Vision: Sustainable Development for Cambodia

By: EL Sotheary, Head of Program, CCC

CCC Bi Monthly Meeting01 April 2014

CSO GREEN PAPER

DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES FOR 2014 AND BEYOND

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Presentation Outlines

1. Green Paper for Civil Society

2. Methodology

3. Key issues/challenges and proposed

recommendations

4. Action Plans

5. Small Group Discussion

Vision: Sustainable Development for Cambodia

GREEN PAPER FOR CIVIL

SOCIETY IN CAMBODIA

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Why Green Paper?

1. To respond to national and global trends in a

systematic and structural manner

2. To improve participation and harmonization

3. To ensure collaboration rather than

competition

4. To ensure that CSOs have a common

strategic vision with clear roles and key

focuses.

Vision: Sustainable Development for Cambodia

METHODOLOGY OF THE

GREEN PAPER

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Methodology of the Green Paper

1. Consulted with at least 11 research/studies

2. Conducted individual meetings and

consultation workshops with relevant

stakeholders since June 2013

3. Discussed with NSDP and beyond 2015

development agenda

4. Captured proposed recommendations

5. Consolidated proposed intervention strategies

1. The Electoral Reform Alliance (ERA) Report on the 2013 Elections2. Report on the Enabling Environment for CSOs in Cambodia, CCC3. Universal Periodic Review, Compiled by the Cambodian Human

Rights Action Committee (CHRAC)4. Press Statement by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the

Situation of Human Rights in Cambodia, Professor Surya P. Subedi

5. Report, Multi-Stakeholder Consultation on “CSO Perspectives on Cambodia Development Framework Beyond 2015”, CCC

6. Cambodia’s Development Dynamics: Past Performances and Emerging Priorities, CDRI

7. Joint Statement of Civil Society Organizations: Stop the Violence: A Call for Release, Investigation and Reparation,

8. CSO position paper on NSDP 2014 20189. Draft NSDP 2014 - 2018 and draft DCPS 2014 – 201810.Review of Cambodia Millennium Development Goals (CMDGs)11. Post-2015 Consultations, United Nations in Cambodia, 2013

Vision: Sustainable Development for Cambodia

KEY ISSUES/CHALLENGES

AND PROPOSED

RECOMMENDATIONS

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Theme 1: Socio-Economic Development

Significant poverty among the poor still exists

Vulnerable people still unable to gain opportunities

arising

Consequences of the economic growth have negatively

affected the poor

The growth enlarges the disparity between the rich and

the poor (social gap)

Unemployment, health care and quality of

education remain an issue

Low access to quality public services.

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Proposed Recommendations

Promote SME at rural and regional level

Deliver training program to compete in ASEAN markets

Develop Employment Law and Employment Policy

Reform education system to match job market and

conduct project for employment in all sectors

Develop and enforcement of Minimum Wage Policy in

systematic and non-systematic economic sectors

Ensure that all development actors are more

accountable for their aid.

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Theme 2: Governance, Anti-Corruption and Inclusive Partnership

Cooperation and partnership among development

actors is still limited

Lack of information exchange and joint effort

Lack of transparency and accountability in the mgt. and

distribution of national revenue

Corruption issues are reported at all levels

Less acknowledgement on the CSOs significant

contribution to fight against corruption, to

increase the quality of public service and to

strengthen good governance.

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Proposed Recommendations

Enhance enabling environment for relevant

stakeholders with transparency

Having full consultation among development actors

Provide fuller delegation of responsibilities and

resources to district and commune administration

Ensure that citizens have access to information

Strengthen monitoring and evaluation system and

mechanism

Pay more attention on public service quality.

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Theme 3: Legal and Judicial Reform

Law of effective law enforcement and absence of

independent institutions to protect people’s right

Suppression and interference by the Executive on the

Judiciary

Lack of legal aid provision and access to legal defense

especially for the poor

Corruption within the judiciary and limited resource

allocation for court officials

Openness and transparency on legislation

drafting process: no standardized practice.

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Proposed Recommendations

The gov’t to speed up the process of creating an

independent National Human Rights Commission

The gov’t to uphold the separation of powers as clearly

stated in the Constitution

The courts shall act independently without accepting

any influence from the gov’t and other external sources

The Anti-Corruption Unit should act independently and

professionally to actively investigate and punish all the

corruption cases.

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Theme 4: Access to Information and Media

Cambodia has not historically been an open society

Gaining access to basic information is still difficult

Institutional capacity is weak and mechanisms for

information disclosure are lacking

Low education, Cambodian’s understanding of their

rights generally is low

Law regulating the media are not clearly written and

sometimes inconsistently applied

Many media outlets in Cambodia are state-

owned or aligned to the ruling party.

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Proposed Recommendations

Speed up the Access to Information legislation

Develop a culture of openness

Enforce existing laws and institutional capacity to

disclose information

Ensure the freedom of expression and of the press

Open the TV and radio market to independent and

community broadcaster

Make the draft of the Cyber Law available to the public

and allow CSOs to contribute to its elaboration.

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Theme 5: Land, Housing and Eviction

Unlawful land grabbing occurs nationwide, both small

and large scale

Ever-increasing percentage of the

Cambodian population is landless

Indigenous communities face particularly tremendous

obstacles in being recognized as legal entities and

registering their land for collective ownership

Lack of transparency on how MAFF grants ELCs

The evicted people are left homeless, receive unfair

compensation or placed in the inadequate places.

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Proposed Recommendations

Ensure appropriate financial assistance and adequate

housing given to those who were displaced by the

development

Ensure that the eviction occur in compliance with the

land law with greater attention on the community

Carry out a mapping of the housing needs of the

country and disseminate information

The gov’t should provide sufficient time to CSOs to

analyze any draft and join the consultation

Speed up the Law on Access to Information.

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Theme 6: Environment and NRM

Land and mining concession lead to forest degradation

and deforestation

Lack of resources and capacity to adapt and mitigate

climate change and disaster risk

Most ELCs and hydrology dam construction were

allowed without any professional environmental

impact assessment

Most ELCs affected the local and indigenous peoples’

livelihood throughout forest land clearance activity.

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Proposed Recommendations

M&E system of ELCs database should be regularly

updated and made accessible to the publics

Develop national social and environmental safeguards

for REDD+ and climate change

The gov’t should ensure that the private companies

respect the welfare of local communities

The gov’t should seriously address the drivers of

deforestation and forest degradation

The gov’t & relevant partners to ensure an efficient,

effective strategy for climate change and disaster.

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Theme 7: Enabling Environment and Demo. Space

Cambodian CSOs are heavily dependent/competing for

international grants and donations

Relationships between the government and CSOs are

still limited

No clear roles between LNGOs and INGOs

Cooperation among CSOs is increasing but

the depth of cooperation is generally low

Capacity of umbrella groups to receive and address

complaints from members

Gov’t roles increases through the LANGO and DCPS.

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Proposed Recommendations

Engagement of CSOs in the LANGO and DCPS

Regular reflection on how best CSOs can support other

development actors

CSOs to work with UN institutions and other

international stakeholders to document and publicize

any human right abuse

CSOs to invest further in pursuing local philanthropy,

grants from government and social enterprise

CSOs to commit to “downward accountability”.

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Theme 8: Electoral Reform

Need to solve some common issues: election

administration, voter registration, media coverage, the

use of state resources and seat allocation

No disclosure of relevant election data by the gov’t

bodies

Need to form an independent, external commission to

investigate election irregularities

Government, civil society and other

stakeholders to speed up the electoral

reform.

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Proposed Recommendations

The gov’t to make ongoing consultation with the civil

societies, election monitors and political parties

There must be clear understanding of the term

“Electoral Reform”

There needs a full review of all election information

Civil society will need to play a leading role in electoral

reform

It is encouraged to have involvement/influence from

international communities.

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Theme 9: Human Rights, Human Development and Social Inclusion

Recent use of excessive force from the government to

brutally crackdown the civilian demonstrations

Lack of law enforcement and anti-corruption as well as

low commitment to social justice and human rights

Limited capacity of local people and local authorities

about basic human rights and human development

Education not yet responded to the current social

situation and in line with the development trends

It needs to have an affordable, high quality

and accessible to all people.

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Proposed Recommendations

There needs to strengthen the capacity of local people

and local authorities about basic human rights

The Gov’t to ensure the well-being of all people

including vulnerable people to have better public

services with equality and equity.

All development actors to include and involve

vulnerable or marginalized people in all development

processes

The health and education institutional quality must be

improved and transparency is essential.

Vision: Sustainable Development for Cambodia

PROPOSED ACTION PLANS

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Proposed Action Plans

Evidence based advocacy

Inclusive partnership and mass support

Enabling environment (LANGO, Access to

Information….)

Empowering grass root/ Demand

Vs. Supply sides.

4 Main Working Approaches

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Proposed Action Plans

Consolidate all inputs into a single document/

paper and facilitate a harmonization workshop

with relevant stakeholders

Coordinate to have a consultation with board of

directors of key CSO coalitions, LNGO, INGO,

informal groups, and other group of CSOs

Develop Communication and Advocacy

Strategies for the CSOs Green Paper.

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Proposed Action Plans

Share/consult with the government and

development partners on the CSO Green Paper

Use the paper as roadmap and directive vision for

CSOs to strategize and prepare their activities

Use the paper for the regional and international

debates on beyond 2015

development agenda

Launch the paper with key

stakeholders.

1. What prioritized issues and recommendations need

to be added or removed?

2. What are the roles of CCC’s member NGOs to

address these key issues?

3. Shall we have working groups/sub-committees to

respond to these priorities? How?

Group Discussion

Group Discussion 20 mn

Presentation by each group 5 mn/each

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THANK YOU! &