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The NGO Forum has been raising
resettlement issues in its dialogue with multilateral development banks since at
least the Year 2000. In 2002, a group of NGOs requested that the NGO Forum step
up its work in this area by forming an NGO working group to focus specifically
on resettlement issues. Responding to a growing need, the project has expanded
its focus to include housing rights and questions of tenure security in informal
settlements so as to protect poor people from eviction. The Resettlement Action
Network (RAN) was formed, with a committee of eight NGOs (RAN/C) leading the
activities. The group has so far had some considerable success in training NGOs
in how to support resettled communities and in seeking justice for resettled
people.
Cambodia is undergoing rapid
development. Urban developments, power line projects, and new or upgraded
roads, to mention a few examples, are forcing people to relocate and/or lose
their sources of livelihood. Road improvement projects are being used to
enforce right-of-way legislation, and the land rights of project-affected-people
are often unclear. With rapid increases in land value, investment in land is
increasing, and poor people are being pushed off their land.
In May 2000, the Government of Cambodia made an historical
announcement that 100 slums will be upgraded every year. Various donors and NGOs
have diverted their resources towards the improving of informal settlements. Up
to now, at least 175 informal settlements have been upgraded.
However, provision of secure tenure
for people living in these settlements is slow due to lack of a legal framework,
institutional arrangements and capacity building of these institutions.
Although project-affected-people displaced by development projects have
occasionally received compensation, the government’s national resettlement
policy is not yet in place. Donors and multilateral development banks have
their own resettlement standards, but these are unlikely to be enforced unless
there is effective monitoring and project-affected-people are given a chance to
speak out about their situation.
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