8th Consultative Group Meeting for Cambodia
Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 2-3 March 2006

 Session III: Review of 2005 Joint Monitoring Indicators (JMIs)
and Adoption of 2006 JMIs

Mr. Chhieng Yanara
Secretary General, Cambodian Rehabilitation and Development Board
Council for the Development of Cambodia
Royal Government of Cambodia


-           Your Highnesses, Excellencies
-           Distinguished Delegates of the Donor Community
-           Ladies and Gentlemen

1.      It is an honor and a pleasure for me to make a brief presentation on progress that has been made in achieving the targets of the joint monitoring indicators (JMIs) agreed at the last CG meeting and to outline the principles and the process that has been followed to design and to prepare the JMls for review and endorsement at this CG meeting.

2.     In terms of progress in achieving the targets of the joint monitoring indicators agreed at the last CG meeting, overall, significant progress has been made. The details of progress that has been made on each indicator are summarized in Chapter 2, section 4 of the document on “Enhancing Development Cooperation Effectiveness to Implement the National strategic Development Plan” that included in the folder. I would therefore not go into details of our achievements on each JMI.

3.     However, one issue that has emerged is the lack of correlation between activities that were needed to be carried out to achieve the targets of the JMIs and the resources mobilized to carry out these activities. The periodic reviews of progress during 2005 have revealed that significant progress was made in areas where:

  • a clear linkage between planned activities and the resources needed to implement the activities had been established; as compared to areas where this linkage was either weak or missing, or there was a lack of ownership by concerned institutions;

  • the institution responsible for achieving the JMls targets was clearly identified as compared to areas where responsible institution was not clearly identified; and

  • timeframes for achieving the JMI targets were realistic.

4.       Learning from our experiences over the last year and to correct the observed weaknesses in the process of setting the monitoring targets under the CG mechanism, the Royal Government has for the first time attempted to establish some basic principles and a process for establishing the JMIs for this CG meeting that we believe will enable us to move forwards in a spirit of mutual respect and mutual accountability to achieve our national development and reform goals.

5.      The basic principles we have followed are:

  1. The targets for monitoring progress in achieving our development and reform goals must be based on RGC’s priorities outlined in the NSDP that has been formulated to implement RGC’s Rectangular Strategy, and the reform programs of the Royal Government.

  2. For each activity to be completed to achieve a target the responsible government institution must be identified.

  3. A realistic time frame to complete the activity must be established taking into account the capacity of the concerned government institution and the complexity of the issue.

  4. The financial and human resources required to carry out each activity must be identified as well as the source of these resources.

6.     In terms of the process that has been followed, it began at the Fifth GDCC Meeting held on 12 December 2005. At this meeting, on behalf of the Royal Government, H.E. Senior Minister Keat Chhon, the Chair of GDCC had broadly outlined the basic principles for setting JMls for this CG meeting. He had also set the date, February 15 2006, for the next meeting of the GDCC to review the preliminary draft of the JMIs that will be reviewed and endorsed at this CG meeting. After the 12 December2005 meeting:

  • the Secretariat of GDCC had sent a request to the Chairs of TWGs to provide: (i)           a brief report on progress in implementing the JMls in their area that were set at the last CG meeting, and (ii) to propose new JMIs in their area that to be reviewed at the February 15 GDCC meeting by 19 January 2006.

  • the Secretariat had reviewed and analyzed the information provided by Chairs of TWGs as well as information on JMIs that was compiled by the World Bank. Based on these inputs, the secretariat of GDCC prepared a draft that was reviewed at a meeting of the Chairs of the TWGs on 9 February 2006.

  • Following this meeting the draft was revised and sent to the Chairs of the TWGs with explicit mandate to discuss the draft with the Lead Donor Facilitator of their TWG and to inform the Secretariat of any changes that they have agreed to.

  • Based on feedback from Chairs of the TWGs a revised draft was prepared and sent to all development cooperation partners and the Chairs of TWGs for discussion at the GDCC meeting of 15 February.

  • At the 15 February 2006 meeting of the GDCC, this draft was reviewed and proposed changes incorporated in the draft at the meeting. Following this meeting the Secretariat of GDCC has edited the draft to smooth out the language. This draft that we will today was sent to all development cooperation partners and the Chairs of TWGs.

8.      I would like to note that we now have a single National Strategic Development Plan for the next five years that has been prepared in close collaboration with and with inputs from all stakeholders. I would like to emphasize that this single NSDP and RGC’s reform programs constitute the universe of Royal Government priorities. The Royal Government maintains the position that all development cooperation partners must respect this universe of RGC’s priorities and need to focus their support on the priorities that are part of this universe in a spirit of mutual respect and mutual accountability.

9.     The joint TWG and GDCC mechanism that is now operational was designed to provide the RGC institutions full ownership for managing our development management processes and to ensure that interested development cooperation partners have an opportunity not only to make inputs in shaping the priorities but also to be a effective partners in the processes that will help us move forward to achieve our national development and reforms goals.

10.     The RGC firmly believes that to achieve our national development goals and to successfully implement our reform programs the concerned Government institutions must have full ownership of the development and reform programs. The RGC would like our development cooperation partners to work with government institutions in a spirit of mutual respect and mutual accountability to facilitate this process.

11.     Before we begin to review the individual proposed JMls, I would like to reiterate that the column on targets has been formulated based on the priorities of the NSDP and RGC’s reforms programs. These are our national priorities for which we assume full ownership. The nature and scope of activities required to achieve these targets is the area where we are seeking our development cooperation partners’ support under the leadership of the Chair of the TWGs.

12.    Since the draft that was sent to the chairs of TWGs and development partners we have received comments from development partners through the World Bank. You will see the changes in red as we proceed.
 

Power Point Presentation | JMIs (Draft for Discussion) (English | Khmer)

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