SRP Recommendations to the Cambodian Development Cooperation Forum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: 012 788 999
30 May, 2010

SRP Recommendations to the Cambodian Development Cooperation Forum

PHNOM PENH – The Sam Rainsy Party praises and acknowledges the efforts of CDCF mechanism for consulting with development partners and civil society. SRP also praises the goals of the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) 2009-2013, and acknowledges the progress made in the areas of health, education, child protection and disability since the last consultation in December of 2008.

Despite the hard work on the part of the CDCF partners, work remains in many key sectors.
A crucial first step is to strengthen enforcement of existing legislation and policies. In order to meet Cambodia’s international human rights obligations and to implement the NSDP and the 2008 CDCF Joint Monitoring Indicators(JMIs) in the areas of Health, Education, Agriculture, Land Reform, Good Governance, and the Electoral Process, the RGC should make these additional actions priorities in the next year:

Health: Access to health care for people living below the poverty line can be achieved with the elimination of user fees. Quality of care can be improved with higher investment in training and a living wage for medical staff. The fundamental principles of access to quality health care for the poor must be strictly upheld. Access must be addressed for people with disabilities according to the Disability Law.

Education: The student survival rate in primary schools in the academic year 2007-2008 was only 33.1%. At the secondary and tertiary level, access continues to be unacceptably low, especially for girls, poor children, and the indigenous peoples. As in the health sector, training of teachers and supervisors and adequate living salaries and elimination of all forms of corruption, including school fees must be closely monitored. Human and natural resources must improve: the deployment of teachers must be prioritized, as well as school construction/repair.
Agriculture: The RGC needs to focus on human resources development in rural areas, funding for agricultural technology research, small-scale, decentralized family farms, using mixed crops and combined organic/chemical farming, as well as the development of farmers’ cooperatives employing the youth.

Land Reform: At least 60% of rural families are landless or land-poor. Slow titling of private and indigenous community land has lead to land disputes with economic concessionaires claiming title. Economic Land Concessions that exceed the size allowed under the law are being issued, often before the land is classified and registered as State private property. Lawful possessors are displaced and arrests of villagers are common. Speed of registration of Indigenous Persons communities as legal entities, and titling of land must be increased, and a moratorium on evictions and arrests should be implemented until all land is formally adjudicated according to the law. The RGC should document all ELCs given to-date in a centralized and accessible space. It should also strengthen the independence of the Cadastral Commission and courts at all levels adjudicating land disputes.

Good Governance:

• Public Finance Reform: The public remains uninformed and unheard regarding financial matters, specifically in procurement. An up-to-date debt monitoring system has yet to be implemented, thus publication of debt information should be prioritized in 2010/11 and publications of monitoring statements should be added. Commune Development Funds must be made transparent to the people at the commune level by holding monthly community meetings as defined in the Commune Management Law.
• Access to information: The RGC has drafted the Policy Framework on the Rights Access to Information (August 2007). However, there is a need for a clear mandate and timeframe for the development of this law. Any form of threat and/or intimidation of the public, civil society and opposition MPs against receiving information must be seen as an obstruction to the right to information.
• Anti-corruption: The adopted law does not meet international standards, did not allow for adequate public participation in its drafting, and there remains a lack of clear plans for implementation. Also, no substantial actions have been yet taken towards strengthening education on and dissemination of corruption-related regulations, the cases of corruption of public officials have not been followed-up publicly in a rigorous and systematic way by an independent judicial system, public support and participation is still obstructed in the name of "national security and order", and by anti-corruption mechanisms put in place.
• Legal and Judicial Reform: The RGC should focus on the development of a sound legal framework and modernization of the law, as well as by implementing measures to enhance competence, independence and impartiality of the judiciary.
• Extractive Industry Revenue Management: Measures must be taken to increase transparency in the Extractive Industries, such as reviewing current mining concessions and grants and require all companies to publish licensing information.

Electoral Process: Reforms are still necessary to address problems with the right to vote which begins at the registration stage. The UNDP coordination and efforts to address the shortfalls of past elections should receive wide support.

Gender-Based Violence: Rape cases are increasing at an alarming rate throughout the country. Victims of sexual assaults have limited access to justice. Actions must be taken to help victims break the silence by taking measures to monitor the practice of compensation which is often negotiated and facilitated by local authorities. Gender justice is further hindered by corruption in the judiciary.

###
The SRP is an opposition party dedicated to establishing a just and fair society by amplifying the voice of the people. SRP’s position is guided by principles of sustainable and inclusive development that provides a fair share of growth for all Cambodians as of right, not out of charity. To read the full statement, please go to: www.samrainsyparty.org.