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

level to increase interaction between district
authorities and poor urban communities, but
there has been little progress made in lobbying the
Municipality with regard to relocation and
compensation policies. In the future, urban
development organisations plan to support
community interaction with the newly elected
Commune Councils, although the scope of power
for the Commune Councils is not yet clear.
Building Capacity of Community
Organizations and NGOs
ACHR, UNCHS, and other agencies have
provided a number of capacity building
opportunities for urban development workers,
leaders of urban communities, and municipal
authorities. Within the urban poor sector, the aim
of capacity building activities is to enable
organized communities, community leaders, and
NGO staff to:
• Get squatters compensation for evictions;
• Help squatters find new opportunities to
earn a living (after evictions); and
• Improve current facilities in urban poor
settlements (sewage, drainage, electricity,
water).
Capacity building activities have included
workshops, exposure trips, and exchanges
between communities. An important strategy
promoted by ACHR is understanding alternative
solutions to problems, such as alternative ways of
identifying land for relocations. Whenever
possible, UNCHS helps communities to develop
technical designs and awards infrastructure
improvement contracts to communities instead of
contracting with the private sector.
One of the obstacles encountered by urban
development groups is that doing some of the
work requires courage and a number of urban
community development NGOs have lost their
stronger staff. While community participation has
improved, in general participation in Cambodia
is not as advanced as in other Asian countries. On
the positive side, community members have come
to understand that solidarity gives them power.
Experts have observed an increase in the
capacity of urban NGOs and organized
communities, particularly regarding technical and
institutional capacity areas, though some agencies
criticize NGOs for thinking too much in the shortterm.
Another weakness cited is that often urban
groups only work and visit their target
communities and as a result are unaware of
problems - and achievements - that arise in
adjacent communities.
At the grassroots levels, there are a few urban
programs that aim to build capacity of groups
other than the
common urban
committees.
For example,
USG’s Womens
and Legal
Rights program
Experts have observed an increase
in the capacity of urban NGOs and
organized communities, particularly
regarding technical and
institutional capacity areas, though
some agencies criticize NGOs for
thinking too much in the shortterm.
works with
micro-vendors to assist them to negotiate with
market committees and sangkat and khan
officials. Although mainly interacting at the
market committee level, micro-vendors are more
active than before and are often aware of market
development plans. The aim of the USG program
is to network women across Phnom Penh’s
markets and to advocate with a common voice on
concerns that affect all vendors.
Networking
The networking capacity of the urban
development sector remains weak. Reasons for
networking difficulties are lack of time and the fact
that NGOs focus primarily on their individual
programs. NGO directors are often unable to
attend the plethora of meetings, workshops,
seminars, and conferences. A number of
professionals working in this field cite lack of
solidarity as an explanation for weak networking.
It appears that urban groups implement
activities without clear advocacy objectives. The
NGO Forum working group on urban crisis is not
an effective network and meetings do not usually
result in action. One of the reasons is that
participating organizations tend to send mid- or
lower-level staff to the meetings who are not
decision-makers and who may not have clear
strategies or strong advocacy skills. Another
challenge urban groups face is the large amount
of time required to fulfill donor reporting
requirements. Managers sometimes cite this as a
reason that directors cannot attend meetings in
which their presence would make a difference.
Since the Bondos Vichea fire, NGOs have
realized that they need to improve their
coordination. Recently, the NGO Forum has
helped to host a Resettlement Action Network
with participation from a small number of NGOs,
in the hope that greater participation will
strengthen the urban sector network.
References
Boonyabanch, Somsook, 2000. Bridging the Finance Gap in Housing
and Infrastructure: Cambodia, the Urban Poor Development Fund
Case Study. Homeless International.
Fallavier, Pierre, et al., 1999. Poverty Analysis in Phnom Penh. Action
Nord Sud and UN Center for Human Settlements.
Solidarity and Urban Poor Federation (SUPF), 1999. The State of
Poor Settlements in Phnom Penh.
Case Studies
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