Translating reform commitment into better civic engagement project Funded by

1. ANSA EAST ASIA PACIFIC Translating reform commitment into better civic engagement project Funded by The Asia Foundation under the Non-State Actor Component of the World Bank financed DFGG Project.

2. What was the Problem? • Very few partnerships between government and civil society, especially at the sub-national level; • Ineffective mechanisms for transparency and accountability, e.g. lack of citizen participate in the Commune/Sangkat and District meeting and participate in Commune Investment Program etc. • Low capacity and opportunity of stakeholders to practice social accountability, particularly at the sub-national level. • Limit of freedom of expression in media related to local governance. Base on the previous experience and expertise of STAR Kampuchea and the ANSA East Asia and Pacific from being part of the implementation of PECSA Program to Enhance Capacity in Social Accountability. Therefore, Translating Reform Commitments into Better Civic Engagement Project was created.

3. Translating Reform Commitments into Better Civic Engagement Project • Overall Objective (Goal): An effective and results-oriented collaboration between demand and supply sides for a better public service delivery at the sub-national level. • Specific Objectives: 1. To increase the capacity of sub-national stakeholders on Good Governance and social accountability and motivate them to practice. 2. To enhance the partnership between demand side and supply side to learn about access to information and dialogues in 9 districts of Takeo, Kampong Speu and Kamportprovinces in 2012. 3. To increase awareness on the role of state to ensure the success of D&D policy through media, case intervention and dissemination of lessons learnt.

4. Implemented Activities and Outputs: • Conducted baseline survey relate to the level of citizen’ understanding on D&D, Good Governance and Sac • Developed training curriculum on D&D, Good Governance and SAc for TOT training. • Printing packages information and communication materials which abstracted from the Organic Law, Law on Administration Management of Commune/ Sangkat, Anti-Corruption Law, and Public Service Policy.

5. Implemented Activities and Outputs: • Conducted the Training of Trainers (ToT) to 26 selected district councilors, commune councilors and teachers in target districts. They gain knowledge about 75%. • Conducted the echo-training to 899 (304 women) citizens in the target communes. Increased understanding about 60%

6. Implemented Activities and Outputs: • Organize 9 communal campaigns with 740(236 women) citizen and sub national authorities participated. The campaigns aimed to increase the citizens understanding on importance of partial funds payment, citizen engagement with SIs and citizen monitoring on Commune Investment Program.

7. Implemented Activities and Outputs: • 33 (18 women) Citizen representative selected and capacity orientation to enable them to participate and monitor the implementation of CIP/CDP • Conducted 1st district public forum to provide opportunity for citizens to raise their concern/issues related to public services and engage the public officers in solution to those concerned/issues raised and also disseminate the information related to public service and CIP/CDP. 1538 (505 women) participants. • Conducted 2nd district public forum to follow up the progress of the previous concern raised in round one of forum. 1733 (618 women) participated.

8. Implemented Activities and Outputs: • Organized the Monthly Radio Talk shows called “Social Mirror” aired on Monday from 5:00pm to 6:00pm on Voice of Democracy (VOD) on FM station 106.5 MHz. • Documentation of lesson learnt: The whole activities of the project were recorded and edited as a twenty minute video. It is a kind of video documentary on project activity and the way we partnership with government especially at the sub national level in order to makes the project success and more cooperation by local authorities. • Success Story Documentation: Two success stories “Open and Active Engagement of Citizen with Authority for Better Public Services” and “Contribution of the Public Forum in Addressing the Community Need and Concern”

9. Key Results: Through the project evaluation, the project has produced some significant results. • Citizens are understand the good governance, social accountability and transparency and its engagement. They known that it is their rights to received information about the commune council, its projects and its responsibility, that is, to be transparent and to be accountable to the money that is given to them by the government and from the people as well. They are now more courageous in asking questions or making comments to the commune councilors about CIP/CDP.

10. Key Results: • People are more knowledgeable about their political rights and other civil rights. They now know the importance of having identification cards and copies of the birth certificates of their children – for use in school, ..etc. • CIP process was monitored by the trained citizen representative. They were able to comment the CIP and joined the CC monthly meeting. • Citizen representative participated and observed two meetings at district level of Thporng, Kompong Speu and Chhouk, Kompot.

11. Key Results: • People are braver to raise their questions during the commune council meetings. “silence has been broken.” • People now are no longer afraid to voice out their concerns during the forums. • Before, villagers do not take part in decision-making relative to plans of the communes, now they attempt to voice out their concerns with regard to particular issues being discussed at the meeting for developing CIP/CDP.

12. Key Results: • Local authorities are more accountable and transparent in delivering services to the public • Improved and strengthen the partnership between CSOs and government and especially local authorities in public services delivery. “The district governors himself has acknowledged to CSOs like STAR Kampuchea and ANSA-EAP tasks in this project has been contributed to the government strategy on strengthen local governance and poverty reduction trough strengthening and improving public services. The targeted district governors are accepted that all development is requiring CSOs as partnership and also private institutes which cannot be absent.” • Increased knowledge of commune councils and what they should be doing and the need for them to become more transparent in dealing with people have been greatly appreciated compared to prevoius rating and there is a significant appreciation of the need for them to take an active role in making the community plans successful.

13. Problems / Obstacles