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NGO STATEMENT TO THE 2001 CONSULTATIVE GROUP 
MEETING ON CAMBODIA

URBAN POOR
 

CONTENTS

 


Introduction
Key Issues
Recommendation

Introduction

During the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-79), Phnom Penh was emptied of its population. After 1980, people started to come back to the capital. The first-comers found land and houses to occupy but the housing stock became rapidly saturated. Later migrants, who were often among the poorest with no hope of surviving in the rural areas, had no choice but to settle on public land such as on roadsides, riverbanks, rooftops or along the railway tracks.

Today, it is estimated that over 180,000 people, out of a total population of 1.1 million, live in informal settlements throughout the seven districts of Phnom Penh. This figure increases every year as land right abuses continue in the rural areas, along with other rural poverty issues.

In the mid-1990's, with the assistance of local and international NGOs, urban poor communities started to organize around savings schemes and initiated dialogue with the Municipality of Phnom Penh and the RGC of Cambodia. Partnerships between urban poor community federations, NGOs, UNCHS and municipal authorities have recently been established to discuss and co-ordinate community development projects. The authorities are now more aware of the situation and the initiatives of the urban poor communities in Phnom Penh. However, the situation of the poor communities is still precarious and some urban development projects have a dramatic impact on the life of the urban poor. The following describes some of the urban issues that need to be addressed.

Key Issues

  • Lack of access to affordable land, housing and basic services
    Home ownership and rental accommodation in legal tenements is unaffordable for the urban poor. Because the poor live in informal settlements, they don't have access to public services and pay a much higher price from the private or informal sector. Health and sanitation conditions are generally bad, especially as most areas along the river banks, canals and lakes are prone to flooding during the rainy season. In some settlements the situation has improved with the work of organized communities and the intervention of NGOs and the UN. However, the issues of land tenure for settlements on public land and of access to affordable public services are unresolved.
  • Low income and access to credit
    Most urban poor, including children, work in the informal sector. They have no access to the formal banking system for savings or credit. Access to micro-credit for small business and housing improvements has been made possible with the help of NGOs. However, these small credit and savings schemes were threatened very recently when the bank that received most of the savings of the urban poor of Phnom Penh was forced into liquidation following banking reforms of the government. 
  • Evictions and relocation
    Although forced evictions have become less frequent in Phnom Penh as a result of increased dialogue between municipal authorities, NGOs and urban poor communities, evictions with little or no warning to the population still occur. A few communities have been relocated to new sites at the periphery of Phnom Penh. Some of the relocation projects were undertaken with the full participation of the affected communities and have improved the living conditions of these families. In other cases however, especially where the land is far away from the city, problems of access to basic services (including potable water, health and education), and to sources of employment have put a lot of hardship of the relocated population. Also, the Municipality has recently announced its intention to relocate 400 to 600 families per year without justifying such action with a clear strategy for development.
  • Lack of transparent and participatory urban development
    The dialogue between the Municipality of Phnom Penh, khan and sangkat authorities, urban poor communities and NGOs has improved in the last few years. However, there are still progress to be made in that direction so that communities that are affected by urban development projects are consulted at the conception stage of the projects.
  • Lack of clear short and long term development strategy
    There is no clear strategy for the development of Phnom Penh. Many development projects are decided upon and implemented without regard to their consequences on the urban poor communities. 

Recommendations

NGO recommendations with regards to urban development and management, and in particular urban poor community development are as follows:

To the Government and the Municipality of Phnom Penh:

  • Address the land tenure issue of urban poor settlements and initiate a process of regularization with the participation of urban poor communities and NGOs.
  • Reform policy and regulations to allow access to public services for informal settlements.
  • Develop short and long term development strategy for Phnom Penh with clear poverty reduction objectives, including regularization of settlements, land provision for housing, infrastructure investments, access to employment, health and education, and environmental management.
  • Strengthen partnerships between government, municipal, khan and sangkat authorities, urban poor community federations, NGOs and donors to ensure that there is the full participation of all the concerned actors in the elaboration of this strategy, as well as in the design of development projects.
  • Alternatives to the re-settlement of communities (such as re-development, land sharing, etc) should be investigated and adopted wherever possible. In cases where re-settlement is unavoidable, it should be ensured that the relocated population would have adequate access to basic services, health and education and to sources of employment.

    To Donors:
  • Allocate funds for urban poor community development initiatives, such as for settlement improvements, income generation, skill training, health and education.
  • Coordinate strategies and projects between the different donors and with local NGOs when working in the same field to avoid overlapping or contradictory programmes.
  • A condition of approval for loans or grants for urban development projects should be that: (a) potentially affected urban poor families are identified; (b) alternative design solutions are considered to reduce adverse effects of the development on these families; and (c) the cost of compensating affected families (for example financial compensation, re-development, re-settlement, etc) is included in the overall cost of the project. This impact assessment must be done with the participation of affected communities and in collaboration with NGOs.
  • Allocate funds to build the capacity of municipal officials and urban planners in participatory urban planning and management.
For more information on the issues raised in this paper please contact:
Urban Resource Centre, Tel: 023 211 474, Email: urcpp@forum.org.kh
Urban Sector Group, Tel: 023 721 188, Email: usg@forum.org.kh,:
PADEK, Tel: 023 216 224, Email: padek@forum.org.kh
Introduction
Progress
Key NGO priorities
Conclusion
Strategic Planning for Poverty Reduction
Sectoral Papers
Agriculture
Child's Rights
Commune Administration and Decentralization
Commune Elections
Disability and Rehabilitation
Education
Fisheries
Forestry
Gender
Governance and Transparency
Health
HIV/AIDS
Human Rights
Landmines and & UXOs
Land Reform
Mental Health
Micro-finance
Urban Poor
Weapons Reduction and Management
General NGO Information
References

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