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4,6.1
RURAL DEVELOPMENT 309.
The RGC’s strategy to facilitate rural development is to: (i)
promote decentralization of planning, finance and implement rural
development projects and programs; (ii) facilitate an integrated rural
development approach, which is participatory, area-based and multi-sectoral;
(iii) provide a forum at each administrative level for dialogue and joint
action within government departments and between the line ministries and
the local authorities, and between the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC)
and the civil society; and (iv) identify and
utilize the
comparative advantages and capacities within the government, civil
society, the private sector, international and local agencies and rural
communities themselves for development purposes. 310.
Over the next five years, the Ministry of Rural Development will
focus on: Institutional
Strengthening and Human Resource Development:
Central institutions will be strengthened and developed. The MRD has
recently established two new departments: the Department of Rural Roads
and the Department of Ethnic Minority Development. It will continue to
strengthen its institutional structure and a high priority will be given
to strengthening the human resources capacities of the Ministry. Local
institution’s capacities will also be strengthened:
The institutional structures of MRD
at
the provincial and lower levels will be strengthened to develop their
current limited capacities to implement rural development programs that
support the decentralisation policy of the RGC. The Government's policy of
decentralisation requires villages to form Village Development Committees (VDCs)
as the basic administrative management unit at community level. VDCs are
seen as the foundation of a community based approach for achieving
participatory and sustainable rural development. Building capacities of
the VDCs to effectively participate in the development processes is an
important need and priority of the Government. Basic
Minimum Needs and Indicators:
To meet the needs of the poorest areas and to properly target rural
development programs and provide the needed roads, schools, health
centers, wells, reservoirs and irrigation systems in rural communities;
data on a assessment of the “Basic Minimum Needs” (BMN) are urgently
required. These data will be developed through an Integrated Rural
Accessibility Planning (IRAP) methodology. The MRD has planned a project
to carry out a countrywide BMN survey using IRAP methodology. Rural
Roads and Transport Improvement:
The development of rural roads is a key priority of the RGC. Rural road
construction will lead to increased agricultural production, either by
increasing the land under cultivation or by intensifying existing land use
to take advantage of expanded market opportunities, consolidating links
between agricultural and non-agricultural activities in rural areas and
between rural and urban areas. Rural communities access to education,
health care and water will be enhanced by feeder roads that will connect
these communities to urban centres. Over the next five years, the Ministry
of Rural Development plans to rehabilitate and maintain 21,195 kilometers
of rural roads, including 15,195 kilometers of laterite road and 6,000
kilometers of earth filled roads. Clean
Drinking Water and Environmental Sanitation:
The MRD will implement a rural water supply development plan that will
provide clean water to an estimated 3.8 million rural people by the end of
2005. Providing this water supply requires approximately 44,700 new wells.
The MRD also plans to repair 6,800 hand pump wells, dig 415 new ponds (50m
x 30m x 3m) for irrigation, and clean 650 existing ponds. In addition to
improving clean water supply, the MRD plans to provide environmental
sanitation to an additional 1.9 million people in rural areas by 2005.
Achieving this sanitation target will require the construction of 124,000
latrines, or 24,800 per year. Latrines will be built on a cost-sharing
basis and supported by community education/training in hygiene and
sanitation. Expansion
of Small-Scale Irrigation:
Expansion of small-scale irrigation systems is an important element of the
RGC’s integrated rural development strategy. However, to help implement
these projects, the local communities will be required to bear some costs.
Operation and maintenance by local communities has been encouraged and
promoted by the RGC. To ensure effective allocation and use of irrigation
water, operations and maintenance of these systems will be managed by
water user groups and associations in the rural communities. Household
Food Security Promotion:
An important goal of the Royal Government is to achieve food security for
all Cambodians by providing support for improving small landholders
agricultural output. The MRD will establish by 2005, a development plan
promoting integrated household food security programs. This will include
alternative crops with increased yields, downstream processing of farm
products, animal husbandry, small-scale aquaculture and creating
alternative energy sources. Income-generating activities will be actively
promoted among rural households. Rural
Economic Development:
The provision of Credit will be
expanded and vocational training and small business development will be
promoted. Both
agriculture and business development activities are currently hampered by
lack of credit available to farmers and small businesses in rural
communities. At present, those willing to borrow pay as high as 10-25 percent per month on loans In the agricultural sector, loans
in kind for the purchase of fertilizer generally demand repayment of
double the value at the end of 3-4 months - equivalent to a 20-25 percent
monthly interest rate. In
rural areas, business, agriculture and wages are the three most important
income sources. In the off-farming season, small businesses are the major
job providers for farmers. However, these small businesses need credit
facilities in order to create jobs.. The MRD will start work to ensure
that the needed credit to small businesses in rural communities is made
available. The
development of rural communities will require the provision of vocational
training in rural communities to enable the rural population to
effectively participate and contribute to rural business development and
bring about improvements in agriculture sector. The MRD will establish
regional vocational training centres in Takeo and in other regions.
Concurrently, there will be increased co-operation between the MRD and
credit programs, especially at the enterprise
centers
in Prey Veng and Svay Rieng provinces, where the MRD will take over when
PRASAC finishes its mission. There will also be increased co-operation
between the MRD and AFD to improve the sericulture centre in Siem Reap
province. Natural
Resource Preservation and Environment Protection:
Rural development activities can affect the environment both positively
and negatively. Protecting natural resources is an objective of the RGC
not only because of its importance to the nation but also because of the
heavy reliance of rural communities on the natural environment for rain
fed farming, forest products etc. The Ministry of Rural Development will
begin as soon as possible to establish a comprehensive natural resource
preservation and environment protection program. 311.
SEILA Program: As already mentioned in Section 2, the
adoption of the Law on Commune Administration in 2001 and the Commune
Elections held in February 2002 are important milestones in Cambodia’s
march to a new era of grassroots democratization, along with the
establishment of the National Committee for Support to Communes/Sangkats (NCSC)
and a Department of Local Administration (DoLA) within the Ministry of
Interior, who will be responsible for formulating the decentralized
regulatory framework and coordinating support to Commune/Sangkat Councils.
The Second Phase (2001-2005) of the Seila Program that was
re-conceptualized as an aid mobilization and coordination framework in
anticipation of these developments is now focused on supporting the Royal
Government's decentralization and deconcentration reforms. 312.
From 12 provinces and 509 communes at the end of 2001, Seila will
expand its support to 17 provinces in 2002. By 2005, it is planned to
reach 1,216 communes, 71 percent of the provinces/municipalities, and 85
percent of the total rural communes/ sangkats. Based on an annual,
integrated, programming exercise, all technical and financial resources
mobilized under the Seila framework will be systematically transferred to
Ministries, Provinces and Commune/Sangkat Councils in accordance with both
their strategic priorities and institutional mandates and to fill major
financial gaps within their overall budgetary framework. A strong
strategic partnership between Seila, the NCSC and its sub-committees and
DoLA has developed over the course of 2001-2002 whereby Seila, in
partnership with other donor programs, is providing a significant
percentage of the technical and financial resources required for the
formulation of regulatory frameworks; the design of comprehensive training
programs for both provincial authorities and Commune/Sangkat Councils; as
well as the resources required for implementation of both capacity
building and investment activities at national, provincial and commune
levels. 313.
The Royal Government believes that the definition of Seila as a
resource mobilization framework for support to decentralization and
deconcentration reforms combined with the annual, integrated programming
process has proven its effectiveness. While respecting and supporting the
institutionalization of these reforms through the mandated national
authorities, the resources generated under Seila from a wide variety of
partnerships with IFIs, bilateral and multilateral donors and
international and national NGOs have enabled the implementation of the
reforms and provided support to a government-owned framework covering the
national, provincial and commune levels. In keeping with its name, Seila
has established a foundation upon which long-term
institutionalization processes can build.
314.
Social Fund: The
Royal Government, with the assistance of its external development
partners, has been focusing on poverty alleviation and promotion of
socio-economic development in the Kingdom. This development objective of
the Royal Government is being achieved by various Programs and projects
that utilize different methodologies and serve different areas. One of the
major Programs initiated by the Royal Government was the Social Fund of
the Kingdom of Cambodia (SFKC). 315.
In line with its work plan, the SFKC will have committed all its
remaining funds of Phase-II and flood supplemental credit by the end of
2002. This will be done by further strengthening community participation
and ownership of the sub-projects and facilities, through cash and/or
in-kind contributions, and their capacity to properly use and maintain the
newly created facilities. The enhanced capacities of the communities
should improve the sustainability of the project facilities. In order to meet the urgent and priority needs of the population, and
respond to more than 5,000 sub-projects requests received, SFKC is in need
of about US$ 100 million to contribute toward poverty alleviation and
rural development policies of the Royal Government of Cambodia. 4.6.2
ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION 316.
The Ministry of Environment’s overall objective is to effectively
manage, conserve and protect Cambodia’s environment and natural
resources in an ecologically sustainable manner that will assist in
alleviating poverty throughout the nation. MoE’s medium-term objectives
are to: (i) develop coastal zone management, (ii) reduce urban and
industrial pollution, (iii) strengthen protected areas management, (iv)
enhance forest concession management, (v) improve management of the Tonle
Sap ecosystem, and (vi) build the environmental planning capacity of core
institutions. 317.
The MoE’s environmental protection and natural resources
management efforts are guided by four principles. The first
principle is the recognition of the link between poverty alleviation
and the environment. To safeguard the environment, economic opportunities
to the rural poor should be increased. Natural resource degradation is in
part due to exploitation by the rural poor, who are seeking to satisfy
their basic needs. Reducing rural poverty is therefore essential to
achieving sustainable development in Cambodia. The second principle
is the recognition of the importance of communities. Structured
interventions to provide local communities with the skills to manage the
natural resources base on which their livelihoods depend is the most
effective way of achieving sustainable management of these resources. The third
principle is the recognition of the need for institutional capacity
building. The MoE and other Government agencies involved in environmental
management at present lack the technical skills to effectively protect,
preserve and manage Cambodia’s environment. The fourth principle
is the recognition of the importance of an integrated approach to
environmental planning. Environmental issues are cross-sectoral and
different institutions have responsibilities and undertake activities that
affect the environment. The MoE will promote an integrated and
multi-disciplinary approach to environmental management. These principles
will serve as the framework for addressing environmental priorities
identified by MoE. 318. Given that effective environmental protection and natural resources management is a cross-sectoral concern, many of the Government’s actions to protect the environment and manage environmental impacts are integrated with investment and policy priorities in other sectors. There is a need for monitoring the implementation of all public investment projects to ensure that their implementation is environmentally sound and to strengthen the links between development planning and environmental protection. There is also a need to incorporate environmental impact assessments (EIA) and compliance procedures in new project screening procedures. A high priority of the RGC is to strengthen the capacity of MoE to plan and implement policies and projects, monitor, enforce, and strengthen compliance according to existing environmental legislation. The MoE will be promoting public participation in environmental protection and natural resources management so that people are able to provide information and to participate in the decision-making process concerning the environment. 4.6.3
MINES REMOVAL 319.
Over the course of the next three years, the Cambodian Mine Action
and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) will implement and build upon
procedures, processes, and practices designed to ensure that mine action
activities conducted in the Kingdom of Cambodia are safe, coordinated,
well planned and conducted in accordance with national standards and
international obligations. 320.
The main elements of the CMAA’s Work Plan for 2002, that was
distributed to various partners in January 2002, are:
321.
Coordination of all mine action activities will continue to be one
of the most important roles of the CMAA. The Authority will coordinate
with Government Ministries and Departments, the international donor
community, and relevant national and international organizations to ensure
that the most effective and efficient use is made of resources, and that
land allocation and land use issues are addressed. 322.
An important new feature of
CMACs 2002 Work Plan is the inclusion of a detailed Management Development
Plan (MDP) along with the standard Operational Plan. A set of objectives
regarding Corporate Management, Finance, Support and Human Resources have
been identified with a view to optimizing the use of advisory services and
technical inputs by CMAC’s partners in order to enhance management
practices and procedures. Clear Objectives, activities and timelines have
been identified for the purpose. The MDP was produced through
consultations with various CMAC Departments and De-mining Units on their
priorities for the coming year as well as the recommendations of the
latest audits and the UNDP 2001 Evaluation Exercise. The core
responsibilities of CMAC HQ and De-mining Unit Managers are outlined,
together with a description of the role of technical advisors. 323.
CMAC’s total clearance target of 9.7 square kilometers for 2002
is in line with actual 2001 delivery rates (9.63), and is likely to be
surpassed if additional Brush cutters are obtained from Japan for
operations in the latter half of the year, as planned. In addition to the
operational goals outlined (manual, mechanical, dogs, mine awareness,
training etc), the Operational Work Plan has strong socio-economic
elements, with a comparative description of CMAC’s operations as against
the results of the Level I Survey and the Cambodia Min/UXO Victim Data
Base to demonstrate the relevance of CMAC’s work to actual needs.
Moreover, the socio-economic impact of CMAC’s operations is broken down
in terms of numbers of roads, pagodas, water sources, schools,
agricultural and resettlement sites, as well as villages and numbers of
beneficiaries (direct and indirect). 4.6.3
COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL SERVICES 324.
Supplementary government resources for compensation payments and
social sector assistance (safety nets) will be required for some time to
come and these resources will have to be used carefully in order to secure
basic social needs for the most vulnerable and neediest members of
society. Poor single headed
households, orphaned and abandoned children, the disabled, the elderly and
displaced people will receive special attention. To facilitate targeting
of poverty reduction initiatives the Government has developed an
integrated household survey system to monitor poverty indicators and
provide the basis for the formulation and implementation of anti-poverty
policies. The Government is
committed to maintaining regular poverty monitoring through multi-purpose
household surveys. Linked to
this is the commitment to further strengthen institutional capacity to
better link poverty analysis to policy formulation and public expenditure
priority setting. The monitoring and analysis of the incidence of poverty
will be strengthened to development a better understanding of the effects
of government investments and reforms on various income groups, on
respective gender, and various vulnerable groups such as abandoned or
parentless children, rural poor families, urban squatter families, street
children, returnees, unemployment and under-employment etc. To meet these
challenges the MoSALVY has designed a number of programs/projects that
include: Establishment of a Center for Re-Education of Former Sex-workers;
Establishment of Labor Market Information System; Construction of 5
Regional Vocational Training Centers; Transfer of Orphanage Centers to
Vocational Training Centers; Establishment of National Insurance System
for Workers; Construction of a Vocational Training Center in Takeo
Province; Construction and Renovation of Provincial Directorates; Capacity
Building for Employment Promotion; Construction of a National Center for
Rehabilitation in Siem Reap province; Construction and Renovation of a
Center for Youth Rehabilitation; Construction of SOS Children Villages. 4.6.4
WOMEN AND VETERANS AFFAIRS 325.
The strategies laid out in Neary
Rattanak and the “Building Together” Program were further
elaborated in a five-year plan for MoWVA.
The plan focuses on six main prioritized areas: (i) gender
mainstreaming, (ii) health; (iii) education, (iv) legal Protection, (v)
economic Empowerment, and (vi) management and Capacity Building. 326.
Gender Mainstreaming :
The RGC’s overall goal of gender mainstreaming is to build the
capacity of the government in poverty reduction and governance to empower
women and increase the participation of women on the basis of quality and
equity in all levels of development. The main components of the gender
mainstreaming strategy are: (i) building
commitment and capacity, (ii) influencing policies to become gender
sensitive and responsive, (iii) increasing the participation of women in
national and local development planning and governance, (iv) enhancing
capacity for gender planning, monitoring and evaluation, and (v)
increasing public
awareness and support. 327.
Health: The RGC’s goals is to ensure the exercise of rights and
the empowerment of women and girls, veterans and their families to access
primary health care, especially reproductive health care throughout their
lives toward improved livelihoods based on equality and equity. The
prioritized objectives include: (i) promotion of awareness among women,
girls and veterans of their rights and the exercise of their rights to
access health services and develop a basic understanding of primary
health, especially reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention, (ii)
increasing support of leaders of relevant institutions in facilitating the
integration of gender concerns into their plans and policies, (iii)
promoting activities increasing support for the needs of youth’s
reproductive health and (iv) supporting the strengthening and expansion of
mental health care services. 328.
Education: The RGC’s goals is to ensure that women, girls and
veterans receive their full entitlements in education and skills training
at all levels in order for them to become active human resources in
promoting equality and equity in society. The prioritized
objectives include: (i) improving enrolment and attendance of female
students at all levels from primary school to university, (ii) expanding
and strengthening basic education Programs for children, (iii) expanding
and strengthening the informal education system, (iv) promoting gender
equity in all levels of the education system. 329. Legal
Protection: The RGC’s goal is to ensure that women, girls and veterans
are fully protected on the basis of equality and equity, and women’s
rights are included in the formulation and enforcement of laws, legal
literacy and education. The objectives to be achieved include: (i)
ensuring equal rights between men and women before the law, (ii)
developing policies for the protection of women’s rights including
relevant regulations related to sexual exploitation and domestic violence,
and (iii) increasing public awareness of laws, human rights and gender at
national and sub-national levels. 330.
Economic Empowerment: The RGC’s goals is to ensure the equal
rights of women and veterans to access economic resources and
opportunities to participate equitably in national development and poverty
reduction by: (i) ensuring equity in access to and control over economic
resources, (ii) enhancing the capacity of women entrepreneurs, (iii)
promoting and strengthening the economic environment for women and
veterans through associations, and (iv) creating a favorable environment
for women in the development of their livelihood. 331. Institutional Capacity Building And Strategic Management: The RGC’s goal is to ensure institutional management is sustainable, transparent, effective and able to manage, monitor and evaluate project implementation and human and financial resources. The challenges are to: (i) ensure effective coordination within and among central and provincial levels and projects, (ii) strengthen planning processes, monitoring and evaluation, (iii) strengthen the financial management system and staff capacity, (iv) strengthen internal communication mechanisms, (v) build the capacity of staff in project development and management, and (vi) ensure effective supervision and monitoring of staff performance. |
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