Advocacy in Cambodia: Increasing Democratic ... - Pact Cambodia

Increasing Democratic Space
The rapid growth of NGOs and the open
environment in which the government
allows them to operate are distinct
advantages for advocates in Cambodia.
engagement and mitigate potential conflict.
Characteristics Facilitating Advocacy
The rapid growth of NGOs and the open
environment in which the government allows
them to operate are distinct advantages for
advocates in Cambodia. NGOs and associations
are able to organize conferences, conduct
education activities and distribute publications,
although access to mass media is sometimes
hindered. Government officials are for the most
part willing to attend advocacy events. This
favorable environment has facilitated
establishment of networks among NGOs and with
the government, UN, and other international
agencies.
While the preponderance of international
organizations and donors working in Cambodia
has its drawbacks, their presence has a facilitating
influence on advocacy in the country. Most
international agencies recognize the importance
of civil society participation in policy formulation
and provide for participation in their own internal
policies. This is especially true of the UN, World
Bank, and Asian Development Bank, all of which
make civil society participation a condition to
obtaining support or loans as a matter of policy.
On the global scene, empowerment of citizens at
the local level has become a generally accepted
requisite for sustainable advocacy. In Cambodia
this is translating into palpable donor
pressure on NGOs to assist community
leaders to become advocates rather than to
advocate on their behalf - a message that
comes through clearly in the findings of this
report.
Given the relatively short history of
civil society organizations in Cambodia,
advocacy has made great strides to date and
the increased maturity of advocacy
campaigns is evident. Ten years ago
government officials were extremely wary
of NGOs and likely perceived the sector as
a temporary inconvenience that could be
shut down at any time. Local NGO leaders,
who remembered all too clearly what it was
like to live under a communist regime were
easily alarmed, for example, when in the mid-
1990s a provincial governor sent letters to all
local NGOs asking for names and home
addresses of all staff. A decade of interaction
between the government and civil society has
done much to improve the working
environment however, as officials begin to
understand differences between the role of
government and that of civil society
organizations, and NGOs become less fearful
and more adept at engaging the government.
A final characteristic that has facilitated NGO
advocacy efforts is often underestimated in
significance. In his rhetoric, the Prime Minister
has been a constant defender of the poor, openly
talking about corruption and the need to fight it.
He has publicly apologized a number of times to
the Cambodian people for prevalent corruption in
the country. For ordinary citizens who fear
powerful individuals, knowledge that the man at
the top supports their cause in principle gives them
confidence to express their grievances. Advocates
understand the power of political figures’ rhetoric
and have moved quickly to videotape speeches in
order to play them back to villagers in rural areas.
Inhibitors to Advocacy
Despite the above facilitating characteristics,
however, there are other factors that can inhibit
the advocacy process. Within the Cambodian
context, lack of popular representation and the
absence of rule of law significantly inhibit the
success of advocacy efforts. When policy makers
are not elected (such as governors) and
enforcement is not regular and consistent, it is
unreasonable to expect success using traditional
advocacy strategies of working through
representative government at all levels of society.
Although there can be success in changing policy,
success does not necessarily lead to policy
A workshop on child labor organized by LICADHO.
Sihanoukville, February 2002.
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