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NGO Statement, 2000 Consultative Group Meeting On Cambodia


 REACHING THE POOR

TABLE OF CONTENTS


NGO Statement to the 2000 Consultative Group Meeting on Cambodia

- Home.................................
- About us.............................
- Message.............................

- Introduction........................
- Progress.............................
- Good Governance................
- Human Resource 
- Development
......................
- Reaching the Poor............
- Conclusion..........................

Sectoral Papers..................

- Agriculture..........................
- Child’s Rights......................
- Commune Administration 
- and Decentralization
............
- Commune Elections.............
- Disability and Rehabilitation..
- Education............................
- Fisheries.............................
- Forestry Reform..................
- Gender and Development.....
- Good Governance................
- Health................................
- HIV/AIDS...........................
- Human Rights......................
- Landmines..........................
- Land Reform.......................
- Microfinance........................
- Weapons Reduction.............

General NGO Information...

References.........................









 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Whilst NGOs recognize the need for institutional development and policy reform, we remind donors and government of the ongoing challenge to directly reach the poor. Funding must be directed to areas where the majority of poor people live, and on sectors that will have a real impact and bring foreseeable benefits to those in poverty. 

In spite of great difficulties, Cambodia has done much to restore its social and economic infrastructure. Cambodia's economy, as measured by gross domestic product, grew by 4.5 percent in 1999. NGOs are concerned that the benefits of economic growth are equitably shared, and that wealth is not concentrated in the hands of a small, yet powerful elite.

 

Allocation of resources to Rural Areas

The majority of Cambodian people live in rural areas, too often in conditions of abject poverty. Rural households account for almost 90 percent of the total poor. Limited resources constrain access to credit, markets, health services, education and employment opportunities. The flow of goods, services and information to and from rural populations is restricted by a weak physical infrastructure. The decentralization of knowledge and resources to the provinces is vital for the realization of just and equitable development.

  • NGOs urge donors and the government to increase resource allocation to rural areas to improve physical infrastructure and access to public and social services.

Cambodia is experiencing uneven development in terms of geography. Whilst some regions have made substantial progress, others such as the recently created province of Oddar Meanchey lag behind. There are still significant hunger gaps in remote areas and pockets of chronic rural poverty. 

  • NGOs urge both donors and the government to direct resources to the most fragile and isolated regions of Cambodia.

Agriculture accounts for over 40 percent of GDP and employs about 75 percent of the labor force. The highest poverty rate (44 percent) is found among households where agriculture is the primary source of income.

  • Poverty reduction strategies should focus on supporting and strengthening the agricultural sector, with emphasis on the provision of land title to farmers and land use planning.

Increase allocation of resources to social sectors

NGOs reiterate the need for increased allocation and disbursement of resources to the social sectors. Defence continues to absorb a disproportionately large share of government resources, whilst the social sectors remain resource starved. There is some welcome news that the 2000 budget has reportedly shifted priorities towards the social sectors with increases of between 11 percent and 50 percent for the social sector ministries and programs. However, actual disbursements in these priority areas tends to lag behind by 20 - 40 percent of the budgeted amount due to centrally controlled financial systems.

An increase in spending on the social sectors must be coupled with determined efforts to ensure quality of public spending. The effectiveness of increased expenditure on the social sectors will necessarily be linked to public administration reform, human resource development and giving ministries direct control over their own budgets.

Land Reform

Eight in ten Cambodians live in rural areas but one family in six has never had any land or has recently lost their land. The poorest half of the Cambodian population shares less than a quarter of the cultivated land. The Royal Government of Cambodia still owns 80 percent of the country but there has been no demarcation, mapping, or registration and low investment in management of public land.

Land speculation in cities and along the main roads is rife, leading to under utilization of productive farmland by absentee speculators. There is 25 percent less land in agricultural production now than in the 1960's. Valuable state property is still being sold for private gain.

Property rights in less than 15 percent of privately owned land in Cambodia are formally registered or protected by law. As a consequence one rural family in thirty is involved in land disputes, mostly involving the military and public officials. The courts are so far unable to adjudicate land disputes and provincial authorities do not yet have the administrative capacity to conciliate or prevent land disputes.

  • NGOs urge the Royal Government of Cambodia to finalize revision of the land law so as to both increase sustainable production and strengthen social cohesion.

Following the revision of the land law, civil society organizations will engage with the government to cooperatively develop and implement a comprehensive land reform program focussing on land distribution, land management and land administration.

  • International support in the form of loans and technical assistance will be needed initially to establish a cadastral based titling system and the institutional support to run it. In the longer term these reforms could be self-financing.

Health Services

The cost of health services has been cited as one of the main causes of indebtedness for the poor and vulnerable. NGOs observe the urgent need to deal with the growing crisis in the public health care system. Access by the poor to quality health care remains a major challenge. NGOs note the inequitable relationship between the public and private health sectors, leading to declining confidence in the public health system, to the benefit of a private sector that has little regard to those who cannot afford to pay.

  • NGOs recommend that issues of financial transparency in the health sector be urgently addressed, including giving management responsibility over the health budget to staff from the Ministry of Health.
  • NGOs recommend the establishment of a professional code of conduct and a professional regulatory body to address issues of unethical practice and poor standard of care.
  • NGOs recommend incentives be paid for health staff to work in remote locations.

HIV/AIDS

The spread of HIV/AIDS in Cambodia is alarming, and impacts upon all sectors. An estimated 180,000 people - 3.7 percent of the adult population (15-49 years old) - are HIV infected. The rapid spread of the epidemic is impacting upon families and communities who are largely ill-prepared to handle the problem. The increasing number of people with AIDS, as distinct from people infected with HIV, is beginning to shift issues of care, particularly the human rights dimensions of HIV/AIDS to the forefront of the HIV/AIDS response in Cambodia.

  • There is an urgent need to upgrade and expand HIV/AIDS programs.
  • NGOs note the need for more programs in rural areas, and for women-headed house- holds and children affected by HIV/AIDS.

Natural Resources

Community livelihoods are dependent upon access to forest resources and fishing for subsistence living. As Cambodia moves towards a free market economy the commercial pressure on natural resources has increased dramatically. Privatization of forests and fishery resources has had a detrimental impact on local communities, with implications for present and future food security. Although reforms in the forestry sector have already commenced, to date there has been insufficient attention to reforming the fisheries sector.

  • NGOs recommend the introduction of community forestry and fisheries wherever communities have a cultural or livelihood dependency on local forests or fisheries.
  • NGOs recommend the passage of legislation and policy guidelines in the forestry and fisheries sector to ensure community participation in the management of natural resources.
  • NGOs recommend that the crackdown on illegal forest activities target large-scale operations with a view to addressing the culture of impunity. This should include the termination of concessions with a record of illegal activity or which impact negatively on the rights of indigenous groups.

Gender

The gender dimension of poverty is now widely acknowledged. NGOs urge donors and the government to genuinely commit to policies and programs that will increase women's participation in decision making at all levels and increase women's access to health services, education and employment opportunities. 

NGOs note with grave concern the problem of domestic violence. In essence women who have been victims of domestic violence receive no legal protection. Police are reluctant to become involved in what is essentially perceived to be a private matter. 

The situation in Cambodia relating to trafficking and forced prostitution of women and children remains alarming. Forced prostitution and debt bondage threaten the physical, mental and social well being of women and children, impinging upon their dignity and integrity as human beings. Although several laws and regulations regarding trafficking, immigration and temporary migration have been developed, proper implementation remains weak.

  • NGOs urge the government to strengthen the capacity of the legal system to provide protection and assistance to women and children who are victims of all forms of abuse and exploitation.
  • NGOs encourage the raising of public awareness about all forms of violence against women. 

Partnership and Aid Coordination

Together with the government NGOs recognize the need for an open and wide consultation process for establishing the national development agenda. The implementation and sustainability of development initiatives is dependent upon key stakeholders having a shared and committed vision. To this end NGOs encourage collaboration and information sharing between multi-laterals, bilaterals and NGOs. NGOs are supportive of structures and networks that will facilitate more effective consultation and aid coordination and welcome the CG quarterly meetings as a means of enhancing partnership between civil society, the government and donors.

For aid coordination to be effective NGOs recommend increased ministerial and inter-department coordination at the national, provincial and sub-provincial level. 


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