In 1994 Cambodia signed an agreement at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt in recognition to the basic needs and rights of the individuals, together with other 178 countries. Six years later, at the UN General Assembly Summit, the world leaders from 189 countries adopted the Millennium Development Goals, a 15-year timeframe to eradicate extreme poverty and promote sustainable development by 2015. Cambodia had incorporated the MDGs into the National Strategic Development Plan and committed to achieving these two international frameworks within the set timeline.
Civil Society plays an important role in mobilizing voices from the grassroots. It is essential that dialogue takes place amongst all development partners and stakeholders. Making an opening statement at the opening ceremony of the National Multi-Stakeholder Consultation on the Civil Society Organizations Perspectives on Cambodia Development Framework Beyond 2015, Mr. Ngin Saorath, Executive Director of the Cambodian Disabled People's Organization and Management Committee of the NGO-Forum explained that civil society remains one of the key actors in building social accountability. Therefore, all actors should continue to work together to find an enabling environment to address the national emerging issues such as poverty, inequality in accessing public services, social justice, transparency, vulnerability, youth, unemployment and migration.
UNFPA recognizes the importance of the voice of civil society and wants to ensure that their ideas, their experience, and their knowledge are reflected in the contents of the post 2015 development agenda, but also in the ICPD operational review. UNFPA Cambodia consulted with civil society through a partnership with the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia (CCC). CCC is a leading organization of 167 local and international NGOs in Cambodia who facilitating Civil Society Organization (CSOs) to collectively, responsibly, professionally and accountably work together to effectively advance the pace of development in Cambodia.
In leading up to the National deliberation, CCC had organized and gathered voices from the community people through two regional consultations in the northwest and northeast of Cambodia. The pressing concern include poverty, inadequate public services and social protection, women's and children's rights and empowerment and gender justice, human and economic development, accountability and transparency, climate change and environment degradation, human rights and law enforcement. "Key concern gathered from the two CCC regional consultations is in line with the five thematic focuses agreed in Bonn, Germany and Bali, Indonesia", confirmed Mr. Sam Ly, Knowledge Management, Advice, Referral and Linkage Component Manager of the CCC.
While, at the National deliberation, participants recognized that Cambodia has achieved many areas of the CMDGs, there are still key challenges to overcome. They raised strong concern over key areas that need to be improved such as inequality, housing, gender balance, disease, growing number of young people, and violence against women. They noted that inequality, forced eviction and reproductive health among young people are even worse. Participants expressed their concern over population dynamics, in particular among young people that have an impact on other areas such as food security, migration, employment and education. "The changes in population have a major impact on the development of people, on social equality and sustainability", said the UNFPA Representative in Cambodia, Dr. Derveeuw Marc in his key note statement.
Participants finalized and endorsed a communiqué containing the CSO perspectives to be prioritized in the post 2015 development agenda. "We strongly believe that, our efforts will be reaching out to different stakeholders including government, UN, development partners and other social development actors to get comprehensive and common ideas to develop an universal and applicable development agenda beyond 2015", said Mr. Soeung Saroeurn, Executive Director of the CCC.
Eight key points were endorsed and all CCC member agencies agreed that the post 2015 development agenda should:
1- encourage public participation in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes, and requires Government and Development Partners to provide transparent accounting of agreed development results in line with priority sectors.
2- weigh the benefits of proposed development activities against their cost to the environment, gender equality and equity, traditional livelihoods, community culture, human rights and democratic principles.
3- consider for the rights of and potential benefits for the most vulnerable members of the community
4- respond to grassroots' concern about quality and availability of education, health, water, sanitation, hygiene, and family planning.
5- strengthen capacities and enlarges opportunities for young people in economic and social policies
6- increase conducive environment for the investment in small and medium-sized business and social enterprises, especially for vulnerable groups.
7- Incentivize to include social and environmental objectives in local and international investment planning.
8- encourage practical measures to build public trust in the integrity of the judicial system and law enforcement and to demonstrate government's commitment to social and economic justice.
The objective of the national deliberation is to facilitate inputs and define priorities for the post 2015. The recommendations will be used in programmes planning by all development actors and as advocacy tool to influence for the improved population-related policies beyond 2015. CCC has facilitated to submit the communiqué to the Royal Government of Cambodia and the UN Headquarters through the UN Resident Coordination Office in Cambodia for the inclusion of these priorities in the post 2015 development agenda.
The civil society organizations attending the event include youth organizations, community faith-based organizations, local NGOs and associations working in social development agenda ranging from health, education, culture, forestry, environment, religion, vulnerability, indigenous people, agriculture... etc.
