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FOREWORD

 

The mandate of the NGO Forum on Cambodia is to "highlight the impact of the development process and economic, social and political change on ordinary Cambodian people." It does so through promoting dialogue and networking on the following issues: environment, development assistance, landmines, promotion of civil society and women's right. The NGO Forum has established working groups to facilitate the exchange of information and enhance mutual understanding and collaboration on the above issues among the NGO community.

 

The Environment Working Group (EWG) focuses on environmental issues that are of critical importance to Cambodia and the region: forests, fishery, Mekong River Development and pesticides. Out of concern for the environment and Mekong related issues, the EWG commissioned the Cambodia Mekong Directory in 1997 and update it in 2000.

 

The Directory is a compilation of organizations and projects in Cambodia that focus on environment or in the Cambodia’s Mekong River Basin to Mekong issues. It provides information about what activities are being implemented, by whom and where. It is hoped that this information will strengthen networking capabilities at all levels. Often the greatest weakness of organizations operating in Cambodia is effectively coordinating and communicating with each other. It is hoped that this directory will be a first step to towards solving this problem and thereby strengthening efforts to address environmental issues in the Mekong River Basin.

 

Some of the organizations interviewed for this directory stated that they are not currently working on Mekong related issues, although they address environmental concerns. Further studies should be conducted to understand how activities and projects impact the Mekong watershed in Cambodia, both positively and negatively, to gain a greater understanding of potential problems and solutions.

 

The information contained in this directory is far from complete. More than likely, many organizations conducting important work on Mekong issues have been inadvertently excluded. Hence, we would be grateful for any information that would allow us to periodically update the directory. We apologize in advance for any omissions at this stage.

 

The NGO Forum and particularly the EWG would like to thank the many people who helped produce this directory, especially those who gave their valuable time to share information and provide comments. Karen Bakker, who prepared the first edition of this directory in a very short time and Tes Sothy, and the later by Mr. Lay Chanthy who updated this directory, deserves a big thank you.

 

We at NGO Forum will consider this effort worthwhile if it fulfills the purpose of information dissemination, promotion of provincial and central level networks and enhancement of discussion at all levels about the current and planned development activities in Cambodia’s Mekong River Basin.

 

Mak Sithirith

Environment Network Coordinator

The NGO Forum on Cambodia

Phnom Penh

 

INTRODUCTION

THE NGO FORUM AND ENVIRONMENT WORKING GROUP

 

The NGO Forum on Cambodia consists of organizations largely focused on humanitarian assistance to Cambodia. Its function is to advocate on issues of concern to the Cambodian people and local and international NGOs working in Cambodia.

 

The Forum focuses on five areas, each with a corresponding working group: civil society; development issues; landmines; gender; and the environment.

 

The Environment Working Group was formed in July 1995 and merged with the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia's Environment Sector Group in early 1996. The EWG meets on the third Friday of each month (8 a.m., CCC building) to exchange information and track several important issues: forestry, fisheries, Mekong River basin development, and pesticides. The EWG meetings are open, and have a diverse representation, that has included Cambodian and international NGOs, various UN agencies, Ministry of Environment, the Cambodia National Mekong Committee, and bilateral and multilateral donors and projects.

 

THE CAMBODIA MEKONG DIRECTORY

 

Given the recent and growing interest of bilateral and multilateral donors in Mekong Basin development in Cambodia, and the rapid pace with which development is proceeding in other lower Mekong basin countries, the Environment Working Group decided in early 1997 to commission a Cambodia Mekong Directory and update it in November 2000. The organizations, institutions, and programms to be included in this directory consist of a project or at least an activity that directly or indirectly related to the Mekong or/and Environmental Issues of Mekong River and Tonle Sap Lake or its catchment areas. The purpose of the directory is:

 

·         To provide information on current and planned environment-related activities concerning the Mekong Issues in Cambodia, including research programs, aid and development projects of International NGOs, Local NGOs, Government Institutions, and multilateral and bilateral Agencies;

 

·         To assist in networking, primarily between different members of the target audience; and

 

·         To assist the NGO Forum, and particularly the Environment Working Group, in defining its role and future work with respect to Mekong issues and advocacy.

 

The categories of organisations in the directory:

 

·         Environment Working Group members;

·         Organisations with an environment-related mandate; and,

·         Potential members of a Cambodia Mekong network.

 

 

 

The intended audience includes members of the Environment Working Group, INGOs, and LNGOs working on or interested in environmental issues in Cambodia. Concerned ministries of the Royal Government of Cambodia and bilateral and multilateral institutions are a secondary audience.

 

The Mekong Watershed or Mekong Basin, for the purposes of this directory, includes the Mekong, Tonle Sap, and Bassac rivers; the Tonle Sap Lake; and their tributaries and watersheds. This covers approximately 90% of Cambodia's territory (see map).

 

For the purposes of this directory, an emphasis was placed on environment-related activities concerning communities (both human and non-human) that would be impacted by Mekong development. Organisations with diverse activities -- waterfowl studies, community forestry, community fishery alternative technology, environmental education and awareness ecologically sustainable agriculture, dolphin conservation and natural resource management – are also included in the directory. The directory includes groups whose work has an impact on the riparian environment and those communities affected by development in these areas. Groups that have expressed an interest in environmental issues or intend to work on environmental issues in the future were also included.

 

The environment of any river basin is interconnected with all activities within the watershed. An artificial division between 'environmental' and 'non-environmental' activities may not be the most useful approach to the sustainable development of the Mekong. In this respect, the directory gives very limited information, which needs to be supplemented from a variety of other sources; appendixes have been included which provide additional information and contacts, both national and regional.

 

Due to limited research and production time, this directory may have inadvertently excluded organisations and programs, which fit the categories described on the previous page. We would encourage any such groups to contact the NGO Forum for inclusion in the next edition.

 

THE ROLE OF THE NGO FORUM

 

There is a big potential in Cambodia for popular support for environmental issues and protection. The environment – and collective livelihood security – are good issues which villages can come together and cooperate on. It is very important to work at a very local level to mobilise support for any environmental campaign or activity; the involvement of local people is critical.

-NGO worker

 

Dams, and other infrastructure developments in Cambodia will go ahead. They are important for Cambodia’s development. What is important is that we have sustainable development. NGOs need to engage the government and other institutions in constructive dialogue.

-government advisor

 

NGOs’ best role is to promote awareness and work and advocate for populations that depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. Small scale development activities will not be effective with regards to opposing Mekong development; NGO advocacy must be political and attention-raising. NGOs need to promote the kind of activism that has been reasonably successful in Thailand.

-Consultant to a bilaterally funded project.

 

Should the Environment Working Group coordinate or advocate? Should NGO Forum concentrate on awareness-raising at the local and national level or on advocacy and information-gathering at the national and international level? Should the Forum opt for a more confrontational strategy, or encourage a more cooperative process emphasising dialogue and inclusion?

 

These questions about the role of the NGO Forum were raised by many of those interviewed for this directory. Many NGOs emphasised the importance of information dissemination, through translation of existing information into Khmer and through non-written media such as radio. They emphasised the importance of awareness-raising with local communities via local NGOs. Although environmental awareness is at a relatively low level in Cambodia, environmental and natural resources were seen as natural focal points around which communities could cohere. Efforts to coordinate with LNGOs and to disseminate information to people likely to be affected by planned developments were recommended as a priority for the Forum.

 

Other informants emphasised the importance of information-gathering and liaison with government, aid agencies, and investors; engaging other stakeholders in dialogue about sustainable development was identified as a priority. It was felt that the NGO Forum should advocate for open, participatory processes and engage major investors such as the ADB in dialogue. Raising awareness of alternative development models, advocating for detailed socio-economic and environmental impact assessments before the initiation of dam projects, and providing alternative information about specific dam sites were recommended strategies. Several informants noted that the Ministry of Environment was very sympathetic to NGOs and open to cooperation and recommended building a relationship with the Ministry.

 

Only a few NGOs recommended a confrontational, high-visibility advocacy strategy. LNGOs did not generally view vocal opposition to government projects as appropriate, given the limited history of the Cambodian government working with NGOs, lobby groups, and the media. There has been a rapid growth in the number of LNGOs since 1992; many of these organisations are locally-based, diffuse, and under-resourced. Many of these organisations felt the need for more information about the issues before engaging the government in dialogue. With more information, working in conjunction with government to anticipate and mitigate negative impacts of development, and working to ‘make sure the government lives up to its promises’ were identified as NGO roles.

 

The majority of informants felt that NGO Forum should first focus on information dissemination rather than advocacy, although both activities were thought to be important. All informants identified a need for background information on planned and ongoing development projects, the potential impacts of various projects, and critical issues concerning the Mekong River basin. Many also warned of the dangers of an INGO-dominated Mekong Network, and recommended raising awareness to create a Cambodian constituency.

 

The majority viewpoint was that information-gathering and dissemination should be the first task for the NGO Forum and that these activities should be focused on local communities and NGOs. We hope that this directory will be a first step in this task.