CSO GREEN PAPER
DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES FOR 2014
AND BEYOND
By: EL Sotheary, Head of Program, CCC
CCC Bi Monthly Meeting
01 April 2014
Vision: Sustainable Development for Cambodia
Presentation Outlines
1. Green Paper for Civil Society
2. Methodology
3. Key issues/challenges and proposed
recommendations
4. Action Plans
5. Small Group Discussion
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GREEN PAPER FOR CIVIL
SOCIETY IN CAMBODIA
Vision: Sustainable Development for Cambodia
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.
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METHODOLOGY OF THE
GREEN PAPER
Vision: Sustainable Development for Cambodia
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
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1. The Electoral Reform Alliance (ERA) Report on the 2013
Elections
2. Report on the Enabling Environment for CSOs in Cambodia, CCC
3. 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 2018
9. Draft NSDP 2014 - 2018 and draft DCPS 2014 – 2018
10.Review of Cambodia Millennium Development Goals (CMDGs)
11. Post-2015 Consultations, United Nations in Cambodia, 2013
KEY ISSUES/CHALLENGES
AND PROPOSED
RECOMMENDATIONS
Vision: Sustainable Development for Cambodia
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.
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PROPOSED ACTION PLANS
Vision: Sustainable Development for Cambodia
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.
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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.
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Group Discussion
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 20 mn
Presentation by each group 5 mn/each
THANK YOU! &
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