World Bank: Demand-Side Governance Pushes Reform in Cambodia

World Bank

• First large-scale program dedicated to building civil society capacity to tackle governance challenges
• Social accountability school will provide training by leading practitioners
• Project focusing on demand-side of governance will open door for more citizent involvement

Phnom Penh, Cambodia, February 12, 2008—Cambodia comes close to the bottom for most indicators of governance. It is also a country where government and civil society have an uneasy relationship.

So, on the face of it, this is an unlikely venue for the World Bank’s first large-scale program dedicated to building civil society capacity to tackle governance challenges. But that is precisely what has been launched with the support of a $2 million grant from the LICUS Trust Fund.

The Program to Enhance Capacity in Social Accountability (PECSA) is a 2-year initiative that will provide training, mentoring, networking and other support designed to bring to Cambodia some of the world’s most effective civil society practices to combat corruption and promote good governance.

A key plank in the strategy is to link groups in Cambodia with experienced governance reformers in Philippines and India—two countries where civil society activity in the field of social accountability is most advanced and effective.

PECSA will also provide grants to national and local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), other grassroots organizations, policy and research centers, professional associations, trade unions, and independent media, for piloting social accountability programs so that those who have been trained or mentored can put into practice what they have learned.

An Open House with Pioneers and Reformers

PECSA was unveiled in December 2007 at a public event in Phnom Penh where more than 900 people took part. Half of these attended the day-long program of seminars and workshops —which included presentations from leading international practitioners as well as social accountability pioneers in Cambodia and senior reformers in government. H.E. Ngy Chanphal, Under Secretary of State for the Ministry of the Interior, said the launch of PECSA was a great opportunity to share each other's experiences.

Several hundred people visited the stalls surrounding the conference center showcasing about 40 existing and pioneering ventures of social accountability in the country. Country Manager Nisha Agrawal stressed that, “by building capacity of civil society to have a voice in demanding governance reforms, the Bank is launching a bold new initiative which is right on the button.”

One of the most widely respected NGO leaders in Cambodia, Yeng Virak, founder of the Community Legal Education Center, spoke enthusiastically about the event, in which he participated, and the program it launched. “I like what is happening here!” he said, “Leaders and the people who are led should understand one another and work together. I am happy to be part of this work.”

Essay Competition on Governance

Hundreds of young people also contributed to an essay competition on governance. The winning group’s essay was a rallying call to youth to take on a leadership role in helping the government become more effective and accountable. One suggestion was to launch a Student Parliament to help young people better understand political power and track the activities of their grown-up counterparts.

The next main event, scheduled for March–April 2008, will be an intensive Social Accountability School (modeled on a Summer School format) that will offer training in a range of social accountability practices, given by many of the world’s leading practitioners. Participants staying the full course and following up with practical exercises will receive a Diploma in Social Accountability, with the option to extend studies and earn a Master’s degree.

The Demand Side of Governance

The timing of PECSA is particularly important. At present the government and the Bank are designing a new project to be financed by a $20 million IDA grant to support governance reform by focusing on the demand-side.

The Demand for Good Governance Project (DFGG) will support a number of government institutions that are prepared to pave the way for more open and accountable government, opening doors for new opportunities for citizen involvement. This is the leading component of the Bank’s key objective in Cambodia—to help the government shake off the problems of corruption and lack of accountability that have severely hampered progress to date.

The project will also have a grant component to support a range of civil society initiatives for governance reform in priority sectors. The success of this project depends, in part, on how prepared and resourced civil society organizations are to take up the opportunities it presents them for engaging in governance reform. PECSA is designed to give a big boost to this and to pilot the grant-making approach that will eventually be used on a larger scale by the DFGG Project.

According to Bhuvan Bhatnagar, the task team leader, “Working on the demand-side is a critical, but often neglected, part of governance reform. So this is a valuable opportunity to expand our understanding of building demand for good governance in a challenging environment, bringing together the public and private sector. It will teach us important lessons not only for Cambodia, but also for other high risk countries.”

The PECSA program and its launch are described fully in the January newsletter of the World Bank in Cambodia.