
Although condoms became the trademark of the campaign, the Thai government supported Mechai’s efforts by making a wide range of contraceptives available to the public.
Thailand was amongst the first countries to use the intravenous contraceptive DMPA and still remains one of its largest users.
The contraceptive services were extended to even remote rural areas.

17. Family Planning Policy Impacts (Positive/Negative)
Activity: Card sort
Cut out the cards you have been given.
Divide a page in two and write the headings: Family Planning Policy and Impacts.
Now categorise the cards under the appropriate heading.
Family Planning Policy
Impacts (Positive/Negative)
Categorise the impacts into social, economic and political.

18. Summarise what worked (the successes)
Exam question
With reference to an example you have studied, outline the successes and failures of an anti-natalist policy. (12 marks)
Outline the policy introduced in Thailand by Mechai. Say when and why it was introduced
Define this term
Summarise what worked (the successes)
Summarise the aspects of the policy that were less successful (the failures)

19. Activity: Poster
Design a poster to summarise the main elements of Thailand's population policy.
Include the various ways that the government and PDA:
Made contraception widely available
Educated people about contraceptives
Encouraged people to use contraceptives