Looking Forward

Cambodian society has undergone major changes in the last decade to support continuing progress in economic, social and political development. The NGO community recognizes the importance of these policy reforms, yet we wish to remind donors and the government of the need for a broad understanding of poverty and of the challenge of achieving equitable development in Cambodia.

For the 2003 Consultative Group Meeting on Cambodia, NGOs would like to see major improvements in the most crucial issues that affect the poor and vulnerable, concretely:

• 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.

• Radical improvements in the culture of impunity and effective anti-corruption measures.

• 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).

• 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.

The NGO community welcomes any opportunity to further improve their coordination and partnerships with government, donors and local communities in supporting the poverty reduction efforts and development programs in Cambodia.

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