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

More documents

Recommendations

Info

ACRONYMS Contents Acknowledgements The researcher would like to thank the Advisory Committee made up of ADHOC, Cambodian Women’s Crisis Center (CWCC), DanChurchAid, ForumSyd, Pact Cambodia, Oxfam GB, Project Against Domestic Violence (PADV), and Star Kampuchea for supporting this project and providing helpful comments during the many document revisions. Thanks also to the many advocates who were generous in sharing their time, thoughts during interviews, and revisions of the case studies. A special note of thanks to Kurt MacLeod and the team at Pact for their constant support and without whom, of course, this project would not have been possible. Funding for this publication was made possible through support from CIDSE, DanChurchAid, ForumSyd, Pact Cambodia, and Oxfam GB. Researcher: Cristina Mansfield Authors: Cristina Mansfield and Kurt MacLeod Editor/Designer: Frances Tain Photography: Some cover photos were provided by Heng Chivoan and Jon Bugge. Other photos were provided by NGOs operating in the advocacy sector. The authors wish to express regrets for any omissions or errors made due to the complexity of the issues. May 2002 Page Executive Summary 1 Introduction 2 General Advocacy Concepts 4 Advocacy in the Cambodian Context 6 Overview of Advocacy Campaigns in Cambodia 12 Advocacy Agenda, Objectives, and Audience 16 Advocacy Strategies 24 Analyzing Impact of Advocacy Activities 29 Influencing the Legislative Process 33 Courting the Media 38 Lessons Learned 41 Best Practices 42 Recommendations 43 Conclusion 45 Annexes Page Case Studies 46 Fisheries 46 Land Law 54 Labor 59 Commune Council Election Law 67 Women’s Issues 74 Urban Poor 82 HIV/AIDS 88 Child Rights 92 Advocacy Resources 96 ACHR Asian Coalition for Housing Rights ACILS American Center for International Labor Solidarity ACWO ASEAN Confederation of Women’s Organizations ADB Asian Development Bank ADHOC Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association ADI Analyzing Development Issues AFL-CIO American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations CBO Community-based organization CCBL Cambodian Campaign to Ban Landmines CCC Cooperation Committee for Cambodia CCEL Commune Council Election Law CCWO Cambodian Confederation of Women’s Organizations CDMC Community Development Management Council CDP Cambodian Defenders Project CDRI Cambodia Development Research Institute CEDAW Convention to End Discrimination Against Women CFDS Cambodian Family Development Services CLO Cambodian Labor Organization CMN Cambodian Men’s Network CNCC Cambodian National Committee for Children COCOM Coordinating Committee (of the Ministry of Health) COFFEL Coalition for Free and Fair Elections COMFREL Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia COPCEL Conflict Prevention in the Cambodian Elections CPN+ Cambodia Positive Network CSO Civil society organization CSW Commercial sex workers CWCC Cambodian Women’s Crisis Center CWPD Cambodian Women for Peace and Development DOF Department of Fisheries ECPAT Ending Child Prostitution and Trafficking EMO Electoral monitoring organization EPZ Export Processing Zone EU European Union FACT Fisheries Action Coalition Team FAO Food and Agriculture Organization FHI Family Health International FTUWKC Free Trade Union of Workers of The Kingdom of Cambodia GAD Gender and Development GDP Gross domestic product GMAC Garment Manufacturers’ Association of Cambodia HACC HIV/AIDS Coordinating Committee HRTF Human Rights Task Force ILO International Labor Organization IO International organization KANAN Kompong Cham NGO Advocacy Network KHANA Khmer HIV/AIDS NGO Alliance KNCED Khmer National Community Economic Development LAC Legal Aid of Cambodia LEUCINA LEUCINA LICADHO Cambodian League for the Promotion & Defense of Human Rights LSP Land Study Project MOA Ministry of Agriculture MOI Ministry of Interior MOSALVY Ministry of Labor MOWA Ministry of Women’s Affairs MSF Medecins Sans Frontieres NEC National Election Committee NGO Non-governmental organization NGOCC NGO Coordinating Committee NGOCRC NGO Committee on the Rights of the Child NICFEC Nat’l & Impartial Committee for Free & Fair Elections in Cambodia NTFP Non-Timber Forestry Project Oxfam GB Oxfam Great Britain PADV Project Against Domestic Violence PRA Participatory rural appraisal PSAD Phnom Srey Association for Development PWA People Living With AIDS SEAPCP Southeast Asia Popular Communication Program SUPF Solidarity and Urban Poor Federation UNCHR United Nations Center for Human Rights UNCHS United Nations Center for Human Settlements UNDP United Nations Development Program UNFPA United Nations Family Planning Association UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund UNTAC United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia UPDF Urban Poor Development Fund UPWD Urban Poor Women Development URC Urban Resource Center USAID United States Agency for International Development USG Urban Sector Group WVI World Vision International
executive summary The Cambodian non-profit movement is entering into its second decade. Proponents of advocacy estimate that it is now an appropriate time to review past advocacy campaigns in order to identify successful strategies and mistakes that have been made in previous efforts’ design and implementation. This study is based on a review of advocacy activities in eight sectors: fisheries, land, labor, commune council elections, the women’s movement, urban poor, HIV/AIDS, and child rights. These sectors were chosen for their illustrative qualities and are not intended to be representative of all advocacy in Cambodia. Outside of human rights issues, few advocacy activities were being conducted in Cambodia prior to 1995. The Cambodian context presents considerable challenges for civil society organizations, as advocacy relies on organizing groups to apply pressure on policy makers to affect and enforce change. Thus, the absence of rule of law and lack of popular representation at important administrative levels in Cambodia significantly inhibits this process. In addition, Cambodia does not have a strong tradition of community-based organizations, and as such, advocacy NGOs have difficulty mobilizing popular support to legitimize larger advocacy campaigns. Even so, civil society has grown at a tremendous rate since associations were allowed to start registering with the government during the UN administration. NGOs in Cambodia today are allowed to operate for the most part without government hindrance. Though the advocacy movement is young and the advocacy context is challenging, current campaigns are utilizing several strategies to good effect. These include: · Documenting problems and disseminating information; · Raising awareness; · Engaging in organized action such as demonstrations and strikes; · Facilitating engagement with government officials through conferences, workshops, and other consultation processes; · Lobbying high-level officials; and · Networking. Within the Cambodian context, areas of weakness include lack of efficiency and solidarity in networking, lack of grassroots participation in identifying and implementing advocacy agendas, and limited or nascent experience. This last factor has resulted in some missed opportunities, such as the failure of the first domestic violence campaign and the failure of community fisheries advocates to lobby at all levels of the legislative process. Of greater concern perhaps is the perception that NGOs rely too heavily on donor conditionality as a means of influencing policy. Critics point out that this strategy of relying on international agencies to pressure government does not guarantee genuine long-term changes. That being said, leverage provided by international donors does create a protective environment in which civil society can strengthen and grow. The focus in the future will need to be on allowing the advocacy movement in Cambodia to mature beyond dependence on international agendas. NGOs have been able to provide considerable input into new and modified laws, sub-decrees, and other government policies. Although impact is difficult to assess, advocates are beginning to assert the right of civil society organizations to engage in policy formulation. Issues that were once hidden are being brought out into mainstream society. For example, prior to 1994 there was no Khmer term for “domestic violence” and the word “corruption” was not openly used. Now however, the domestic violence problem is openly acknowledged and NGO leaders and ordinary citizens dare to share their views about corruption in public. This demonstrates a significant, positive cumulative effect of the myriad advocacy and democracy activities that have taken place thus far. Major recommendations of this report relate to increasing transparency in policy formulation by making public information public and establishing standard guidelines on the consultative process for all legislation. Within the civil society realm, advocacy objectives will be advanced if NGOs within each sector come together to establish common advocacy goals and if advocacy leaders from different sectors have a chance to exchange experiences. Other recommendations include increasing grassroots participation in agenda selection and policy formulation in order to make advocacy campaigns more sustainable, and exploring new opportunities to involve commune councils in advocacy efforts, as a way of linking government officials to the advocacy process. advocacy in cambodia: increasing democratic space
Page 1: advocacy in cambodia: increasing de
Page 5 and 6: sectors reviewed in this document
Page 7 and 8: livelihood of populations, includin
Page 9 and 10: Pursat Rice Miller’s Association,
Page 11 and 12: Protected Forest and Land Dispute:
Page 13 and 14: implementation. Without policy impl
Page 15 and 16: drafts incorporated into the new La
Page 17 and 18: the relocation site and not at the
Page 19 and 20: Landless Families: O’thkov Villag
Page 21 and 22: Short-term and long-term implicatio
Page 23 and 24: EMOs do not traditionally base thei
Page 25 and 26: or even fearful to solve conflicts,
Page 27 and 28: collection of information on public
Page 29 and 30: each month. Facilitating Engagement
Page 31 and 32: analyzing impact of advocacy activi
Page 33 and 34: communities and NGOs can work with
Page 35 and 36: influencing the legislative process
Page 37 and 38: informal contacts and being able to
Page 39 and 40: CHART OF LEGISLATIVE PROCESS (10) K
Page 41 and 42: considerable public attention, but
Page 43 and 44: lessons learned Advocates have lear
Page 45 and 46: ecommendations The following are re
Page 47 and 48: conclusion Outside of human rights
Page 49 and 50: conclusion of the forum, the govern
Page 51 and 52: level can sustainable resource use
Page 53 and 54:
literature, interviews, and field v
Page 55 and 56:
Future Considerations The following
Page 57 and 58:
Timeline of Land Issues Over the Pa
Page 59 and 60:
The new Land Law will require betwe
Page 61 and 62:
labor The garment factory labor mov
Page 63 and 64:
input from AFL-CIO, the largest lab
Page 65 and 66:
intervene are by activating the Lab
Page 67 and 68:
ights have, in principle if not in
Page 69 and 70:
commune council election law The ca
Page 71 and 72:
maximize the group’s collective i
Page 73 and 74:
communication between EMOs and dono
Page 75 and 76:
The CCEL campaign was the first opp
Page 77 and 78:
in every four women (25%) aged 15-4
Page 79 and 80:
estimates the number of sex workers
Page 81 and 82:
elections saw an increase to 14 fem
Page 83 and 84:
healthcare. While many women know t
Page 85 and 86:
losing influence. For this reason,
Page 87 and 88:
plaintiffs at a disadvantage. A sec
Page 89 and 90:
level to increase interaction betwe
Page 91 and 92:
courses for members of the media (p
Page 93 and 94:
economic issues NGOs are advocating
Page 95 and 96:
come together to discuss problems a
Page 97 and 98:
the issue on the government’s age
Page 99 and 100:
premier center for rights-based and
Page 101 and 102:
Penh. Watson, Gabrielle, 2000. Advo
show all

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

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?