Cambodia: Civil Society Engagement Plan 2014-2018

I.

BACKGROUND

1
Partnership with CSOs is a commitment in ADBs long-term strategic
framework. ADB recognizes that civil society and nongovernment organizations (NGOs)
are development actors in their own right. Their efforts complement those of
governments and the private sector and they play a significant role in development in
Asia and the Pacific. Working at the grassroots level, civil society organizations (CSOs)
fill a vital space in the development process, giving voice to marginalized communities,
providing expertise and knowledge, testing innovative approaches to poverty reduction,
and ensuring beneficiary participation in projects. ADB works in partnership with a broad
range of CSOs to strengthen its efforts to reduce poverty and to increase the
effectiveness, quality, and sustainability of its operations. ADB's cooperation with NGOs
and CSOs takes place at the policy and strategy, country, and project levels. ADB
formalized its commitment to engaging in partnerships with CSOs in Strategy 2020, the
long-term strategic framework developed in 2008:
To address the risks and challenges facing the region, and to meet the
many different requirements for achieving inclusive growth,
environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration, ADB will
engage in partnerships with a more diverse group of institutions.
Partnerships with international development agencies, multilateral and
bilateral institutions, the private sector, nongovernment organizations
(NGOs), community-based organizations, and foundations will become
central to planning, financing, and implementing ADB operations
(Strategy 2020, p. 17).
2
ADB strategic priorities for 2014-2020 further articulate this commitment. In
2013-14 ADB undertook a mid-term review of Strategy 2020 that included extensive
regional and country consultations, including meetings in Cambodia in November 2013.
Appendix 1 is a summary of the main messages from the consultations regarding ADBs
engagement CSOs. Inputs and feedback received through the consultations were
carefully considered and incorporated in the mid-term review. The resulting Policy Paper
of April 2014 sets out ADBs strategic priorities for 2014-2020 and clearly articulates the
commitment to collaborating with CSOs and to reducing the constraints to this
collaboration that are posed by ADBs standard business processes:
ADB will work with a wide range of partners, including the private sector,
civil society organizations (CSOs), and philanthropic agents. Business
process constraints to engagement with CSOs, such as CSOs being
subject to ADBs standard consultant recruitment procedures and
contractual arrangements, will be identified and addressed. Greater
opportunities for direct engagement of CSOs (and international
organizations) on knowledge activities and with ADB projects may then be
explored, while ensuring transparency and competition. CSOs will be
more actively involved in the design and implementation of projects,
particularly those that use grassroots participatory approaches to
development, and in the monitoring of project activities and outputs. Their
inputs and advice will be sought on the implementation of ADBs
safeguard policies. CSOs will also be proactively consulted on major

policy reviews (Midterm Review of Strategy 2020 Policy Paper, April

2014, p. 36-37).
3
The Cambodia Resident Missions engagement with NGOs has evolved and
expanded. Reflecting the corporate commitments of Strategy 2020 and with the aim of
being more proactive in its relationships with CSOs, the ADB Cambodia Resident
Mission (CARM) began hosting a regular NGO round table series beginning in 2008, and
engaging with CSOs in a more formalized way under its Country Partnership Strategy
(CPS) 2011-2013.1 This new Civil Society Engagement Plan (the Plan) highlights recent
efforts in Section II and outlines what ADB Cambodia hopes to achieve in 2014-18 in
Section III. The Plan should be read in conjunction with the Cambodia CPS and the 2011
Cambodia Civil Society Brief.2
4Cambodia has a large and vibrant civil society offering many opportunities for
partnership. The Cooperation Committee of Cambodias 2012 survey of the CSO
sector found 1,315 active NGOs: 670 local, 321 international, and 324 associations.
These CSOs implemented about 4,000 projects in 2012, providing benefits to at least
1.3 million households, primarily through work in the education, health, and agriculture
sectors. CSOs directly employed about 43,000 people in Cambodia, of which 42% were
women. In contrast, the ratio of men to women employed in public administration was
almost 5.5 in 2013.3 NGOs employ skilled staff and have extensive local knowledge.
Some are well resourced. This brings a range of opportunities for ADB. Indications are
that NGOs in Cambodia account for nearly as much spending in the social sector (on the
order of US$600 to $700 million in 2012 alone) as the government. While it is difficult to
accurately measure the true size of the entire CSO sector, there is no question that it
significantly contributes to the development of grassroots civil society. In 2012 nearly
one third of CSOs surveyed said that they support other CSOs, community based
organizations, or community groups.4
5How does ADB work with CSOs? Part of optimising partnerships is to recognise that
there are some ways in which ADB can work with civil society, and other ways it cannot.
For example, ADB does not have a grant program to provide core funding or capacity
building support to CSOs in Cambodia. Instead, ADB primarily seeks to engage with
CSOs in two ways: through various forums for dialogue, information sharing and
consultations, and through recruiting NGOs as consultants to help implement ADBfinanced projects, or particular components of larger programs. See Appendix 2 for
frequently asked questions about ADB-CSO cooperation.
6
Dialogue with CSOs adds value to ADBs work in program design and monitoring
as well as in terms of proactively mitigating potentially negative perceptions on the part
of human rights or advocacy groups. Strengthening relationships with CSOs calls for all
ADB staff working on the Cambodia country program to engage with civil society,
through the support of the CARM NGO Anchor. Proactive, respectful and open
engagement with CSOs will lead to better project design, smoother implementation, and
better outcomes. This engagement can be done to great effect through normal

1 ADB. 2011. Cambodia: Country Partnership Strategy 2011-2013. Manila.

2 ADB. 2011. Cambodia: Civil Society Brief. Manila.
3 Ministry of Planning. 2013. Cambodia Inter-censal Population Survey 2013. Phnom Penh.
4 Cooperation Committee for Cambodia. 2013. CSO Contributions to the Development of Cambodia 2012.
Phnom Penh.

operations. ADB has issued an updated guide on consultation and participation to

facilitate this engagement.5
II. SUMMARY OF CARM CSO ENGAGEMENT IN 2013
7
Continuing previous years trends, CARM engagement with civil society was
robust in 2013, through (i) policy and evaluation consultations, (ii) sector and thematic
NGO roundtables, (iii) project-specific engagement, (iv) participation in external CSO
events, (v) engagement of a senior CSO specialist as resource person and peer
reviewer for the CPS 2014-2018, and (vi) launching the production of a short film to
showcase CSO engagement in Cambodia. CSO engagement and reporting is
coordinated by the CARM NGO Anchor in close collaboration with ADB sector
specialists.
8
There were 3 policy and evaluation consultations: on the thematic evaluation of
ADB support for climate change (August 2013, with the Independent Evaluation
Department); on the Anticorruption policy (October 2013, with the Office of Anticorruption
and Integrity); and on the mid-term review of Strategy 2020 (November, with SPD). The
4 NGO roundtables of 2013 addressed the draft environment and climate change
assessment for the CPS (May 2013), how ADB can improve procurement of NGOs (May
2013); the draft public sector management assessment for the CPS (October 2013); and
the draft education sector assessment (October 2013).
9

Examples of project-specific engagement in 2013 included:

Emergency Food Assistance Project Supplemental Financing (Ministry of

Economy and Finance): Plan International was engaged in June 2013 to deliver
the diversified livelihoods and nutrition component in 100 communes, through
June 2015. At $3.96 million, this is one of the largest NGO contracts ever
awarded in the Southeast Asia Department.

Second Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project (Ministry of Rural

Development): Cambodian NGO Peace and Development Aid Organization
continued implementing the community mobilization component involving the
establishment of water and sanitation user groups.

Rural Road Improvement Project (Ministry of Rural Development): CARE

Cambodia was engaged under a Gender and Development Cooperation Fund
grant to work with government, contractors, and local women to increase
womens access to jobs in road construction and maintenance, working closely
with Cambodia-based media and social marketing firm 17 Triggers to develop
effective outreach and communication tools.

Greater Mekong Subregion Rehabilitation of the Railway in Cambodia

(Ministry of Public Works and Transport): CARM and the Australian Department
of Foreign Affairs and Trade hosted four well-attended NGO outreach meetings in
April, June, August, and December 2013, in addition to a number of smaller or
individual meetings. Under the projects Expanded Income Restoration Program,
funding from Australia was used to engage the Credit Union Foundation of
Australia, a civil society organization, to promote financial literacy at resettlement
sites through training and counselling.

5 ADB. 2012. Strengthening Participation for Development Results. Manila.

3

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Finally, CARM staff fielded various requests for meetings with individual
international and national NGOs, and participated in a number of smaller and larger
external NGO events in 2013. In January, the Deputy Country Director participated in a
panel discussion on Partnerships for Effective Development hosted by Oxfam. In May,
the Country Director was a panellist at the National Deliberation on CSO Perspectives
on Cambodias Development Framework Beyond 2015, hosted by the Cooperation
Committee for Cambodia. In September, CARM sector staff participated in a national
consultation on food security, climate change and water, hosted in Siem Reap by the
NGO Forum on Cambodia.
III.

THE PROPOSED CSO ENGAGEMENT PLAN 2014-2018

11

The Plan has five core elements, described in more detail below:
(i)

consulting on ADB and CARM policies and strategies,

(ii)

hosting regular thematic NGO roundtables,

(iii)

enhancing project-specific CSO engagement,

(iv)

building internal staff capacity, and

(v)

strengthening the enabling environment.

12
Consulting on ADB and CARM policies and strategies. In past years CARM
has met with a range of NGOs to seek inputs on the ADB Public Communications Policy
and the Accountability Mechanism reviews. Per the commitments of the Strategy 2020
midterm review, ADB will seek the contributions of CSOs in Cambodia on any policies for
review during the CPS period.
13
Hosting regular NGO roundtables. Past roundtable sessions6 have provided
good opportunities for discussion and exchange, and will continue during this CPS
period. They will be organized 2-3 times per year on different topics selected jointly by
civil society and ADB. The roundtables have often benefited from visiting ADB technical
specialists or senior management, and have evolved a set of principles which help to
make the meetings participatory and open enough to benefit both CSO partners and
ADB:

Dates should be set ahead of time, communicating with NGOs and asking for
their input into topics. There is an ongoing demand for more information about
how ADB works with CSOs, and this could be the topics of a future roundtable
meeting.
The roundtables should be used as an opportunity both for ADB to learn from
civil society and for CSOs to learn about ADB. For example, CARM could invite a
CSO to give a presentation on the status of the Prime Ministers annual civil
society consultation.

6 Past topics have included decentralization & de-concentration, climate change, gender, the political
economy climate, and more.

The roundtables could be linked into enhanced informal communications as

part of a proactive approach to distributing information and raising awareness of
ADBs work in Cambodia. An email list maintained by the External Relations
Officer (ERO) could be used to share information about what ADB is doing (e.g.
through links to CARM website updates). This would go a long way to increase
specific knowledge of ADB in the NGO community.

14Enhancing project-specific CSO engagement. Several projects in the CPS 2014-18

will have participation plans, but outreach and engagement is important even if they do
not. The ADB guidance on Initial Poverty and Social Assessments (required for every
project) states that a participation plan is highly recommended when participation of
individuals and groups is considered important, and required where social safeguard
issues are considered significant.
15
A number of projects under implementation and in the indicative assistance
pipeline included in the Cambodia Country Operations Business Plan will potentially be
of particular interest to CSOs and will benefit from CSO participation. These are
identified below. They are a mix of lending and non-lending (grant) projects that have
intensive engagement with NGOs who are involved in advocacy or project monitoring,
and those that are suitable for proactive CSO engagement as partners in
implementation:
Ongoing operations:
1. Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Rehabilitation of the Railway in Cambodia,
Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) (approved 2008)
2. Tonle Sap Poverty Reduction and Smallholder Development Project, Ministry of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) (approved 2009)
3. Strengthening Technical and Vocation Education and Training Project, Ministry of
Labor and Vocational Training (MLVT) (approved 2009)
4. GMS Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Project, MAFF (approved 2012)
5. Decentralized Public Services and Financial Management Sector Development
Program, Ministry of Interior (MOI) (approved 2013)
6. Emergency Food Assistance Project Additional Financing, Ministry of Economy
and Finance (approved 2013)
7. Climate Resilient Rice Commercialization Sector Development Program, MAFF
(approved 2013)
Proposed investments 2014-2016:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction Project (2014)

GMS Tourism Infrastructure for Inclusive Growth Project (2014)
Increasing Agriculture Competitiveness for Inclusive Growth (2014)
Second Rural Roads Improvement Project, Ministry of Rural Development (2014)
Technical and Vocational Education and Training Sector Development Program
(2014)
Integrated Environmental Management in the Tonle Sap Basin Project (2014)
Second Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Program Additional Financing (2015)
Strengthening Secondary Education and Teaching of Math and Science, Ministry
of Education, Youth and Sports (MOEYS) (2015)
GMS Second Corridor Towns Development Project (2015)

10. Public-Private Partnership Development Project (2016)

11. Provincial Cities Water Supply Project (2016)
16
Projects under design offer a particular opportunity for increased civil society
engagement. CARM staff who track incoming missions should inform the NGO Anchor of
project design and fact finding missions. The NGO Anchor can then identify relevant
NGOsfor example in consultation with umbrella membership organizations such as the
Cooperation Committee for Cambodia, the NGO Forum on Cambodia, the NGO
Education Partnership, and MEDiCAMand set up meetings for the mission team at the
CARM office. The NGO Anchor could also make introductions and provide background
information to the mission leader. Upon completion of the mission, the mission debrief
should update the Country Director on outcomes of the NGO meetings, and Sector
Directors should request that NGO consultations are documented in Back-to-Office
Reports.
17
Projects with a gender action planthose categorized as having a gender theme
(GEN) or as having effective gender mainstreaming (EGM) according to ADBs gender
classification systemalso offer opportunities for engagement with CSOs that focus on
gender equality and womens empowerment. As of May 2014 there were 19 GEN and
EGM projects under implementation with specific gender action plans and targets, with
another 18 planned for approval in 2014-2016. The CARM Gender Specialist and NGO
Anchor should support project officers in identifying CSOs that are interested in these
operations.
18
Building staff capacity. During this CPS period, the CARM NGO Anchor and
the SERD Social Development Specialist (Civil Society and Participation) should
organize occasional training for staff and government officers, where appropriate, on
working with CSOs. Specifically, staff members have asked for help with how to handle
confrontational situations with particularly critical NGOs. Future seminar-style training
could bring CARM staff and NGOs together for example, asking a selected constructive
NGO to explain about policy advocacy, what they aim to get out of it, and how ADB could
respond.
19
Strengthening the enabling environment for constructive government and
CSO engagement. Identifying specific opportunities to bring government and CSOs
together around issues of common concern is a way to demonstrate the benefits of
engagement in a practical, sector-specific way. This approach could pick up some of the
recommendations from UNDPs 2010 study on Civil Society Empowerment and
Democratic Governance in Cambodia.7 Out of four recommendations for development
partners, two are related to direct capacity building with CSOs at the grassroots, an area
outside ADBs main expertise. However there are two recommendations that lie close to
ADBs current work in Cambodia, particularly in its coordinating role as Lead
Development Partner:
Contribute to a better enabling environment for CSO-Government dialogue
through reinforcing the role of CSOs within aid coordination mechanisms;
facilitating CSO-state dialogue on issues related to land and access to
livelihoods; and building capacities and promoting mutual understanding of
both state and civil society actors; and

7 Merlo, Carla. 2010. Civil Society Empowerment and

Phnom Penh.

Democratic Governance in Cambodia. UNDP.

Promote coordination, harmonisation and joint action among DPs in the area
of civil society support.

20In August 2012, participants of a multi-stakeholder consultation on governance and

partnership for effective development cooperation prepared a communiqu to the
Government of Cambodia and development partners. There are three areas ADB has
identified three issues to which it can consider following up:
Fund institutional and capacity building for CSOs ongoing engagement in the
development process and mechanisms such as monitoring of the Technical
Working Group joint monitoring indicators (JMIs).
Follow up on commitments in the Paris Declaration and Accra Agenda for
Action and commit to fully implementing Busan Partnership for Effective
Development Cooperation.
Ensure that CSOs are meaningfully engaged in development processes of
development partners and other development actors.
21
The CARM NGO Anchor and CARM and HQ project officers should assess the
potential for enhanced engagement with CSOs in Technical Working Groups and subworking groups and committees. Follow up with CSO partners to assess their capacity
and willingness and the strength of their relationships with the formal development
coordination mechanisms and look for opportunities to strengthen these. Identify specific
TWGs where ADB could assist with engaging CSOs more.
III.

STAFFING

22
Implementing this civil society engagement plan requires staff time, both from HQ
and from CARM. The proposed staff are as follows:

IV.

CARM NGO Anchor (Senior Social Sector Specialist, international staff): 25%
of time dedicated to supporting civil society engagement. As mission leaders
develop contacts, the time spent making contacts and setting up meetings
may be reduced, but regular civil society outreach events will also require
planning and follow up, as will annual reporting (e.g. Civil Society
Cooperation Report, CARM accomplishment report, etc.).

CARM Administrative Assistant: 20% of the Administrative Assistants time

will be dedicated to supporting the NGO Anchor and the CSO outreach
activities, particularly organizing meetings and maintaining records of
meetings and attendance.

SERD Social Development Specialist (Civil Society and Participation): 20% of

time to support and monitor implementation of the CARM plan, including
missions to support events or capacity development as needed.

HQ and CARM mission leaders: time requirement will vary depending on the
type of project, but should include regular mission outreach with CSOs.

MONITORING AND REPORTING

23
Monitoring will be done simply, with the main purpose of reflecting on
implementation and the impacts of the plan on CARM operations and relationships with

civil society. The Plan will be shared with CSOs and will be available online. The CARM
NGO Anchor will summarize CSO activities through regular annual reporting
mechanisms such as the Civil Society Cooperation Report (prepared by the ADB NGO
and Civil Society Center) and the CARM Accomplishment Report submitted to
management. The CSO engagement plan will be more formally reviewed at mid-term
along with the CPS as a whole, to ensure that the Plan remains useful to ADB and civil
society stakeholders. SEOD will provide monitoring support and report to SERD
management on implementation progress.

Appendix 1
Main messages on ADBs Engagement with Civil Society Organizations
Excerpt from the January 2014 Summary of Stakeholder Consultations on the Strategy
2020 Midterm Review, available at:
http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/rpaper-ld4-summary-stakeholder-consultationsstrategy-2020-mtr.pdf
(i)

Engagement with CSOs should be an important consideration in the successful

implementation of Strategy 2020.

(ii)

ADBs interactions with CSOs should go beyond conducting consultations. ADB

should treat CSOs as partners and not just as vendors and contractors. ADB
should enter into direct financing partnerships with CSOs and explore how they
can become more active partners in the implementation of projects.

(iii)

ADB should make greater use of CSOs for consultancy and technical work,
including collaboration on knowledge products, given their cost effectiveness,
technical know-how, and extensive reach into local communities.

(iv)

ADB should support higher-impact community-driven projects with strengthened

engagement of CSOs.

(v)

Strengthening of CSOs is a must for participatory development to create

conditions for inclusive economic growth. CSOs should be recognized as
contributing directly to productive economic activities.

(vi)

ADB should rigorously apply its environmental and social safeguards policies, in
consultation with CSOs, to all its projects.

(vii)

ADB also needs to improve information dissemination for greater transparency

and awareness-raising of all stakeholders on the results and outcomes of its
development projects.

(viii)

There is great potential to harness social media to obtain feedback from CSOs.

Appendix 2
Frequently Asked Questions on ADB-CSO cooperation
http://www.adb.org/site/ngos/faqs
1. What do you mean by ADB-civil society cooperation?
ADB works with civil society organizations (CSOs) which include NGOs, but also other
types of groups such as trade unions, faith-based groups, and professional
organizations. ADB-CSO cooperation can be summed up by these activities:
On the policy and strategy level: soliciting CSO views on ADB policy formulation
On the country level: consultation on country strategies
On the project level: collaborating on project identification, design,
implementation, and monitoring of ADB-financed projects
2. Why does ADB work with CSOs?
ADB recognizes CSOs as development actors in their own right whose efforts
complement those of governments and the private sector, and who play a significant role
in development in Asia and the Pacific. In the context of ADB's long-term strategic
framework, Strategy 2020, partnerships with a range of organizations, including CSO,
will become increasingly central to planning, financing, implementing, and evaluating
ADB projects.
ADBs NGO policy paper, Cooperation between Asian Development Bank and
Nongovernment Organizations, provides a specific framework for action with NGOs.
3. Can we get ADB support and grants?
As a rule, ADB works through the governments of its developing member countries and
does not provide funds directly to CSOs. However, CSOs often apply for and are
awarded contracts for components of projects and technical assistance activities. ADBs
Business Opportunities page provides information on proposed projects and contract
awards. From time to time, ADB opens different funds to CSOs. Currently only the Pilot
and Demonstration Activities of the Cooperation Fund for the Water Sector is accepting
applications from CSOs, but if new funds become available, they will be posted on the
website of the relevant sector.
4. How can we take part in ADB activities and projects?
Civil society organizations can work with ADB in a variety of ways. CSOs who work in
areas similar to the projects and technical assistance activities that ADB is funding
should coordinate with representatives of the host country government or ADB resident
missions to identify other opportunities for collaboration.
5. How do we contact ADB to learn more about civil society issues?
Contact your local NGO Anchor of ADBs CSO Cooperation Network. For general
questions about civil society, please contact the NGO and Civil Society Center
at ngocoordinator@adb.org

10