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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

On 22-23 September 2004, the Resettlement Action Network (RAN), a network of the NGO Forum on Cambodia, conducted a survey of people to be affected by the National Route One Improvement Project.  This project is to widen the section between Phnom Penh and Neak Leung, and will affect a yet undisclosed number of households (estimated in the thousands). This project is being prepared by the Royal Government of Cambodia with the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). 

The results of RAN’s survey indicate that unless immediate measures are taken to remedy the current processes to plan and implement resettlement and compensation, thousands of people could be impoverished by this project.  We applaud JICA’s decision to apply the principles of the Guidelines for Social and Environmental Considerations to this project, as strong social and environmental principles are necessary to protect the rights of affected people.  We, therefore, encourage JICA to implement them more diligently. 

Survey Findings:  RAN surveyed 74 people from 8 villages who were already interviewed by the PAP’s Survey team.  Findings can be summarized into the four following points:

  1. The compensation promised is not sufficient to maintain, much less improve, the standards of living of affected people,

  2. Many people do not feel that they can raise their grievances to relevant authorities,

  3. Villagers’ accounts of the process indicate that intimidation has been used to gain people’s agreement to compensation packages, thus in many cases, people’s agreement can be considered to have been coerced,

  4. People have not had sufficient opportunity to input into decisions on the content of compensation.

Violations of JICA’s Guidelines:  The above findings indicate that JICA has not effectively implemented its new Guidelines.  If immediate remedial measures are not taken, JICA will be in violation of at least 4 important clauses in the new Guidelines, listed below:

  1. Basic Principles (Section 1.4 Clause 5)

  2. Concern about Social Environment and Human Rights (Section 2.7)

  3. Social Acceptability (Appendix 1 Clause 5)

  4. Involuntary Resettlement (Appendix 1 Clause 6)

Recommendations:  The NGO Forum on Cambodia strongly encourages JICA to follow its new Guidelines and puts forward four recommendations to prevent the further impoverishment of communities affected by the National Route One Improvement Project.  In order for JICA to incorporate the spirit of the guidelines into the implementation of this project, JICA must:

  1. Prevent intimidation by authorities and secure free and informed consent (or dissent) of affected people,

  2. Ensure sufficient compensation for lost land and assets so that the standards of living of affected people are at least maintained, if not improved

  3. Secure participation and information disclosure so that affected people are fully informed of their rights and the impacts of the project

  4. Establish a grievance mechanism that is transparent, accessible to local people, and that prioritizes the restoration of affected people’s livelihoods.

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