NGOs cooperate to protect the rights of poor people in informal settlements to secure tenure and the rights of people affected by resettlement and relocation so that they are fairly compensated and are not worse off than before.

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.