 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
Poverty Reduction Strategy in Cambodia |
|
|
Deciding
who and how many constitute the poor in Cambodia requires a broad
understanding of poverty, and not simply a limited income/consumption
approach. This broad understanding of poverty should include the concept
of human rights as well as actively requiring the participation of the
poor themselves, not only in defining poverty but also in identifying why
they think they are poor and how they believe they can rise out of
poverty. It is from this perspective that NGOs approach poverty reduction. The
I-PRSP recognizes broad dimensions of poverty that include lack of
opportunities, vulnerability, low capabilities and social exclusion. While
it presents some of the factors that cause poverty as well as policy
recommendations to address them, it glosses over the importance of
structural causes of poverty. These structural causes are closely linked
to why certain groups of individuals continue to control Cambodia’s
productive resources, to the detriment of the poor majority population.
The structural causes of poverty perpetuate inequity: currently, some
Cambodians are able to live in luxury in the Phnom Penh area while others
eke Out a meager existence in remote villages, isolated mine-affected
pockets, on urban rooftops or even in the forest. Therefore, the
empowerment of the poor and voiceless should lead to policy actions that
distribute Cambodia’s productive assets equitably and build upon the
social networks and institutions of the poor. (ii)
Poverty Reduction: Balance between macro-economic and social &
environmental policies The
Royal Government's strategic motto is “Poverty reduction through high
economic growth over the long term by ensuring environmental
sustainability and social equity.” In practice, rapid growth has
often come at the cost of environmental degradation, social disruption and
rising inequality. In the particular case of Cambodia, an overemphasis on
high economic growth may be problematic as long as there are not adequate
social regulations (e.g. minimum wage legislation, social security) and
environmental regulations (e.g., pollution thresholds) in the country’s
legal and institutional framework. Economic
growth is emphasized as a prerequisite to poverty reduction. However, the
position of human development and poverty reduction within the overall
economic policy framework determines the type of growth and the equity
priorities pursued. For instance, processes such as the Poverty Reduction
Strategy Paper (PRSP) or the Integrated Framework for Trade-Related
Technical Assistance to Less-Developed Countries (IF) put a premium on
aggregate growth targets and emphasize specific “profitable” economic
sectors. NGOs reiterate that development strategies require comprehensive
participatory poverty impact analysis in order to identify the policy
instruments that will most effectively target the poor and ensure
development with equity. A
focus on growth with equity would also include maximizing the poverty
reduction impact of fiscal, monetary and trade policies, the incentives
for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and the regulatory environment. For
instance, a Public Expenditure Policy should allocate the budget to target
basic social services and focus on closing regional and/or gender gaps in
education, health, and other key human development indicators. The
macroeconomic policy framework should place poverty reduction at the
center of the development targets. At the same time, at the center of
poverty reduction strategies are the people and stakeholders for which
they are intended, and who must participate in all phases of this process. (iii)
Cambodia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy: Lessons from the process to date
for the process ahead NGOs
have provided inputs at every stage of the strategic planning process.
However, time constraints apparently prevented the incorporation of NGO
comments into the I-PRSP. Some NGO comments were taken into account in the
final draft of the Main Volume of SEDP II. Though the detailed annexes
remained unchanged. The NGO inputs to the I-PRSP and to the SEDP II were
recently handed out at a Workshop on Preparation of the full PRSP. NGOs
also intend that this NGO Statement to the CG Meeting be used as an input
to the preparation of the full PRSP. In
view of this year’s full PRSP, and based on the lessons learnt in the
last couple of years, NGOs would like to emphasize the following points in
order to achieve a true country-driven, result-oriented and participatory
PRSP document: •
Continue to focus on participation by all interested stakeholders
and in the process as a whole: In
order to foster the participation of all interested stakeholders, NGOs
would like to encourage prompt translation into Khmer language of all
draft documents, enabling Cambodian civil society to read and understand
the plans and thus facilitating Cambodian input. NGOs are particularly
concerned that no non-NGO, community or grassroots level participation has
been elicited in the drafting process of the PRSP. In particular, special
attention should be drawn to include vulnerable and marginalized groups
such as the poor, women, disabled, children, ethnic minorities, etc.
Vulnerability and marginalization are both causes and consequences of
poverty, and poverty reduction is unlikely to be achieved unless the
rights and the needs of these groups are taken into account. Regarding
participation in the process as a whole, NGOs are concerned that elements
of the PRSP such as the macro-economic framework may have substantial
input from the World Bank and the IMF before there is any wider discussion
among stakeholders. NGOs hope that the PRSP will remain a participatory
process, and that the concept of participation will extend to all elements
of the PRSP. Further, NGOs encourage establishing explicit indicators of
the level of participation involved in all components of the final PSRP as
well as that of the external documents that are linked to the PRSP
process, especially the Public Expenditure Review (PER), the trade policy
and the development-related plans of line ministries. NGOs would like to
see a country-driven PRS in which the level as well as the quality of
participation in each section of the PRSP is not only strongly encouraged
but also clearly stated in each section of the final document. •
NGOs encourage government, donor and NGO coordination to avoid
duplication of tasks and additional burden for government officials. NGOs
propose building on previous lessons learnt and maintain an alive and
flexible PRS document to adapt to the changing needs of the Cambodian
reality. In particular, the overlapping timelines and agendas of the World
Bank/IMF requirement for a three-year “country-owned” PRS and the
Cambodian Constitutional requirement for a five-year development plan need
to be reconciled. Otherwise, they have the potential to duplicate efforts
and slow down the planning processes. Maintaining a flexible and alive
poverty reduction strategy document would potentially allow better
coordination among all players and avoid the draining of human resources.
Different timelines on both government- and donor-driven requirements
could be built into a long-term process or re-evaluation of poverty
priorities for Cambodia. The input from the Poverty Monitoring and
Analysis Technical Unit of the Council for Social Development (PMATU),
among others, could be invaluable for the evolution of Cambodian poverty
reduction priorities. The
NGO community believes that monitoring and accountability are key to
ensuring implementation of the PRSP and other development reforms. Poverty
alleviation strategies should focus on lessening the gap between the rich
and the poor, between the city and the countryside, and between men and
women. Therefore, the NGO community believes that the “yardstick”
to evaluate success or failure of reform efforts should be what happens to
the poor and most vulnerable groups in Cambodia. These groups would
include, among others, the landless poor, exploited women and children,
older people or the sick and disabled. NGOs are ready to contribute in
this monitoring function through their knowledge and experience working
directly at the grassroots level. |
|
|
|
Home | 6th CG Meeting| Agenda | Contents| List of Participants | Position Paper | DCR | Partnership | Government | Donors | Download | Map | Photo |