Cambodia, UN Discuss Development Goals

By Soy Sophea

Cambodian senators and parliamentarians joined with national and international NGO representatives in a one-day conference on Parliament’s Role in Achieving the Cambodian Millennium Development Goals (CMDGs) at the National Assembly on March 19.

Leng Peng Long, the National Assembly’s Secretary of State, said during the opening ceremony that Cambodia has actively participated in achieving the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in addition to working toward its own CMDGs. He said the
national goals were set to be implemented between 1996 and 2015.

Ou Or Hat, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Planning, pointed out that the Cambodian government has achieved peace, political stability and good governance in the past three
years. Poverty has been reduced by more than 1 percent per year, declining 34.7 percent in 2004 to 30.1 percent in 2007.

“Our revenue per capita increased from US$496 in 2005 to US$594 in 2007,” he said. “And we get our economic increase up to 10 percent for last few years.”

Douglas Broderick, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, said that Parliament has a unique role to play. Although implementation of MDG-related activities is mandated by the government’s executive branch, the Parliament can provide critical lobbying, advocacy, oversight and budgetary support to make sure that the CMDGs remains a top priority.

Broderick said the executive bodies can ensure legislative action is taken to adjust policies to meet CMDG gaps, encourage budget expenditure which prioritizes the poorest of the poor, raises awareness of Cambodia’s international commitment to the Millennium
Declaration and the CMDGs at all levels of government, and provide oversight to CMDG-related programs or budget expenditure.

However, he suggested that to end poverty by 2015, the Parliament of Cambodia has the opportunity to promote the needs and participation of the poor. At the heart of poverty
reduction in Cambodia should be a community-wide approach.

“Poor people often feel very far away from the political and legislative process and they don’t always know how to access Parliament or its information,” he said. “But as we all
know, the Parliament represents and belongs to all the people of Cambodia. The Cambodian ministers can build stronger linkages to their communities and in doing so, you will inform and empower Cambodian people.”

He said that he is confi dent Cambodia can meet its development goals, given the successes the country has seen already.
“Cambodia has shown its resilience, its perseverance, and its determination to succeed. But at this mid-way point, there is a great deal of work yet to be done,” he said. Douglas added that Cambodia and the UN have both wasted opportunities, but now it is their mutual responsibility to make up lost ground and work in solidarity together for
a more prosperous, fair, sustainable and equitable Cambodia while it still
remains a possibility.

He added that in Cambodia, the conservation and restoration of Angkor is an excellent example of global cooperation for development and international funds and expert teams
are working alongside national counterparts under the direction of Apsara Authority to preserve this World Heritage site and promote socio-economic growth through tourism.
He said that in many sectors, like health and education, there are now sector-wide approaches with joint planning and joint programming.

“All development partners, including the UN, subscribe to the principles enshrined within the Paris Declaration and report against these principles on an annual basis,” he said.