GOVERNMENT-DONOR COORDINATION COMMITTEE (GDCC)

Six Month Progress Report of the Joint Technical Working Groups
For the Period: December 2005 - May 2006

This questionnaire on progress made by each Joint Technical Working Group is requested by the Secretariat of the Government-Donor Coordination Committee (GDCC). It should be completed and submitted to the Secretariat of the GDCC before 29 May 2006. It will be used to prepare a summary progress report for the seventh GDCC Meeting scheduled to be held on 14 June 2006. Please return the completed questionnaire to H.E. Mr. Chhieng Yanara at CDC/CRDB in both soft and hard copies.

TWG: Fisheries

A. Progress in Implementing TWG's Action Plans

Please list below activities in the Action Plans that were scheduled to be implemented during the last six months (December 2005 to May 2006) and provide an update on implementation status of these activities.

Scheduled Activities	Implementation Status
Scheduled Activities	On Schedule	Behind Schedule	If behind schedule, reasons for delay	TWG Recommendations for GDCC Consideration, if any
i) TWGF established as an effective informing and influencing interface between DoF/Donors/NGOs.	ü
ii) High level policy dialogue facilitated by TWGF to ensure that the policy profile of the fisheries sector reflects its importance to the livelihoods of poor rural people, to national food security and that this is reflected in the implementation of policy at the field level.	ü
iii) MUTUAL ACCOUNTABILITY: DoF and development partners become more accountable for development results.	ü
iv) OWNERSHIP: DoF assumes exercises effective leadership over its development policies, strategies and assessment frameworks in order to manage resources and improve decision-making.	ü
vi) MANAGING FOR RESULTS: DoF and development partners user jointly-agreed results-oriented reporting and assessment frameworks in order to manage resources and improve decision-making.	ü
vi) ALIGNMENT: Development partners base their overall support on Cambodia’s development strategies, institutions and procedures.		ü	Lack of engagement by TWGF members in the thematic sub-groups (see issues 2) below).
vii) HARMONIZATION: Development partners’ actions are more harmonized. Transparent and collectively effective to maximize ODA benefits for Cambodia.		ü	1. Lack of engagement by TWGF members in the thematic sub-groups (see issues at 2) below). 2. Some specific activities have slipped by one month due to the May TWGF meeting being pushed back to June in order to hold the Fisheries Forum.
viii) Donor support to the Department of Fisheries substantially increased in support of the implementation of the DoF Fisheries Development Action Plan as articulated through the DoF Action Plan 2006.		ü	1. Delays in the release of funding (that is due in 2006) 2. Some specific activities have slipped by one month due to the May TWGF meeting being pushed back to June in order to hold the Fisheries Forum.

Note: The above is the Action Plan items as revised after the report submitted to GDCC in November 2005. This Action Plan now reflects the updated RGC Action Plan for Harmonization and Alignment, and Results released in February 2006 and this is as adapted for the Fisheries Sector.

Are there any other issues affecting the implementation of TWG Action Plan that it would like to submit for GDCCs consideration.

Some difficulties faced in the TWG-Fisheries Action Plan 2006 as following:

Poor attendance of TWGF members (especially donors) for regular TWGF meetings;
Attendance at TWGF meetings of inappropriate representative (too junior) has caused difficulties that he/she does not engage in the debate on behalf of his/her organization. This is, particularly, the case with some donor representatives.
Lack of commitment among the TWGF members to work through the thematic subgroups that have been invoked to carry out some activities in the TWGF Action Plan outside the meeting. The intention is that these thematic sub-groups debate a subject from the plan and present back to the TWGF meeting where the debate/discussion would continue.

B. Progress on Joint Monitoring Indicators

If there are any Joint Monitoring Indicator(s) agreed at the 8^th CG Meeting held in March 2006 that fall within the mandate of this TWG, please list the JMIs below and indicate progress that has been made toward achieving the JMI targets.

Joint Monitoring Indicator

What is the current implementation status? What are the constraints that you are experiencing, if any? What recommendations do you have, for GDCC consideration to resolve the identified constraints?

Take appropriate action to reflect the priorities of the Fisheries sector to improve the livelihoods of rural communities in commune, district and provincial development plans as well as donor funding levels. (Joint Monitoring Indicator 8 iii))

The progress made is set out below.

a) Fisheries Forum Meeting (24^th May, 1 day event) attended by many DoF, donor and NGO representatives in the fisheries sector took place to address the goals.

“To ensure that the restructuring of the Department of Fisheries into the Fisheries Administration allows better integration between the Fisheries Administration and local level planning, enabling the Fisheries Administration to be an effective service provider, in response to the needs of the rural poor who rely heavily on fish and aquatic resources for their livelihood. This must all be consistent with achieving the goals of the National Strategic Development Plan 2006-2010 and Cambodian government’s Rectangular Strategy.”

The outputs from the Fisheries Forum will feed into improved policy, planning and operations of the Fisheries Administration, generally, and will form essential inputs to a wider programme of sector development being funded by the new DfiD/DANIDA Natural Resources Management and Livelihoods Programme (see below).

b) The Prime Minister, SAMDECH Hun Sen’s speech on 29^th March at the MAFF Conference “Taking Stock of 2005-2006 Performance and Setting Directions for 2006-2007”, referred to the need for “All ministries, institutions, municipality and provincial departments in cooperate with the development partners must think of the priority to include the fishery sector to its development plan”. This was great support from such a high level.

c) a letter is being sent by H.E. Chan Sarun, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to relevant Ministries, provincial governors, and donor community requesting their assistance in achieving the Joint Monitoring Indicator.

d) The new DfiD/DANIDA Natural Resources Management and Livelihoods Programme (yet to be finally approved) has allocated nearly $3.3 million over five (5) years to the fisheries sector alone. Of this total, some $320,000 has been ear-marked in the DoF Action Plan 2006 for “sector development” which will comprise development of policy, planning, legislation, capacity, knowledge management, monitoring and evaluation and general feedback mechanisms at the sub-national level. This is all in pursuit of the Joint Monitoring Indicator.

C. Implementation Status of the Action Plan on Harmonization, Alignment and Results

What actions have you taken to implement the updated Harmonization, Alignment, and Results Action Plan? What are the constraints that you are experiencing, if any?

What recommendations do you have, for GDCC consideration to resolve the identified constraints?

Action Taken	Update
i. The updated Harmonization, Alignment and Results Action Plan has been embedded within the TWGF Action Plan for 2006 and accepted by the TWGF membership.	The TWGF is proceeding with the TWGF Action Plan for 2006 continuously and many of these items embedded from the Harmonization, Alignment and Results Action Plan are being carried out.
ii. Publication of the “Department of Fisheries Institutional Review”, dissemination to the TWGF members and relevant stakeholders in the sector.	This study was part of the process of moving towards a move programmatic approach to the fisheries sector by assessing the Department of Fisheries’ capacity to implement the policy requirements defined in the Rectangular Strategy and the National Strategic Development Plan 2006-2010 This review showed that there is considerable potential for improvement in the service delivery and in the institution, generally – whether in the area of policy and planning, human resource development, knowledge management ro monitoring & evaluation.
iii. Production of a discussion document entitled “Adopting Programmatic Approached for the Fisheries Sector in Cambodia” and discussion of the document at the March meeting of TWGF.	Further discussion on more programmatic approaches to the fisheries sector will take place during the rest of this year.

D. Resource Mobilization

Has the TWG been able to mobilize the resources to implement its Action Plan for 2006?

£ yes R no

If no, please answer the following questions:

What is the total amount of resources the TWG had estimated to implement its Action Plan for 2006? (in USD) $139,130
What is the minimum additional amount that the TWG needs to implement its Action Plan? (in USD) $120,800
Which development partners do you think would be able to provide the required resources? DfiD/DANIDA MDLF