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The NGO community in Cambodia appreciates the opportunity to share its
views at the 2002 Consultative Group (CG) Meeting on Cambodia. After a
decade of participating in these meetings between the Royal Government of
Cambodia (RGC) and the multilateral and bilateral donors, the NGOs
continue to strive to make a positive contribution to the dialogue on
development assistance in Cambodia.
The NGO community reaffirms its support for the government’s commitment to
achieve equitable growth and to alleviate poverty. The NGOs wish to
partner with the government and the donor community in the process of
developing, implementing and monitoring the progress and outcomes of the
reform plans as they pertain to the lives and livelihoods of poor
Cambodians.
NGOs wish to highlight some important achievements of the RGC:
- Commune Elections were held in February
2002, starting a necessary component of the decentralization and
deconcentration processes.
- There has been an increase in the use
of participatory approaches, recognizing the crucial role played by
civil society.
- Some progress in policies and technical
inputs for governance reform, necessary for poverty reduction.
- The establishment of the Council of
Social Development is a hopeful sign of the government’s inclusion of
social issues in the development agenda.
- There has been continued peace in the
country.
NGOs note that the following areas require
further attention:
- Economic growth has not been
accompanied by redistribution: there is minimal equity. The rapid growth
strategy pushed by donors is increasing
inequity.
- The progress in policy has not
translated into progress in impact: NGOs cannot see positive impact in
the communities where we work.
- Corruption and the culture of impunity
remain rampant. Reform attempts stop at the point where they begin to
affect vested interests.
- So far, civil sector reform has not
been translated into improved public services.
- Budgets for social sectors have
increased but inadequate levels of funding reach the local level:
allocated budgets are being disbursed late or not at all
- The progress in legislation is uneven
and not always transparent. There are no clear, standardized procedures
for civil society participation.
Donors must ensure that their funds are having a positive impact on the
poor and the vulnerable, that they are not fueling corruption, and that
they do not violate the rights of project-affected communities. Donors
also have a key role to play in encouraging and deepening the
government-civil society dialogue.
The NGO community wishes to emphasize the need for a broad understanding
of poverty and for equitable development in Cambodia. NGOs would like to
see major improvements in the most crucial issues that affect the poor and
vulnerable, concretely:
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Continuous work towards
equitable growth: an increased focus on the structural causes of
poverty, in-depth analysis of poverty impacts and coordination of all
policies (including macro-economic, fiscal, trade, social and
environmental policies). The benchmark to evaluate success or failure of
the reform programs must be what happens to the most vulnerable groups.
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Radical improvements in
the culture of impunity and effective anti-corruption measures.
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Poverty reduction
strategies that put at their center the people for whom they are
intended, allowing them to participate in all phases and at all levels
of the process (including policy, implementation and evaluation).
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Enforced standardized
government procedures for all new and modified legislation. These
procedures should require all government agencies to establish
timeframes and opportunities for public consultation at all stages of
the legislative and regulatory process.
NGOs recognize that political will, leadership, education and the open
exchange of ideas and information between government and civil society are
critical to the success of the reform process in Cambodia. Only then will
there be a sense of shared ownership and the full commitment of all
Cambodians to carry forth the development agenda.
The NGO community welcomes any opportunity to further improve its
coordination and partnerships with government, donors and local
communities in supporting poverty reduction efforts and development
programs in Cambodia.
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This
statement represents a collaborative effort between three NGO
membership organizations, namely the Cooperation Committee for
Cambodia (CCC), the NGO Forum on Cambodia and the MEDiCAM
association of NGOs working in health, together with contributions
form sectoral working groups.
The
first section of this report follows the structure of the 2002
Consultative Group Meeting on Cambodia. The second part includes
22 sectoral and issue papers and additional information about the
NGO sector in Cambodia. For further and more technical information
about each of the issues covered in the main statement, please
refer to the sectoral papers |
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