FOX News : Health

29 June, 2013

Democratization through Foreign Aid Donors


20 March 2013
By Chea Sophal[1]

The Paris Peace Accords required international communities to assist Cambodia in reconstructing and restoring the country through the establishment of the International Committee on Reconstruction Cambodia (ICORC), whose mandate is to monitor and coordinate funds provided by international communities.

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Cambodia’s donors pledged US$896.04 million in aid for developing the governance and administration sector from 1992 to 2011.  From 2002-2011, donors disbursed and committed another US$959.35 million for this sector and they projected commitment for 2012-2014 of another US$212.50 million (CRDB/CDC 2011, p.47).  The Human Rights Watch Report revealed that foreign assistance accounts for over 50 percent of Cambodia’s budget, yet donors have said little about Cambodia’s worsening human rights environment as part of the crucial element for democratic development in Cambodia (HRW 2012, p.5).

21 June, 2013

The Roles of Civil Society in Building Democracy in Cambodia



20 March 2013
By Chea Sophal[1]

After signing the Paris Peace Accords, NGO activities continued to grow in Cambodia through the access to donor funds, including those administered by national government agencies and foundations.  The core principles of donor-funded NGOs adhered to social justice, participation, equity, independence, democracy, transparency, empowerment, partnership, accountability and rights (ICC 2010, p.5). In the remarks of International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGO), they stated concerns over the Draft Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations and provided key emphasis on the role of civil society as follows:
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The INGO community has been a dedicated partner in Cambodia’s development efforts for decades. As the 2009 National Strategic Development Plan Update notes, “Civil society is an important partner and many NGOs, both national and international, play an active and vigilant role in social and economic development efforts as well as in promotion of democracy and human rights.”
               INGO’s Regards to  H.E. Hor Nam Hong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and H.E. Sar Kheng, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior (INGO 2011, p.1)

18 June, 2013

The Paris Peace Accords and the UNTAC Era



20 March 2013
By Chea Sophal[1]

The Paris Peace Accords (PPA)have been a main tool in setting down a vision of a new Cambodia that would be built upon the foundations of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.  The Accords involved the process of bringing peace to Cambodia after years of civil conflict and the transitional government under U.N control namely the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC).  

The Paris Peace Accords

Signing of PPA
The Paris Peace Accords (PPA)were signed on 23 October 1991 in Paris in order to end Cambodia’s civil war over the past 10 years from 1979 to 1991 and to include the four Khmer factions such as the State of Cambodia (SOC), Democratic Kampuchea (DK), FUNCINPEC (Front Uni National Pour Un Cambodge Independent, Neutre, Pacifique et Cooperatif –United National Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Co-operative Cambodia) and Khmer People’s National Liberation Front (KPNLF)to find common grounds for peace.  This Agreement allowed the establishment of a U.N transitional authority that shared power temporarily with representatives of the various factions in Cambodia.  The Accord was signed by 19 countries including Cambodia[2] in the Paris International Peace Conference on Cambodia held in Paris, France and it called for a Transitional Authority of the United Nations in Cambodia, which would carry out the UN peace keeping operation.  The PPA was made based on a “framework” agreement reached by the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council (IDEA 2003, p.50).
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