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1. H.E. Mr. Keat Chhon, Chairman of the GDCC, opened the meeting and welcomed participants to this first meeting of the GDCC. He thanked representatives of the ministries and agencies and the development partners who worked hard over the last year to restructure the working groups in order to strengthen aid coordination mechanisms and to improve aid effectiveness to maximize its benefits for the people of Cambodia. The main agenda item for the meeting was a review of the joint monitoring indicators that are being proposed to be adopted at the CG Meeting scheduled for 6-7 December 2004. 2. He informed the meeting that the proposal on restructuring the working groups that was agreed between the Royal Government and the development partners was endorsed by Samdech Hun Sen, the Prime Minister at the Pre-CG Meeting held on 10 September 2004 as a mechanism to strengthen Government-Donor coordination to improve aid effectiveness. He emphasized that as we begin this new phase of working together under the restructured working groups, on behalf of the Royal Government he would like to strongly encourage development partners to place a special emphasis on ensuring that Government representatives have real ownership and leadership in the planning and management of all development and reform programs. 3. He said that the joint proposal of the Royal Government and the development partners that was endorsed by the Prime Minister consists of two elements. The first element is the formation of 17 joint Technical Working Groups (TWGs), including the Partnership and Harmonization TWG. To ensure coordination among these 17 joint TWGs, the second element is the establishment of a “Government-Donor Coordination Committee”. The mandate of this high level Committee is to provide policy guidance, to set priorities, and to take action to resolve issues/problems raised by the 17 joint TWGs. This Committee will be assisted by a Secretariat that will be located at the Cambodian Rehabilitation and Development Board (CRDB) at CDC. The main functions of the Secretariat are:
4. He emphasize that while this committee will aim to strengthen Government and Donor coordination at the "policy level", the Partnership and Harmonization TWG (P&H-TWG) as one of the 17 joint TWGs will continue to focus on the implementation/operational aspects of aid coordination and management issues, in particular the harmonization and alignment issues that are aimed at improving aid effectiveness. As part of the on-going work of the P&H-TWG, he informed the meeting that the Royal Government and 12 development partners have agreed to sign a Declaration on Harmonization and Alignment as follow up to the Rome Declaration and that the signing ceremony will take place today after this meeting. 5. He highlighted that after the Pre-CG Meeting held on 10 September 2004 that was presided by Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen, each TWG was asked to prepare an action plan and indicators to monitor progress in their areas. He emphasized that the monitoring and reporting of progress on the monitoring indicators is a joint responsibility of the members of each TWG. Each TWG is also required to prepare and provide to the Secretariat of this Government-Donor Coordination Committee a quarterly progress report. The Secretariat is responsible for preparing a consolidated progress report based on submission from the TWGs for review and action by this Committee at its quarterly meetings. 6. He said that he believes that based on inputs from the TWGs the World Bank has prepared a consolidated list of around ten monitoring indicators that are being proposed to be adopted at the CG Meeting. He said that the important task for the meeting today is to review the indicators that are proposed and to agree on a set of monitoring indicators for the CG process that will be endorsed at the formal CG Meeting. 7. As Chairman of this Committee that is meeting for the first time, he expressed his appreciation to H.E. Mr. Chhieng Yanara, the Chairman of the P&H-TWG for his hard work in providing leadership and coordinating the efforts of all stakeholders in the preparation of Cambodia's Action Plan on Harmonization and Alignment in line with the Rome Declaration and OECD/DAC guidelines. He said he was pleased to report that the Action Plan on Harmonization and Alignment has been approved by the Cabinet on 19 November 2004. He emphasized that the successful implementation of this Action Plan is a high priority of the Royal Government. 8. To start the meeting, H.E. Mr. Keat Chhon invited H.E. Ms. Nisha Agrawal to make a brief presentation on the proposed joint monitoring indicators. Ms. Agrawal's presentation was organized under the following four headings that reflected the planned four sessions of the CG agenda:
10. After extensive discussion and modifications, the indicators listed in Annex I were agreed. In the following two cases, the decisions were deferred:
In these two cases, further discussions were to be held to finalize the language before the CG meeting. 11. The meeting adjourned at noon. Following the GDCC meeting, a signing ceremony was held where the Royal Government and 12 development partners who have shown a willingness to support the implementation of Cambodia's Action Plan on Harmonisation and Alignment signed a Declaration. |
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The RGC and donors are committed to working together to implement the Government's Rectangular Strategy and achieve the goals set out in the NPRS and CMDGs. To promote joint efforts, 17 government-donor Technical Working Groups (TWGs) have been established for key sector and thematic areas. Each of the TWGs has developed action plans and monitoring indicators for joint work over the next year. The priority areas for joint action/monitoring outlined in the matrix are a selection of the key cross-cutting indicators which have wide-reaching implications for development across sectors, as well as indicators which are unmet and rolled over from the 2002 CG. It is proposed that, unless otherwise specified, all benchmarks are to be met the next CG Meeting (December 2005). Progress on these indicators, however, will be monitored on a quarterly basis and will be discussed at the quarterly meetings of the Government-Donor Coordination Committee (GDCC). Government and donors also stress their commitment to working to achieve the other indicators identified in the TWG action plans, all of which are important, and which will be monitored by the appropriate TWG. Government and donors are committed to ensuring that other important cross-cutting issues, such as gender equality, HIV/AIDS and poverty
reduction, are taken up by each TWG in their
respective activities, and given primacy in the formulation, implementation
and monitoring of the next government 5 year plan for 2006-2010. |
Areas |
Benchmarks |
Agency |
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Session I. Promoting Good Governance |
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(1) Fighting Corruption and Increasing Accountability: The key thrust of the RGC’s strategy to fight corruption is to take concrete actions that attack the roots of corruption (RS)
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1. Within the existing Law on Criminal
Procedure, reported cases of corruption shall be brought before
the courts for investigation and hearing; a consistent and strategic
approach shall be employed by law enforcement authorities to the
prosecution of cases of corruption. Data shall be collected to enable
monitoring of progress. |
COM
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(2) Legal and Judicial Reform and Protection of Human Rights: The RGC will promote LJRs and ensure the independence of the court system through the implementation of key policies and strategies …to strengthen the rule of law, promote social justice, reduce corruption, eliminate the culture of impunity, and strengthen the culture of peace and the primacy of law (RS) |
In all benchmarks listed below, the law shall be consistent with the Constitution and international best practice (such as reflected in international human rights treaties, and by instruments such as the Basic Principles of the Judiciary and the Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors) and prepared through a satisfactory participatory process. Fundamental
Legal Framework (new - but includes laws from previous unmet
benchmarks)
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LJR TWG |
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(3) Public Administration Reform: The RGC recognizes that the strengthening of institutional capacity is crucial to sustainable development. The administrative system and the civil service must be neutral, transparent, professional, responsive and responsible (RS) |
1. Agreement between government and
donors on a strategy to phase out donor-funded salary supplements and
redirect them in support of pay reforms in priority areas by June
2005. (Ref. to RGC’s Action Plan for Harmonization and
Alignment, Section D.1.c and NPAR priorities section 2.1.3) |
PAR
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(4) Decentralisation & Deconcentration (D&D): Decentralization must be implemented in conjunction with de-concentration to build capacity at the municipal, provincial and district levels …(RS) |
1. The RGC National Policies, Strategic Framework,
Action Plan and relevant appointed committees formulated by March 2005
and submitted to Council of Ministers for
approval, resulting in
a Government program for D&D at a Provincial, District and Commune
Level. |
D&D |
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(5) Public Financial Management : The maintenance of strict budget discipline is crucial to ensure a favourable macroeconomic and financial environment to consolidate the foundation for sustainable and equitable economic growth (RS) |
1. Implement RGC's PFM reform agenda: first 12 months of platform 1 |
PFM |
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Session II: Accelerating Growth and Improving Rural Livelihoods |
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(i) Cross-cutting for Agriculture and Natural Resources Management: It is necessary to enhance and broaden the base for economic growth by opening and utilizing the potentials in other sectors, especially in the high potential agricultural and agro-industrial sectors, so that the nation will obtain larger positive windfall gains in the improvement of the livelihoods of the rural people (RS) |
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NRM |
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Forestry TWG |
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NRM |
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NRM |
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NRM |
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(ii) Private Sector Development: The RGC considers the private sector as the engine of economic growth, while the Government plays its role as the strategist in creating an environment conducive to enhanced private enterprise and the manager of the development process (RS) |
1.
The
Government will establish a single entry point, or Single Window, that
will allow parties involved in trade to fulfill the documentary
requirements for import or export in a single transaction. Multiple
interactions with agencies will be replaced by information sharing
within Government. This will be achieved as a key step toward an
automated Single Window process including CED and other relevant
agencies. |
PSD |
Session III: Supporting Human Development |
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Gender, Poverty, and HIV/AIDS |
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All TWGs |
Health & Education |
1. Timely disbursements of the budget for Health and Education as agreed in the PFM Action Plan |
PFM and HD TWGs |
Session IV. Increasing Aid Effectiveness |
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Harmonisation & Alignment |
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PWG |
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H.E. Mr. Keat Chhon |
Senior Minister, MEF,
First Vice Chairman of CDC, and Chairman of GDCC |