Here a fish, there a fish; everywhere a fishy fish.
In 2000, the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGK) initiated a reform of the fisheries sector, which included the release of 56% of fishing lots for the development of community fisheries. The Community Fisheries Development Office (CFDO) within the Department of Fisheries (DoF), part of the Ministry of Agriculture, Farms and Fisheries (MAFF), is responsible for facilitating the development of community fisheries and management of community fisheries (CF) in the whole country.
The important changes are in the access of local villagers to concessions, to facilitate the development of community-based management of fisheries. A new fisheries law and sub-decree on Community Fisheries has been drafted and the government is encouraging a partnership approach towards this initiative.
Much of the development of community fisheries in Cambodia has been done by the Department of Fisheries in cooperation with provincial fisheries offices and various NGOs. However, it is important that the CFDO itself is able to play an active role in the development and management of community fisheries as this is its mandate.
The development of these community fisheries started in June 2003 and has been continuing since. It has now reached the stage where fully established community fisheries have management plans, charters, bylaws and elected members, the rest of the CF’s are at various points along that chain of implementation.
Unfortunately, government support for this initiative is mostly seen as political, building popular support in rural areas for the decision. However, the establishment of the new department to oversee this handover and the subsequent management of it, is woefully under resourced. The staff of CFDO is enthusiastic and even dynamic, but their government salaries (US$30/Month) are the only financial input from the RGK for the whole department.
So what about the rest of the work that needs doing; establishing community fisheries (CF), holding elections to nominate officers of the CF, training members of the CF in sustainable resource use and aquaculture, establishing/promoting aquaculture to provide a dry season resource, signposting/delimiting protected areas, capture and destruction of illegal fishing gears – e.g. mosquito netting, UXO, electro-shock gear, et cetera ?
The money for the rest of the work has to be sourced by the CFDO itself from NGO’s and IO’s and from bank loans.
Of course, this means that the various ‘projects’ that are being run by the CFDO/DoF are being steered by the donors, and not by the CFDO/DoF and certainly not by the villages, communes and committees that will actually be managing the resource.
Now normal operating procedure for these organisations is for them to initially release money in small amounts for ‘pilot projects’
- For Example:
Three villages, in three different provinces, receive a training course on ‘Strengthening Community Fisheries’ this is a two day workshop covering such critical fisheries management skills as; minute taking, report writing and meeting facilitation.
A notice board is commissioned, constructed and erected outside the CF Headquarters with the relevant law, sub decree and Prakas displayed. Along with the list of CF committee members and their local CF bylaws.
A couple of signposts are put up in prominent places saying – do not use mosquito nets/poison/acid/bombs to fish with, or the equivalent …
Smaller signposts were then put around the fish sanctuary, delimiting the area.
Prior to all this being done, several applications were submitted to the funding agency, along with a schedule and work plans and a budget.
During the running of the project, a workshop report and a technical report had to be submitted for each CF.
The construction and erection of all the signposts was done together as a separate component – another set of reports.
Three months after the training courses another field trip was undertaken by the project staff to monitor and evaluate [M&E] the effectiveness of the training that had been given – another report prior to the field trip, designing an M&E matrix framework for the trip as well as questionnaires to populate the M&E Matrix and of course a report of the methodology and progress of the M&E Fieldtrip.
All in all a lot of work to train less than a 100 people in how to take minutes of a meeting and to put up some signposts.
How much did the funding body donate?
A mere US$10,000
All that work, running around, sailing up and down rivers and taking minibuses, taxis, motodope’s, around the country, reviewing, writing reports, for a ‘pilot project’ for a lousy 10k split over administrative functions and three CF’s
It is estimated that Cambodia as a whole will need over 1,000 Community Fisheries to be established and trained to manage the 56% that they have had donated to communities.
Having the civil servants responsible for doing this running around chasing funds, driving from one province to the next [all by public transport I might add, not fancy white 4x4 Landcruisers ] filling report after report after report back to the funding body, cap in hand for the next few dollars, is no way to run a Country’s major resource.
Hell, it is no way to run the entire Country.
I mean, let us face it, fish is very important to Cambodia, it represents up to 75% of the annual animal protein intake in some areas [that is around 80Kg per person, per year]
Fish, fishing, fish products, fishery stakeholders and post harvest fishing activities employ nearly 4 million people in this Country, not too mention the amount of casual or subsistence level fishing that goes on at a family level.
The annual catch weight of freshwater fish in Cambodia is estimated at US$ 200 million, which increases in value as it passes down the supply chain to the point where it represents 15% of Cambodia’s GDP.
Surely we can do better than spending all our time chasing around after some NGO’s for a few thousand dollars…
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Guide to the toilets of Cambodia
Guide to the toilets of Cambodia
Let's face it, if you're travelling for more than a couple of hours you're going to need to use a toilet. Sure, some of the guidebooks give a bit of information on what kind of toilet facilities to expect in a given country, but there never seems to be quite enough information. Where are the cleanest? What's the best place to run to in an emergency? Do I have to use my hand? What's the deal with squat toilets?
Here's a quick guide to what I've observed as the state of toilet facilities in some of the countries I've travelled in as well as a discussion of that horror of horrors (or so you think!), the squat toilet!
Squat toilets:
If you spend any appreciable amount of time in Asia outside of your hotel room you will at some point probably find yourself faced with the intimidating task of using a squat toilet. However, once you've conquered the skill, and it's hardly a skill, and you've experienced the inside of a toilet in a Khmer restaurant in rural Cambodia, you'll probably become thankful that squat toilets are often the norm.
While intimidating to the uninitiated, ask yourself ... Did you ever do it in the woods? Surely you've been on a camping trip or something, whether as a kid or an adult, and had to take a dump behind a tree somewhere? Well, squat toilets are the same concept.
You can find two basic varieties. Squatters that are level with the floor, and what I call 'hi-rise', which sit maybe fifteen to twenty centimetres off the floor. The former are quite easy to use while the latter can be very uncomfortable if you are more than about 5'6" or are the least bit heavy…
Not only do the hi-risers require a performance of a balancing act, they can also stick you in a tight position.
As far as giving advice about using squat toilets, what I say is going to be geared more towards the boys than the girls, sorry ladies.
I think the most difficult thing people inexperienced with squat toilets contend with is how to drop their clothes and keep them out of the line of fire, from either end.
On a conventional western toilet you drop your pants to your ankles, take a seat, count the mould stains on the door or read your Lonely Planet and do your business.
Now, settle yourself over a squat toilet with your pants at your ankles and take a look at how things are positioned. You are going to pee on them is what's going to happen.
When using squat toilets you only drop your pants a few inches down which is just far enough to create some clearance. The seat of your pants will be well above your knees and well out of firing range. Also be careful of the contents of your pockets. As your pants are high, they are in a prime position for items such as keys, coins, et cetera, to slide out of your pockets and into the toilet, usually after you've done your duty.
Some squat toilets flush the same as a regular sit-down toilet, while others have no flushing mechanism. If you encounter the latter, you should see a tub of water and a scoop nearby. Scoop water from the tub and pour it into the toilet and watch as your mess gradually disappears with each scoop of water you pour. This water and scoop is also used for cleaning yourself.
Toilet paper:
More likely than not, with the possible exception of hotel rooms and a handful of fancy restaurants in Phnom Penh, you are not going to find any toilet paper anywhere. Carry some with you at all times and at the same time ask yourself if you want to shake anyone's left hand? Which is kind of silly because plenty of people still use their right hand but they just won’t admit to it?
If you're stuck without toilet paper there's still hope. Some facilities sell small packets of toilet paper. If you're really lucky there will be a sprayer, which is a small nozzle attached to a hose to the side of the toilet. Point the nozzle where you want to fire and push down the lever.
If you've never used one of these before you'll probably find the pressure is more than you expected and you'll make a real mess of yourself if you're not careful. So here's your warning: Test the pressure with a quick blast away from you and then when you're ready to clean, press the lever gently until you're confident you can control the water flow! After finishing with this exercise you'll probably ask yourself, "Now what! Am I supposed to sit here and drip dry!!??!!" Hence, toilet paper and a sprayer are the best combination.
If there's no sprayer your next hope is that there's a tub of water and a scoop.
The conventional advice is you're supposed to splash some water on the messy area. Really, I've never seen the use in that, sort of like spilling a plate of stir-fry on your shirt and trying to wash it off by dabbing a dry tissue on it. Really, if it's a bit nasty down there and all you have is water then you're just going to have to use your hand, get it dirty, and hope there's some soap nearby.
As an Englishman I grew up in an environment where there was no water by the toilet in any form, it was dry toilet paper and that's it.
If you did remember to carry toilet paper with you the next question you may be faced with is what are you supposed to do with it when you're finished? In theory, if there's a waste can near the toilet, that's your cue that it's to go in there. However I know a lot of people can't be bothered to do this and stick the paper in the toilet anyway and more often than not it's not a problem, or at least not a problem they'll ever see.
There's really not a lot of rhyme or reason as to which toilets can handle paper. Some septic tanks in even the most rural places in say, Kampot, can handle toilet paper without problem, while the plumbing in a midrange Phnom Penh hotel can not. So do as those before you, if there's a waste can, stick it in there, if not, flush it down. Let your conscience be your guide.
In general, public facilities in Cambodia lag behind the west in hygiene standards but this is by no means universal. There are plenty of filthy restrooms in the west and plenty of spotlessly clean ones in Cambodia.
Most hotels have western-style toilets with butt sprayers attached. Some cheap guesthouses may only have squat toilets. At even some low to midrange hotels they may neglect to place toilet paper in the room leaving you to chase down the staff for a roll. Public toilet facilities are for the most part nonexistent. A local restaurant will probably have a squat toilet in a shed somewhere but there's no guarantee of this. Squat toilets are usually of the flat variety. Out in the sticks everyone goes in the woods.
If you're in a mined area (and you probably won't be, but if you are, you will hopefully have been already versed in land mine sense), you'll just have to take John Lennon's advice and do it in the road, even if it's not quite what he had in mind. If you're on the highway between, say, Poi pet and Siem Reap, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh and Battambang, you're not going to be anywhere near a land mine, so don't worry about it. And don't be shy about ducking behind a bush regardless if you are male or female; it's what the locals all do.
I can only think of a few places in Cambodia with public facilities. One is Kralanh, a town between Siem Reap and the border at Poi pet, where some locals got the idea to build a block of toilets to service all the buses passing through town. The idea caught on and several more enterprising families built the same. These facilities, though offering only squat toilets, are clean and usually have toilet paper. They cost 5 baht or 500 riels to use. In downtown Phnom Penh there are a couple of public facilities near the National Museum.
I've not been inside any of these so I can't report on the condition, but apparently when they were first constructed a few years back, several homeless families promptly moved in. If you can find a real gasoline station, and certainly Caltex would qualify, you'll probably find they have restrooms of some condition.
At the Angkor temples, there are old toilet blocks by the pagoda next to Angkor Wat, at Preah Khan behind the souvenir stalls on the west side, at Ta Prohm behind the souvenir stalls on the west side, at the Bayon on the east side, and at Banteay Srei across the road. Expect to pay 500 riels for the privilege. In the past year, additional facilities have been built along the roads away from the temples on both the inner and outer circuits. It is no longer an issue to find toilet facilities when visiting the temples.
There is not one single bus in Cambodia that I have seen with a toilet. I'm not even sure what the dilapidated old trains offer, either (never been on one).
Most of the speedboats have toilets on board that are quite usable. The exception is the small speedboats that are designed to hold about a dozen people and run between Battambang and Siem Reap, they have no facilities. The next size up of speedboats, that seat about 40 people and are used sometimes between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh when the water levels are at their lowest, have a toilet, a hole really, stuck in a small closet which you'll have to crouch down to get inside and you won't enjoy this experience.
Clean, western style toilets can be found in the main airports.
Let's face it, if you're travelling for more than a couple of hours you're going to need to use a toilet. Sure, some of the guidebooks give a bit of information on what kind of toilet facilities to expect in a given country, but there never seems to be quite enough information. Where are the cleanest? What's the best place to run to in an emergency? Do I have to use my hand? What's the deal with squat toilets?
Here's a quick guide to what I've observed as the state of toilet facilities in some of the countries I've travelled in as well as a discussion of that horror of horrors (or so you think!), the squat toilet!
Squat toilets:
If you spend any appreciable amount of time in Asia outside of your hotel room you will at some point probably find yourself faced with the intimidating task of using a squat toilet. However, once you've conquered the skill, and it's hardly a skill, and you've experienced the inside of a toilet in a Khmer restaurant in rural Cambodia, you'll probably become thankful that squat toilets are often the norm.
While intimidating to the uninitiated, ask yourself ... Did you ever do it in the woods? Surely you've been on a camping trip or something, whether as a kid or an adult, and had to take a dump behind a tree somewhere? Well, squat toilets are the same concept.
You can find two basic varieties. Squatters that are level with the floor, and what I call 'hi-rise', which sit maybe fifteen to twenty centimetres off the floor. The former are quite easy to use while the latter can be very uncomfortable if you are more than about 5'6" or are the least bit heavy…
Not only do the hi-risers require a performance of a balancing act, they can also stick you in a tight position.
As far as giving advice about using squat toilets, what I say is going to be geared more towards the boys than the girls, sorry ladies.
I think the most difficult thing people inexperienced with squat toilets contend with is how to drop their clothes and keep them out of the line of fire, from either end.
On a conventional western toilet you drop your pants to your ankles, take a seat, count the mould stains on the door or read your Lonely Planet and do your business.
Now, settle yourself over a squat toilet with your pants at your ankles and take a look at how things are positioned. You are going to pee on them is what's going to happen.
When using squat toilets you only drop your pants a few inches down which is just far enough to create some clearance. The seat of your pants will be well above your knees and well out of firing range. Also be careful of the contents of your pockets. As your pants are high, they are in a prime position for items such as keys, coins, et cetera, to slide out of your pockets and into the toilet, usually after you've done your duty.
Some squat toilets flush the same as a regular sit-down toilet, while others have no flushing mechanism. If you encounter the latter, you should see a tub of water and a scoop nearby. Scoop water from the tub and pour it into the toilet and watch as your mess gradually disappears with each scoop of water you pour. This water and scoop is also used for cleaning yourself.
Toilet paper:
More likely than not, with the possible exception of hotel rooms and a handful of fancy restaurants in Phnom Penh, you are not going to find any toilet paper anywhere. Carry some with you at all times and at the same time ask yourself if you want to shake anyone's left hand? Which is kind of silly because plenty of people still use their right hand but they just won’t admit to it?
If you're stuck without toilet paper there's still hope. Some facilities sell small packets of toilet paper. If you're really lucky there will be a sprayer, which is a small nozzle attached to a hose to the side of the toilet. Point the nozzle where you want to fire and push down the lever.
If you've never used one of these before you'll probably find the pressure is more than you expected and you'll make a real mess of yourself if you're not careful. So here's your warning: Test the pressure with a quick blast away from you and then when you're ready to clean, press the lever gently until you're confident you can control the water flow! After finishing with this exercise you'll probably ask yourself, "Now what! Am I supposed to sit here and drip dry!!??!!" Hence, toilet paper and a sprayer are the best combination.
If there's no sprayer your next hope is that there's a tub of water and a scoop.
The conventional advice is you're supposed to splash some water on the messy area. Really, I've never seen the use in that, sort of like spilling a plate of stir-fry on your shirt and trying to wash it off by dabbing a dry tissue on it. Really, if it's a bit nasty down there and all you have is water then you're just going to have to use your hand, get it dirty, and hope there's some soap nearby.
As an Englishman I grew up in an environment where there was no water by the toilet in any form, it was dry toilet paper and that's it.
If you did remember to carry toilet paper with you the next question you may be faced with is what are you supposed to do with it when you're finished? In theory, if there's a waste can near the toilet, that's your cue that it's to go in there. However I know a lot of people can't be bothered to do this and stick the paper in the toilet anyway and more often than not it's not a problem, or at least not a problem they'll ever see.
There's really not a lot of rhyme or reason as to which toilets can handle paper. Some septic tanks in even the most rural places in say, Kampot, can handle toilet paper without problem, while the plumbing in a midrange Phnom Penh hotel can not. So do as those before you, if there's a waste can, stick it in there, if not, flush it down. Let your conscience be your guide.
In general, public facilities in Cambodia lag behind the west in hygiene standards but this is by no means universal. There are plenty of filthy restrooms in the west and plenty of spotlessly clean ones in Cambodia.
Most hotels have western-style toilets with butt sprayers attached. Some cheap guesthouses may only have squat toilets. At even some low to midrange hotels they may neglect to place toilet paper in the room leaving you to chase down the staff for a roll. Public toilet facilities are for the most part nonexistent. A local restaurant will probably have a squat toilet in a shed somewhere but there's no guarantee of this. Squat toilets are usually of the flat variety. Out in the sticks everyone goes in the woods.
If you're in a mined area (and you probably won't be, but if you are, you will hopefully have been already versed in land mine sense), you'll just have to take John Lennon's advice and do it in the road, even if it's not quite what he had in mind. If you're on the highway between, say, Poi pet and Siem Reap, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh and Battambang, you're not going to be anywhere near a land mine, so don't worry about it. And don't be shy about ducking behind a bush regardless if you are male or female; it's what the locals all do.
I can only think of a few places in Cambodia with public facilities. One is Kralanh, a town between Siem Reap and the border at Poi pet, where some locals got the idea to build a block of toilets to service all the buses passing through town. The idea caught on and several more enterprising families built the same. These facilities, though offering only squat toilets, are clean and usually have toilet paper. They cost 5 baht or 500 riels to use. In downtown Phnom Penh there are a couple of public facilities near the National Museum.
I've not been inside any of these so I can't report on the condition, but apparently when they were first constructed a few years back, several homeless families promptly moved in. If you can find a real gasoline station, and certainly Caltex would qualify, you'll probably find they have restrooms of some condition.
At the Angkor temples, there are old toilet blocks by the pagoda next to Angkor Wat, at Preah Khan behind the souvenir stalls on the west side, at Ta Prohm behind the souvenir stalls on the west side, at the Bayon on the east side, and at Banteay Srei across the road. Expect to pay 500 riels for the privilege. In the past year, additional facilities have been built along the roads away from the temples on both the inner and outer circuits. It is no longer an issue to find toilet facilities when visiting the temples.
There is not one single bus in Cambodia that I have seen with a toilet. I'm not even sure what the dilapidated old trains offer, either (never been on one).
Most of the speedboats have toilets on board that are quite usable. The exception is the small speedboats that are designed to hold about a dozen people and run between Battambang and Siem Reap, they have no facilities. The next size up of speedboats, that seat about 40 people and are used sometimes between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh when the water levels are at their lowest, have a toilet, a hole really, stuck in a small closet which you'll have to crouch down to get inside and you won't enjoy this experience.
Clean, western style toilets can be found in the main airports.
Saturday, December 25, 2004
That damned ‘C’ word …
That damned ‘C’ word …
Bah Humbug.
Well, here we are.
My Khmer colleagues kept asking me if I am going home to England for it.
Barang friends keep asking what my plans are. When I tell them I have none they try and impose theirs upon me. If I say I have not decided yet, they talk at length about what they are planning. Newbie’s keep asking me where they can buy a Turkey, usually followed by them asking me what the Khmer is for turkey.
So once and for all let me get this off my chest… … I DO NOT CARE !!!
Back home in God’s Own Country [England] I usually have a quiet day of it, me sat by a roaring fire, sipping some Crystal – the 1982 is drinking well at the moment.
Prior to that I will have had the traditional Leicestershire breakfast for that particular day which consists of:
- Melton Mowbray Porkpie
- Hayward’s extra strong pickled onions
- Red Leicester Cheese
- Bread and butter
I kid you not, you could not make that up…
A late luncheon, usually consisting of some sort of pizza.
Afternoon in front of the television with some DVD’s specifically purchased for the day and guaranteed not to contain; snow, angels, fatmen in red suits, men with beards, talking snowmen, reindeer with discoloured appendages, et bloody cetera.
This is the point at which I am usually disturbed by ‘well meaning’ friends and family members phoning up or popping round to wish me jolly and festive things.
As night draws on, I manage to finally to return to the peace and solace.
More movies and a drawn out meal consisting of;
a selection of fine cheese’s and cold meats from around the world,
fresh breads,
Greek salad,
samosas,
satay chicken,
olives, stuffed jalapeño’s
more porkpie and pickled onions…
A veritable carpet picnic by the fire, nibbling at will over several hours.
Aided with a selection of fine wines drawn from around the world.
Rounding off the feast with cheesecake
Peace and tranquillity.
Is that too much to ask for one day a year ?
Bah Humbug
Ebenezer Conquest
Bah Humbug.
Well, here we are.
My Khmer colleagues kept asking me if I am going home to England for it.
Barang friends keep asking what my plans are. When I tell them I have none they try and impose theirs upon me. If I say I have not decided yet, they talk at length about what they are planning. Newbie’s keep asking me where they can buy a Turkey, usually followed by them asking me what the Khmer is for turkey.
So once and for all let me get this off my chest… … I DO NOT CARE !!!
Back home in God’s Own Country [England] I usually have a quiet day of it, me sat by a roaring fire, sipping some Crystal – the 1982 is drinking well at the moment.
Prior to that I will have had the traditional Leicestershire breakfast for that particular day which consists of:
- Melton Mowbray Porkpie
- Hayward’s extra strong pickled onions
- Red Leicester Cheese
- Bread and butter
I kid you not, you could not make that up…
A late luncheon, usually consisting of some sort of pizza.
Afternoon in front of the television with some DVD’s specifically purchased for the day and guaranteed not to contain; snow, angels, fatmen in red suits, men with beards, talking snowmen, reindeer with discoloured appendages, et bloody cetera.
This is the point at which I am usually disturbed by ‘well meaning’ friends and family members phoning up or popping round to wish me jolly and festive things.
As night draws on, I manage to finally to return to the peace and solace.
More movies and a drawn out meal consisting of;
a selection of fine cheese’s and cold meats from around the world,
fresh breads,
Greek salad,
samosas,
satay chicken,
olives, stuffed jalapeño’s
more porkpie and pickled onions…
A veritable carpet picnic by the fire, nibbling at will over several hours.
Aided with a selection of fine wines drawn from around the world.
Rounding off the feast with cheesecake
Peace and tranquillity.
Is that too much to ask for one day a year ?
Bah Humbug
Ebenezer Conquest
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
''A Cambodia Moment''
There is a phrase a colleague of mine uses out here. She is a 60 odd year old grandmother who decided that she was bored just thinking about retiring and so thought it would be fun to do 2 years overseas – enter VSO…
Every so often she just stops whatever she is doing looks around in awe and wonder of the fact she is living in Cambodia and says ‘I am having a Cambodia moment’
A Cambodia moment can cover many things;
- The first time you see 4 Buddhist monks crowded onto the same moped, orange silk robes flapping in the breeze;
- Looking up from a restaurant table to see that the woman standing next to you is not a waitress, but a street vendor who has randomly wandered in selling deep-fried tarantula, locusts or cockroaches;
- Or just sitting in a riverside bar watching the street theatre that is life in Phnom Penh unravel before you.
I am not sure if it can best be described as a moment of Hyper-reality or one of surrealism.
This morning, due to a mixture of reasons and a confluence of events, I found myself riding from the bottom of the city to the top of the city and back again before going to work. Not a major hassle really as the round trip is only about 10 kilometres. But it was on the way back that I decided to bypass the main road so full of traffic, even at 06:30 it was a sea of mopeds flowing in a chaotic, yet almost poetic motion. So returning downtown towards my office I cut down Street 51, by P’sar Thmay, round to the Independence Monument and down to my office.
As I am taking this route the pavements of the city are busy and bustling with people.
Every back-street-corner has a pavement café set up – blue plastic chairs, folding tin tables and a menu consisting of either noodle soup or rice and pork;
‘Corner shops’ here are people with a desk or trestle-table selling; sweets, bottled water, cigarettes, newspapers, et cetera;
Every other street corner has a man selling bread, a large wicker basket 3 feet in diameter a foot and a half high, full of short wide baguettes – 500 riel each (12.5 cents or 7 pence)
It is not just the sights that contribute to ‘a Cambodia moment’ it is also the sounds and smells.
Phnom Penh is not a quiet city, with 1.3 million people living here. That may not sound much when compared to capital cities back in the West, but Phnom Penh is a very, very, small capital city. 7 kilometres long by 4 wide.
The abundance of pavement restaurants and bread vendors add to the aroma – as do the piles of rubbish outside shanty town housing…
As I am sat here in the office now, all clean and shiny from last month’s refurbishment, the air-conditioning on, lap-top hooked up to the internet, I could be sat in any one of a number of Countries. Think I might go back outside now for a bit; one of those pavement cafés is calling to me – spicy Rice-Pork with an iced coffee or two, mmm.
Best wishes to all, take care
D
Every so often she just stops whatever she is doing looks around in awe and wonder of the fact she is living in Cambodia and says ‘I am having a Cambodia moment’
A Cambodia moment can cover many things;
- The first time you see 4 Buddhist monks crowded onto the same moped, orange silk robes flapping in the breeze;
- Looking up from a restaurant table to see that the woman standing next to you is not a waitress, but a street vendor who has randomly wandered in selling deep-fried tarantula, locusts or cockroaches;
- Or just sitting in a riverside bar watching the street theatre that is life in Phnom Penh unravel before you.
I am not sure if it can best be described as a moment of Hyper-reality or one of surrealism.
This morning, due to a mixture of reasons and a confluence of events, I found myself riding from the bottom of the city to the top of the city and back again before going to work. Not a major hassle really as the round trip is only about 10 kilometres. But it was on the way back that I decided to bypass the main road so full of traffic, even at 06:30 it was a sea of mopeds flowing in a chaotic, yet almost poetic motion. So returning downtown towards my office I cut down Street 51, by P’sar Thmay, round to the Independence Monument and down to my office.
As I am taking this route the pavements of the city are busy and bustling with people.
Every back-street-corner has a pavement café set up – blue plastic chairs, folding tin tables and a menu consisting of either noodle soup or rice and pork;
‘Corner shops’ here are people with a desk or trestle-table selling; sweets, bottled water, cigarettes, newspapers, et cetera;
Every other street corner has a man selling bread, a large wicker basket 3 feet in diameter a foot and a half high, full of short wide baguettes – 500 riel each (12.5 cents or 7 pence)
It is not just the sights that contribute to ‘a Cambodia moment’ it is also the sounds and smells.
Phnom Penh is not a quiet city, with 1.3 million people living here. That may not sound much when compared to capital cities back in the West, but Phnom Penh is a very, very, small capital city. 7 kilometres long by 4 wide.
The abundance of pavement restaurants and bread vendors add to the aroma – as do the piles of rubbish outside shanty town housing…
As I am sat here in the office now, all clean and shiny from last month’s refurbishment, the air-conditioning on, lap-top hooked up to the internet, I could be sat in any one of a number of Countries. Think I might go back outside now for a bit; one of those pavement cafés is calling to me – spicy Rice-Pork with an iced coffee or two, mmm.
Best wishes to all, take care
D
November in Cambodia 2004
November in Cambodia
(Slouching towards Bethlehem)
Coronation of the new King; King Sihamoni of Cambodia
The old King decided that he had had enough of it all and resigned, not the first time that he has done this, but this time a successor was named and crowned, which kind of makes it official!
The new king is Sihamoni, a 55 year old bachelor, former ballet dancer and ambassador to the UN in Paris, where he lived alone with 2 cats (yes, yes, we all think it sounds rather gay as well)
The partying seemed to last about a week, the coronation ceremony was over 3 days. A national holiday was declared so we had, another, 5 day weekend. Flags and banners were strung from every street lamp or pillar. Every billboard in town had the Official photo of the new King put on it. Every Khmer who owned a chicken and a box of matches set up a pavement barbeque. Thousands of extra people poured into Phnom Penh. The chaos was unbelievable, gridlock on every road in the city all day and night. A 10 minute journey up to the riverfront took me 45 minutes at the height of it
The smoke coming from the hundreds of pavement barbeques was obscuring the vision of all the motorists and pedestrians – how more people were not run over is a miracle.
Some of my colleagues from the Ministry had official invites to be inside the palace grounds for the ceremony – not inside the palace, as the throne room is not that big, but the grounds are enough to hold a thousand-plus people. I did drop some hints about me going with them, but when I found out that they had to be in their seats by 5AM I figured I would shut up and watch the highlights on television !
Each of the three official nights of the coronation ceremony saw fireworks displays across the skies above the city, plus people partying in the streets.
Your average Khmer did not fully understand what was going on ‘’how do we have new King, old one not dead?’’ - but give them an extra few days off work and some fireworks and they just did not care! They were happy. They now just refer to the 2 kings as ‘the old king’ and ‘the new king’ - basically as far as they are concerned they are the luckiest people alive, they have 2 kings….
The new king seems to be off to a good start, he is touring the provinces, meeting his subjects, saying nice things to the International aid agencies, et cetera.
His father for the last few years was not too dynamic, 80 odd years old, poor health, spent a lot of time out of the country – the highlight of irony was him complaining about the poor democratic process in Cambodia’s last set of elections from his holiday palace in North Korea…
Paul and Glens’ visit
2 weeks each, overlapping for a week in the middle, in short, about 3 weeks of partying and not enough sleep J
A lot of visits to bars and restaurants and more bars, some shopping and, of course, a few days up in Siem Reap to visit the Temple’s of Angkor.
Although this was my fourth visit to some of the temples, there are always new things to see, and new temples to explore.
Of course the most famous is Angkor Wat, but the stone heads on the Bayon temple are a familiar sight to anyone who has ever visited Cambodia – or film fans that paid close attention to ‘Tomb Raider’…
The jungle temple is impressive still, but I seem to remember it being bigger???
New to me this visit was a trip up BaKheng Pagoda to watch sunset. From the top of the hill, you can see the Tonle Sap great lake as well as the Western Baray. With the sun setting behind these 2 large expanses of water.
The climb up to the top was very steep, loose rocks and tree roots as well. We decided that we would start the climb back down before the sun had full finished setting; unfortunately several hundred other people had the same idea. Due to some unorthodox [and slightly life threatening] short cuts, we made it to the foot of the hill just as darkness was fully descending.
Was great to have some male visitors here for a change!
They both took to Cambodian life well, especially on a night out with my Khmer colleagues which involved much drinking, eating, drinking and singing of karaoke - Paul does a very good Brittney Spears ….
Sarik’s Wedding
November also saw my attendance at my first Khmer wedding. Sarik, one of the guys I work with was very eager that I attend, so eager that when I was 5 minutes late for the start of the reception [out in the middle of nowhere] he phoned me every ten minutes until I was there !
The only white people – barang – invited were myself and a Canadian VSO who works with me called Daniel.
As we entered the large marquee set up in the middle of the road – just block off all that traffic – we were being filmed. We were shown to a table near the entrance so that everyone who entered the party could see that Sarik was important enough to have 2 barang at his wedding – it is all about status here….
As you enter a Khmer wedding you shake hand all the relevant parties – bride, groom, parents, et cetera - then you are given a gift, a small token to thank you for attending, then you are escorted to the wedding accountant, where you hand over a small white envelope with some cash in it – the amount of cash you give is sort of up to you, it sort of depends on a combination of things; how well you know the person who invited you, how long you have known them, how important they are, how important you are and of course, whether or not you are a foreigner…
While we were sat there, we were joined by Sarik’s brother, the bride’s father and some local bigwig who spoke the most fluent and lilting French I have heard since being here.
Strangely enough, also seated at our table were the only 3 single Khmer girls at the party…
The food then started to come out course by course; half a dozen mixed starters, a whole suckling pig, whole catfish in ginger and soybean sauce, beef and peppers stir-fry, wonton’s, fried rice, boiled rice, et cetera
All served with lashings and lashings of Tiger Beer…
Well, we arrived there at 4 and it all closed down about 10, by which time we had consumed a Herculean amount of food and drink
The Water Festival, omm bon tuck
Over three days around 600 teams of 30 raced in pairs from the Japanese Friendship Bridge to the end of the city.
The teams wearing brightly coloured silk costumes and being cheered on by crowds of 100,000’s
The crowds in the city were amazing, it was even busier than the coronation, it took ten times as longer to walk anywhere than normal, roads were closed to traffic.
I wandered around the streets and the festivals accompanied by 7 Khmer friends eager to show me around, explain things to me and generally entertain me. As dusk approached we headed down to the park where a free concert of Khmer pop music was taking place, loud does not even begin to cover it.
After which it was time for yet more fireworks and of course, more beer…
December’s first few days
So here we are in the bleak midwinter of Cambodia. Temperatures have dropped to the 25C to 30C range, making it almost bearable most of the time.
The locals are complaining about how cold it is ?!?!
I am glad for the temporary respite from the heat, but then again I have always hated hot weather (My first choice of VSO assignment was Mongolia, minus 40 in the winter...)
Still, I seem to be adapting to it all, with the aid of only 4 or 5 cold showers and changes of clothes a day…
Upcoming Events
This coming weekend is another bank holiday weekend, but it is the only one in December. Very early on Friday morning I will be departing Phnom Penh for Kompong Cham province for the weekend. I will be travelling up with a few of my Khmer friends and staying with one of their families for a couple of nights right out in the sticks.
I have suggested that I could stay in a guest house near by so as not to be any trouble to the family, but I do not think that they will let me off that lightly …
The weekend following will see my attendance at another Khmer wedding, this time it is my boss from the Ministry who is tying on the ball and chain, it will be a much, much, more lavish affair, with the reception being held at one of the most upmarket hotels in Phnom Penh, with hundreds of guests in attendance, so the pressure on us barang should be less as there will be several dozen of us milling around.
Then, of course, in less than 3 weeks we have Christmas, I have still not decided what to do exactly, but top of the list today is my laying on Serendipity beach at Sihanoukvile with a cold Tiger Beer in one hand and a barbequed squid in the other – ah, living in a winter wonderland …
(Slouching towards Bethlehem)
Coronation of the new King; King Sihamoni of Cambodia
The old King decided that he had had enough of it all and resigned, not the first time that he has done this, but this time a successor was named and crowned, which kind of makes it official!
The new king is Sihamoni, a 55 year old bachelor, former ballet dancer and ambassador to the UN in Paris, where he lived alone with 2 cats (yes, yes, we all think it sounds rather gay as well)
The partying seemed to last about a week, the coronation ceremony was over 3 days. A national holiday was declared so we had, another, 5 day weekend. Flags and banners were strung from every street lamp or pillar. Every billboard in town had the Official photo of the new King put on it. Every Khmer who owned a chicken and a box of matches set up a pavement barbeque. Thousands of extra people poured into Phnom Penh. The chaos was unbelievable, gridlock on every road in the city all day and night. A 10 minute journey up to the riverfront took me 45 minutes at the height of it
The smoke coming from the hundreds of pavement barbeques was obscuring the vision of all the motorists and pedestrians – how more people were not run over is a miracle.
Some of my colleagues from the Ministry had official invites to be inside the palace grounds for the ceremony – not inside the palace, as the throne room is not that big, but the grounds are enough to hold a thousand-plus people. I did drop some hints about me going with them, but when I found out that they had to be in their seats by 5AM I figured I would shut up and watch the highlights on television !
Each of the three official nights of the coronation ceremony saw fireworks displays across the skies above the city, plus people partying in the streets.
Your average Khmer did not fully understand what was going on ‘’how do we have new King, old one not dead?’’ - but give them an extra few days off work and some fireworks and they just did not care! They were happy. They now just refer to the 2 kings as ‘the old king’ and ‘the new king’ - basically as far as they are concerned they are the luckiest people alive, they have 2 kings….
The new king seems to be off to a good start, he is touring the provinces, meeting his subjects, saying nice things to the International aid agencies, et cetera.
His father for the last few years was not too dynamic, 80 odd years old, poor health, spent a lot of time out of the country – the highlight of irony was him complaining about the poor democratic process in Cambodia’s last set of elections from his holiday palace in North Korea…
Paul and Glens’ visit
2 weeks each, overlapping for a week in the middle, in short, about 3 weeks of partying and not enough sleep J
A lot of visits to bars and restaurants and more bars, some shopping and, of course, a few days up in Siem Reap to visit the Temple’s of Angkor.
Although this was my fourth visit to some of the temples, there are always new things to see, and new temples to explore.
Of course the most famous is Angkor Wat, but the stone heads on the Bayon temple are a familiar sight to anyone who has ever visited Cambodia – or film fans that paid close attention to ‘Tomb Raider’…
The jungle temple is impressive still, but I seem to remember it being bigger???
New to me this visit was a trip up BaKheng Pagoda to watch sunset. From the top of the hill, you can see the Tonle Sap great lake as well as the Western Baray. With the sun setting behind these 2 large expanses of water.
The climb up to the top was very steep, loose rocks and tree roots as well. We decided that we would start the climb back down before the sun had full finished setting; unfortunately several hundred other people had the same idea. Due to some unorthodox [and slightly life threatening] short cuts, we made it to the foot of the hill just as darkness was fully descending.
Was great to have some male visitors here for a change!
They both took to Cambodian life well, especially on a night out with my Khmer colleagues which involved much drinking, eating, drinking and singing of karaoke - Paul does a very good Brittney Spears ….
Sarik’s Wedding
November also saw my attendance at my first Khmer wedding. Sarik, one of the guys I work with was very eager that I attend, so eager that when I was 5 minutes late for the start of the reception [out in the middle of nowhere] he phoned me every ten minutes until I was there !
The only white people – barang – invited were myself and a Canadian VSO who works with me called Daniel.
As we entered the large marquee set up in the middle of the road – just block off all that traffic – we were being filmed. We were shown to a table near the entrance so that everyone who entered the party could see that Sarik was important enough to have 2 barang at his wedding – it is all about status here….
As you enter a Khmer wedding you shake hand all the relevant parties – bride, groom, parents, et cetera - then you are given a gift, a small token to thank you for attending, then you are escorted to the wedding accountant, where you hand over a small white envelope with some cash in it – the amount of cash you give is sort of up to you, it sort of depends on a combination of things; how well you know the person who invited you, how long you have known them, how important they are, how important you are and of course, whether or not you are a foreigner…
While we were sat there, we were joined by Sarik’s brother, the bride’s father and some local bigwig who spoke the most fluent and lilting French I have heard since being here.
Strangely enough, also seated at our table were the only 3 single Khmer girls at the party…
The food then started to come out course by course; half a dozen mixed starters, a whole suckling pig, whole catfish in ginger and soybean sauce, beef and peppers stir-fry, wonton’s, fried rice, boiled rice, et cetera
All served with lashings and lashings of Tiger Beer…
Well, we arrived there at 4 and it all closed down about 10, by which time we had consumed a Herculean amount of food and drink
The Water Festival, omm bon tuck
Over three days around 600 teams of 30 raced in pairs from the Japanese Friendship Bridge to the end of the city.
The teams wearing brightly coloured silk costumes and being cheered on by crowds of 100,000’s
The crowds in the city were amazing, it was even busier than the coronation, it took ten times as longer to walk anywhere than normal, roads were closed to traffic.
I wandered around the streets and the festivals accompanied by 7 Khmer friends eager to show me around, explain things to me and generally entertain me. As dusk approached we headed down to the park where a free concert of Khmer pop music was taking place, loud does not even begin to cover it.
After which it was time for yet more fireworks and of course, more beer…
December’s first few days
So here we are in the bleak midwinter of Cambodia. Temperatures have dropped to the 25C to 30C range, making it almost bearable most of the time.
The locals are complaining about how cold it is ?!?!
I am glad for the temporary respite from the heat, but then again I have always hated hot weather (My first choice of VSO assignment was Mongolia, minus 40 in the winter...)
Still, I seem to be adapting to it all, with the aid of only 4 or 5 cold showers and changes of clothes a day…
Upcoming Events
This coming weekend is another bank holiday weekend, but it is the only one in December. Very early on Friday morning I will be departing Phnom Penh for Kompong Cham province for the weekend. I will be travelling up with a few of my Khmer friends and staying with one of their families for a couple of nights right out in the sticks.
I have suggested that I could stay in a guest house near by so as not to be any trouble to the family, but I do not think that they will let me off that lightly …
The weekend following will see my attendance at another Khmer wedding, this time it is my boss from the Ministry who is tying on the ball and chain, it will be a much, much, more lavish affair, with the reception being held at one of the most upmarket hotels in Phnom Penh, with hundreds of guests in attendance, so the pressure on us barang should be less as there will be several dozen of us milling around.
Then, of course, in less than 3 weeks we have Christmas, I have still not decided what to do exactly, but top of the list today is my laying on Serendipity beach at Sihanoukvile with a cold Tiger Beer in one hand and a barbequed squid in the other – ah, living in a winter wonderland …
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Consultative Group Meeting on Cambodia, 2004
Consultative Group Meeting on Cambodia, 2004
GOVERNMENT OF CAMBODIA, DONORS RESOLVE TO TACKLE CORRUPTION AND GOVERNANCE REFORM AS THE CENTRAL IMPEDIMENT TO GROWTH AND POVERTY REDUCTION
December 7, 2004 -- The 7th Consultative Group (CG) Meeting on Cambodia ended today in Phnom Penh with Government and Donors agreeing that Cambodia is indeed, as Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen stated, at a "crossroads in its difficult journey towards sustainable development and poverty reduction." The time has come, all agreed, to move beyond action plans and strategies to decisive implementation of a comprehensive reform program.
The CG Meeting, held December 6-7 in Phnom Penh, was attended by members of the donor community, including 18 partner countries and 5 international development organizations, and the Government of Cambodia. Civil society and private sector representatives attended as well. Delegates noted that all - government, donors, civil society, private sector - were united behind the message that it is time to transform the promises and commitments into actions with concrete outcomes.
The Prime Minister noted that Cambodia's last decade had seen signs of progress, including restoring peace and macroeconomic stability; consolidating government institutions and an emerging democracy, civil society, and media; and a resumption of growth and foreign investment.
"However, we are living in a tough and challenging time," Prime Minister Hun Sen continued, citing the changing regional and world dynamics and economic landscape, increasing uncertainty, and increasing competition for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI ) and ODA (Official Development Assistance) resources, leading him to conclude, "the prosperity of our country depends on our ability to implement reforms at all levels. In this context, the biggest challenge for us is to strengthen government institutions and improve governance."
Senior Minister Mr. Keat Chhon, Minister of Economy and Finance and Co-Chair of the meeting, updated the group on actions taken since the last meeting of the Consultative Group in June 2002, noting progress in, "implementing pro-poor development policies, achieving macro economic stability, public finance management reforms, strengthening democracy and rule of law, mobilizing technical and financial resources, and improving the delivery of public services to meet the needs and expectations of the poor people." He cautioned however, "there are many challenges facing us, the most formidable one is the reduction of poverty and improving the livelihoods and quality of life of a rapidly growing population."
Delegates congratulated the Government for their achievements of the past decade and more recent reforms - including WTO accession, progress in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDs, improved literacy rates and increased school enrolments, particularly among girls. The Rectangular Strategy - whose core is governance - and recent initiatives on public financial management, decentralization, and private sector development are all positive developments. However, donors stressed that some of these reforms are in preliminary stages and that much more remained to be done to break the hold of poverty that grips the bulk of the population - with reports showing that income poverty remains stagnant, at around 40 percent, and that Cambodia is unlikely to meet most of its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
More specifically, Government progress in meeting the set of performance indicators established at the last CG Meeting in June 2002 was mixed. While there have been improvements in procurement, implementation has raised new issues. Progress in natural resources management - suspension of forest concession and improvements in public disclosure - was offset by continuation of illegal logging and visible governance failures associated with the misuse of state resources. Progress in the social sectors was mixed, with specific budgetary goals unmet but some progress towards those goals and on HIV/AIDs. And progress on legal and judicial reform and public administration and fiscal management was weak, donors agreed.
Donors underscored the urgency of governance reform in all areas and sectors as essential for Cambodia to move ahead, increase growth, and reduce poverty. Government confirmed their commitment to implementing their reform agenda through the Rectangular Strategy and to improving the effectiveness of development aid in order to reduce poverty and maximize the benefits of aid, but stressed that reforms would take time. As Prime Minister Hun Sen commented in his speech, "Doing is much harder than saying. We more than anyone else are acutely aware there is a long march ahead? Nevertheless, we have the horizon firmly in our sights and we will spare no measures to take Cambodia forward for the betterment of its people."
The governance theme ran through each of the discussion sessions, with the first session focusing solely on issues related to governance and corruption. The sessions included discussions on: ž Promoting Good Governance including fighting corruption and increasing accountability; legal and judicial reform and protection of human rights; public administration reform; decentralization and deconcentration; and public financial management. Accelerating Growth and Improving Rural Livelihoods, including enhancing the agricultural sector; promoting private sector development; and further rehabilitation and construction of infrastructure. Supporting Human Development including improving education, health, HIV/AIDs, and mainstreaming gender equity in social and economic development. Increasing Aid Effectiveness including harmonization and donor alignment and external financing requirements.
In each session, a series of common indicators were agreed upon, to help Government and development partners alike monitor performance in the coming year. A sample of these actions include: passing a draft anti-corruption law in compliance with international best practice; trials on the key reported corruption cases; adoption of a fundamental legal framework that establishes rule of law for all; civil service reform founded on merit-based pay and employment reform; passing of key laws and sub-decrees on natural resources management and increased access to information in particular concerning land, forests, and other forms of concessions; establishing a single entry point, or Single Window, for import-export activities; and passing domestic violence and anti-trafficking laws. Actions were identified in each of the key areas of good governance; rural development; human development and health and education; and increasing aid effectiveness.
On aid effectiveness, donors were urged to change the way they provided aid. In particular, they were urged to provide technical assistance in a manner that builds Cambodia's capacity and to rely less on foreign technical assistance (TA); to phase out and replace the ad hoc salary supplements they provide to civil servants to work on their projects with support for merit-based pay initiatives; and to work in sector wide approaches (SWAPs) wherever appropriate. While supportive of these general directions, donors stressed the need for better and more transparent systems in the country to underpin effective aid harmonization efforts.
The NGO civil society representatives expressed an interest in participating in joint monitoring of progress and reforms through the Technical Working Groups
(TWGs) and are committed to abide by the principles of the TWGs. They stressed the importance of community involvement in order to bring the people's voice to influence the government's decision-making process.
The actions identified in each of the key areas are summarized in the Chairman's Concluding Remarks. The newly-established Government Donor Coordinating Committee (GDCC), chaired by Senior Minister Keat Chhon, would play an important role in monitoring progress on a quarterly basis, delegates agreed.
"These performance indicators represent an ambitious undertaking," said Mr. Ian Porter, World Bank Country Director for Cambodia and Co-Chair of the Meeting. "What is being attempted here is to strengthen and in some cases build from scratch the systems of accountability of government to the people of Cambodia. To move forward on this agenda, we would need to see momentum, commitment, political will - and most importantly, to see words decisively translated into actions. This will take time, but we need to start now." He continued, "Cambodia faces some difficult choices in the weeks and months ahead. It needs to demonstrate that it has chosen this road to improved governance and poverty reduction - and members of the Consultative Group stand ready to support, both financially and technically, this reform agenda."
Donors pledged US$504 million in support for Cambodia's development efforts, as part of the country's budget and financial plan for 2005. In 2002, the pledge amount was US$635 million. However, because of changes in the methodology and coverage, effected recently in order to comply with the official DAC/OECD definition of ODA, the comparable figure for 2002 was recalculated at US$514 million. Both the amount and composition of future pledges will be a function of Cambodia's performance on its reform agenda.
The Royal Government of Cambodia and its development partners agreed to meet in Phnom Penh for the next CG Meeting one year from now.
__________________________________________________________
The Consultative Group meeting, hosted by the Government of Cambodia in Phnom Penh on December 6-7, 2004, was attended by delegations from 18 countries and 5 international organizations. It was co-chaired by Senior Minister Mr. Keat Chhon, Minister of Economy and Finance, who led the Cambodian delegation, and Mr. Ian Porter, World Bank Country Director for Cambodia. Countries and international organizations present were: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States; Asian Development Bank (ADB), the European Commission (EC); International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United Nations Development System (UNDS), and the World Bank. NGOs from MEDiCAM, Cambodian Defenders Project, and Oxfam Great Britain attended the meeting, as did private sector representatives from the Phnom Penh Chamber of Commerce.
GOVERNMENT OF CAMBODIA, DONORS RESOLVE TO TACKLE CORRUPTION AND GOVERNANCE REFORM AS THE CENTRAL IMPEDIMENT TO GROWTH AND POVERTY REDUCTION
December 7, 2004 -- The 7th Consultative Group (CG) Meeting on Cambodia ended today in Phnom Penh with Government and Donors agreeing that Cambodia is indeed, as Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen stated, at a "crossroads in its difficult journey towards sustainable development and poverty reduction." The time has come, all agreed, to move beyond action plans and strategies to decisive implementation of a comprehensive reform program.
The CG Meeting, held December 6-7 in Phnom Penh, was attended by members of the donor community, including 18 partner countries and 5 international development organizations, and the Government of Cambodia. Civil society and private sector representatives attended as well. Delegates noted that all - government, donors, civil society, private sector - were united behind the message that it is time to transform the promises and commitments into actions with concrete outcomes.
The Prime Minister noted that Cambodia's last decade had seen signs of progress, including restoring peace and macroeconomic stability; consolidating government institutions and an emerging democracy, civil society, and media; and a resumption of growth and foreign investment.
"However, we are living in a tough and challenging time," Prime Minister Hun Sen continued, citing the changing regional and world dynamics and economic landscape, increasing uncertainty, and increasing competition for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI ) and ODA (Official Development Assistance) resources, leading him to conclude, "the prosperity of our country depends on our ability to implement reforms at all levels. In this context, the biggest challenge for us is to strengthen government institutions and improve governance."
Senior Minister Mr. Keat Chhon, Minister of Economy and Finance and Co-Chair of the meeting, updated the group on actions taken since the last meeting of the Consultative Group in June 2002, noting progress in, "implementing pro-poor development policies, achieving macro economic stability, public finance management reforms, strengthening democracy and rule of law, mobilizing technical and financial resources, and improving the delivery of public services to meet the needs and expectations of the poor people." He cautioned however, "there are many challenges facing us, the most formidable one is the reduction of poverty and improving the livelihoods and quality of life of a rapidly growing population."
Delegates congratulated the Government for their achievements of the past decade and more recent reforms - including WTO accession, progress in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDs, improved literacy rates and increased school enrolments, particularly among girls. The Rectangular Strategy - whose core is governance - and recent initiatives on public financial management, decentralization, and private sector development are all positive developments. However, donors stressed that some of these reforms are in preliminary stages and that much more remained to be done to break the hold of poverty that grips the bulk of the population - with reports showing that income poverty remains stagnant, at around 40 percent, and that Cambodia is unlikely to meet most of its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
More specifically, Government progress in meeting the set of performance indicators established at the last CG Meeting in June 2002 was mixed. While there have been improvements in procurement, implementation has raised new issues. Progress in natural resources management - suspension of forest concession and improvements in public disclosure - was offset by continuation of illegal logging and visible governance failures associated with the misuse of state resources. Progress in the social sectors was mixed, with specific budgetary goals unmet but some progress towards those goals and on HIV/AIDs. And progress on legal and judicial reform and public administration and fiscal management was weak, donors agreed.
Donors underscored the urgency of governance reform in all areas and sectors as essential for Cambodia to move ahead, increase growth, and reduce poverty. Government confirmed their commitment to implementing their reform agenda through the Rectangular Strategy and to improving the effectiveness of development aid in order to reduce poverty and maximize the benefits of aid, but stressed that reforms would take time. As Prime Minister Hun Sen commented in his speech, "Doing is much harder than saying. We more than anyone else are acutely aware there is a long march ahead? Nevertheless, we have the horizon firmly in our sights and we will spare no measures to take Cambodia forward for the betterment of its people."
The governance theme ran through each of the discussion sessions, with the first session focusing solely on issues related to governance and corruption. The sessions included discussions on: ž Promoting Good Governance including fighting corruption and increasing accountability; legal and judicial reform and protection of human rights; public administration reform; decentralization and deconcentration; and public financial management. Accelerating Growth and Improving Rural Livelihoods, including enhancing the agricultural sector; promoting private sector development; and further rehabilitation and construction of infrastructure. Supporting Human Development including improving education, health, HIV/AIDs, and mainstreaming gender equity in social and economic development. Increasing Aid Effectiveness including harmonization and donor alignment and external financing requirements.
In each session, a series of common indicators were agreed upon, to help Government and development partners alike monitor performance in the coming year. A sample of these actions include: passing a draft anti-corruption law in compliance with international best practice; trials on the key reported corruption cases; adoption of a fundamental legal framework that establishes rule of law for all; civil service reform founded on merit-based pay and employment reform; passing of key laws and sub-decrees on natural resources management and increased access to information in particular concerning land, forests, and other forms of concessions; establishing a single entry point, or Single Window, for import-export activities; and passing domestic violence and anti-trafficking laws. Actions were identified in each of the key areas of good governance; rural development; human development and health and education; and increasing aid effectiveness.
On aid effectiveness, donors were urged to change the way they provided aid. In particular, they were urged to provide technical assistance in a manner that builds Cambodia's capacity and to rely less on foreign technical assistance (TA); to phase out and replace the ad hoc salary supplements they provide to civil servants to work on their projects with support for merit-based pay initiatives; and to work in sector wide approaches (SWAPs) wherever appropriate. While supportive of these general directions, donors stressed the need for better and more transparent systems in the country to underpin effective aid harmonization efforts.
The NGO civil society representatives expressed an interest in participating in joint monitoring of progress and reforms through the Technical Working Groups
(TWGs) and are committed to abide by the principles of the TWGs. They stressed the importance of community involvement in order to bring the people's voice to influence the government's decision-making process.
The actions identified in each of the key areas are summarized in the Chairman's Concluding Remarks. The newly-established Government Donor Coordinating Committee (GDCC), chaired by Senior Minister Keat Chhon, would play an important role in monitoring progress on a quarterly basis, delegates agreed.
"These performance indicators represent an ambitious undertaking," said Mr. Ian Porter, World Bank Country Director for Cambodia and Co-Chair of the Meeting. "What is being attempted here is to strengthen and in some cases build from scratch the systems of accountability of government to the people of Cambodia. To move forward on this agenda, we would need to see momentum, commitment, political will - and most importantly, to see words decisively translated into actions. This will take time, but we need to start now." He continued, "Cambodia faces some difficult choices in the weeks and months ahead. It needs to demonstrate that it has chosen this road to improved governance and poverty reduction - and members of the Consultative Group stand ready to support, both financially and technically, this reform agenda."
Donors pledged US$504 million in support for Cambodia's development efforts, as part of the country's budget and financial plan for 2005. In 2002, the pledge amount was US$635 million. However, because of changes in the methodology and coverage, effected recently in order to comply with the official DAC/OECD definition of ODA, the comparable figure for 2002 was recalculated at US$514 million. Both the amount and composition of future pledges will be a function of Cambodia's performance on its reform agenda.
The Royal Government of Cambodia and its development partners agreed to meet in Phnom Penh for the next CG Meeting one year from now.
__________________________________________________________
The Consultative Group meeting, hosted by the Government of Cambodia in Phnom Penh on December 6-7, 2004, was attended by delegations from 18 countries and 5 international organizations. It was co-chaired by Senior Minister Mr. Keat Chhon, Minister of Economy and Finance, who led the Cambodian delegation, and Mr. Ian Porter, World Bank Country Director for Cambodia. Countries and international organizations present were: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States; Asian Development Bank (ADB), the European Commission (EC); International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United Nations Development System (UNDS), and the World Bank. NGOs from MEDiCAM, Cambodian Defenders Project, and Oxfam Great Britain attended the meeting, as did private sector representatives from the Phnom Penh Chamber of Commerce.
Saturday, December 04, 2004
Small Crabs at restaurants on the coast.
Small Crabs at restaurants on the coast.
The www.khmer440.com roving reporter – Keeping it Riel – is down at the coast at the moment.
Yesterday in a moment of dire culinary concern he contacted yours truly.
‘Why are the crabs so small this year?’ - I will gloss over the initial set of jokes I made to KiR coming back from the coast with crabs….
The issues surrounding the question stretch further than just crabs, or the coast.
They relate to overfishing in general, due to an increased population that derives up to 70% of its animal protein intake from fish and other aquatic animals.
They relate to some illegal fishing gears damaging the natural habitat [electro-fishing, explosive fishing, et cetera]
They relate to small gauge nets catching fingerlings, as well as dam and trap fishing.
Of course poverty plays a factor, subsistence fishing helps to feed the very poorest families in this country.
But coming back to the question about crabs, strangely enough, part of the answer is to do with salt farming and the mangroves. Salt production has an impact on both the environment and land use in the coastal region as well as the local crabs and shrimps.
Until recently, there has been serious destruction of the mangroves, some for the expansion of salt farms. It should be noted that, once land is converted into salt farms it can only produce salt, and cannot be used for any agricultural purpose because of high salt concentration in soil.
The conflict between the owners of salt farms and shrimp/crab farmers is over water use, the salt producers want to drain or pump sea water to fill the salt farms while, the shrimp/crab farm owners do not want to because it disturbs the shrimp and crab breeding grounds.
Further conflict can be found between salt farms and rice fields, as salt water can seep into the rice fields [Khmer plumbing…] and affected the quality of rice growing because the land develops a high salt concentration.
So what can be done about this ?
Well, a report is being written …
The www.khmer440.com roving reporter – Keeping it Riel – is down at the coast at the moment.
Yesterday in a moment of dire culinary concern he contacted yours truly.
‘Why are the crabs so small this year?’ - I will gloss over the initial set of jokes I made to KiR coming back from the coast with crabs….
The issues surrounding the question stretch further than just crabs, or the coast.
They relate to overfishing in general, due to an increased population that derives up to 70% of its animal protein intake from fish and other aquatic animals.
They relate to some illegal fishing gears damaging the natural habitat [electro-fishing, explosive fishing, et cetera]
They relate to small gauge nets catching fingerlings, as well as dam and trap fishing.
Of course poverty plays a factor, subsistence fishing helps to feed the very poorest families in this country.
But coming back to the question about crabs, strangely enough, part of the answer is to do with salt farming and the mangroves. Salt production has an impact on both the environment and land use in the coastal region as well as the local crabs and shrimps.
Until recently, there has been serious destruction of the mangroves, some for the expansion of salt farms. It should be noted that, once land is converted into salt farms it can only produce salt, and cannot be used for any agricultural purpose because of high salt concentration in soil.
The conflict between the owners of salt farms and shrimp/crab farmers is over water use, the salt producers want to drain or pump sea water to fill the salt farms while, the shrimp/crab farm owners do not want to because it disturbs the shrimp and crab breeding grounds.
Further conflict can be found between salt farms and rice fields, as salt water can seep into the rice fields [Khmer plumbing…] and affected the quality of rice growing because the land develops a high salt concentration.
So what can be done about this ?
Well, a report is being written …
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