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

courses for members of the media (press,
magazines, television, and radio), where they
learned about HIV/AIDS and increased their
ability to write informed articles on the subject.
In addition to building journalists’ skills, the
workshops served to forge better relations
between NGOs and the media, which is important
for better publicizing the problem of HIV/AIDS.
HACC plans to conduct another session for
journalists in 2002.
HACC has provincial and nationwide
networks and continues to build on these
networks. Due to the lack of a coordinator and a
delay in funding disbursement from a donor,
HACC has had limited success linking with
regional and global networks to date. HACC is
planning three provincial
meetings in 2002, the first to
be held in Battambang in
June. HACC plans to mobilize
multiple community-based
organizations to participate in
the coordination process in an
attempt at expanding the
current network and its
facilities to the more remote
provinces of Cambodia.
Managers of the network
contend that working through
networks presents
advantages
and
disadvantages. The advantage
is that through networks NGOs can have a strong
voice, which facilitates lobbying the government
and donors to change their policies. The challenge
of working with a large number of organizations
it that it takes time and energy to help the agencies
come to a common understanding and reach
consensus on advocacy objectives because each
has its own strategies and criteria to follow.
NGO advocacy concerns include:
• Patients’ access to treatment, including
anti-retroviral treatment;
• Patient care, as the government does not
have a law or policy on the treatment of
HIV/AIDS patients;
• Blood testing; and
• Participation of all government ministries
in the HIV awareness raising effort.
A number of factors facilitate HIV/AIDS
advocacy. First, HIV is a global problem and
Cambodia benefits from lessons learned and
models developed in other countries. Second,
there are many NGOs working in the HIV/AIDS
field in Cambodia and significant human and
The role of the Cambodian
Positive Network (CPN+),
which is staffed by HIV+
individuals, is to bring
support groups and AIDS
service organizations
together so that they can
share information.
financial resources are being channeled to this
sector. Though at present there are many people
and agencies willing to participate in campaigns
however, there are still few actors able to design
and lead campaign strategies.
Empowering People Living with AIDS
A donor assessment conducted in 2001
revealed that HIV+ people were not being included
in the policy design process. In addition, the
assessment identified a need for capacity building
of policy-makers and the provision of good
information and evidence to be used in policy
formation. As a result of the assessment, in July
2001, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance global
initiative supported creation of a Cambodian
Positive Network (CPN+)
through the Khmer HIV/
AIDS NGO Alliance
(KHANA). The purpose of the
network is to enable people
living with AIDS to
participate in policy dialogue.
The role of the organization,
which is staffed by HIV+
individuals, is to bring
support groups and AIDS
service organizations together
so that they can share
information. Approximately
twenty organizations are in
regular contact with the network.
The creation of meaningful participation
requires mentoring and the developing of
professional skills. The POLICY Project currently
provides mentoring and technical assistance to
CPN+. Capacity building includes supporting
CPN+ staff to participate in global conferences,
regional HIV forums, and regular national
meetings so that Cambodian people living with
AIDS (PWAs) can participate meaningfully and
actively in national, regional, and global
movements. English language training has also
been important, as language is a barrier to
participation for people living with AIDS in policy
formulation. The network was recently invited to
address safety and security organizations at an
ASEAN human security network session in
Bangkok.
The POLICY Project has also developed an
HIV advocacy curriculum for members of the
CPN+ network, in addition to targeting and
training those people who are advocating for and
on behalf of people living with AIDS. The central
principle of the POLICY Project’s strategy is the
inclusion of people living with AIDS in policy
formulation, a principle which is often not
operationalized in Cambodia, or only to some
Case Studies
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