Vision: Sustainable Development for Cambodia

1. By: EL Sotheary, Head of Program, CCC CCC Bi Monthly Meeting 01 April 2014 CSO GREEN PAPER DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES FOR 2014 AND BEYOND Vision: Sustainable Development for Cambodia

2. Presentation Outlines Green Paper for Civil Society Methodology Key issues/challenges and proposed recommendations Action Plans Small Group Discussion

3. GREEN PAPER FOR CIVIL SOCIETY IN CAMBODIA Vision: Sustainable Development for Cambodia

4. Why Green Paper? To respond to national and global trends in a systematic and structural manner To improve participation and harmonization To ensure collaboration rather than competition To ensure that CSOs have a common strategic vision with clear roles and key focuses.

5. METHODOLOGY OF THE GREEN PAPER Vision: Sustainable Development for Cambodia

6. Methodology of the Green Paper Consulted with at least 11 research/studies Conducted individual meetings and consultation workshops with relevant stakeholders since June 2013 Discussed with NSDP and beyond 2015 development agenda Captured proposed recommendations Consolidated proposed intervention strategies

7. The Electoral Reform Alliance (ERA) Report on the 2013 Elections • Report on the Enabling Environment for CSOs in Cambodia, CCC • Universal Periodic Review, Compiled by the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC) • Press Statement by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Cambodia, Professor Surya P. Subedi • Report, Multi-Stakeholder Consultation on “CSO Perspectives on Cambodia Development Framework Beyond 2015”, CCC • Cambodia’s Development Dynamics: Past Performances and Emerging Priorities, CDRI • Joint Statement of Civil Society Organizations: Stop the Violence: A Call for Release, Investigation and Reparation, • CSO position paper on NSDP 2014 2018 • Draft NSDP 2014 - 2018 and draft DCPS 2014 – 2018 • Review of Cambodia Millennium Development Goals (CMDGs) • Post-2015 Consultations, United Nations in Cambodia, 2013

8. KEY ISSUES/CHALLENGES AND PROPOSED RECOMMENDATIONS Vision: Sustainable Development for Cambodia

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. 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”.

23. 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.

24. 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.

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. PROPOSED ACTION PLANS Vision: Sustainable Development for Cambodia

28. Proposed Action Plans 4 Main Working Approaches • Evidence based advocacy • Inclusive partnership and mass support • Enabling environment (LANGO, Access to Information….) • Empowering grass root/ Demand Vs. Supply sides.

29. 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.

30. 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.

31. Group Discussion 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 20 mn Presentation by each group 5 mn/each

32. THANK YOU! &