CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

Q2 FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1 – MARCH 31, 2021

APRIL 30, 2021

This publication was produced for the United States Agency for International Development by East-West Management Institute, Inc.

CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

Q2 FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021

Prepared under USAID’s Cambodian Civil Society Strengthening Project Contract Number AID-442-C-16-00002

Submitted to: USAID/ on April 29, 2021

Contractor: East-West Management Institute, Inc.

Disclaimer This report is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this document are

CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT the sole responsibility of the East-West Management Institute and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

CONTENTS TABLE OF ACRONYMS …………….…………………………………………………………………….…………………ii PROGRAM OVERVIEW …………………………………………………………………………………………………....1 Q2 FY21 RESULTS AT A GLANCE………………………..…………………………………………………….……….2 PROGRESS UNDER EACH TASK ………………………………………………………………………………………...3 TASK 1: Support to Cambodian Civil Society …..….………………………………….……………..3 IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON CCSS ……………………………………………………………………………17 TASK 2: Enhance Technical and Organizational Capacity of Civil Society……..……... 18 TASK 3: Analytical and Technical Services.…………………………………………………….…….22 PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED/RESOLVED.…………………………………….………………………………….. 27 ANNEX A: PERFORMANCE INDICATORS ….………………………………………………………..……………28 ANNEX B: NEW RESOURCES ON THE ODC WEBSITE …...... 35 ANNEX C: CEDT CASE STUDY ……………………………..……….…………..…….…………………….………. 39 ANNEX D: FIELD MONITORING VISIT REPORT ………………………………………………………………. 42

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 i CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

TABLE OF ACRONYMS

ACI EWMI’s Advocacy Capacity Index AGM Assistant Grants Manager AOR Agreement Officer Representative APS Annual Program Statement CBCLO Capacity Building of Cambodia’s Local Organizations Project CBO Community Based Organization CCC Cooperation Committee for Cambodia CCSS Cambodian Civil Society Strengthening Project CDP Capacity Development Plan CDRI Cambodia Development Resource Institute CIP Commune Investment Plan COP Chief of Party COR Contracting Officer Representative CPA Community Protected Area CPAR USAID Contractor Performance Assessment Report CRD constitutional rights defenders CSO civil society organization DCOP Deputy Chief of Party DGF CCSS’ Democracy and Governance Fund DRL State Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor EWMI East-West Management Institute FIT Financial Improvement Team GAU Grants Administration Unit GESI Gender Equality and Social Inclusion GNA Grassroots Network Advisor GIS geographic information system GMP Gender Mainstreaming Policy GPP Good Practice Project GRC Grants Review Committee GUC grants under contract HRD human rights defenders IG informal groups INGO International Non-governmental Organization ISD™ Impact Strengthening Development Certification Program LANGO Law on Associations and Non-governmental Organizations LDF CCSS’ Legal Defense Fund M&E Monitoring and Evaluation NGO non-governmental organization NRM natural resource management NSSF National Social Security Fund OACA EWMI’s Advocacy and Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool OCAT Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool OCI EWMI’s Organizational Capacity Index OST Organizational Scanning Tool PEA Political Economy Analysis PIMS Portfolio Information Management System PMEP Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan PTAR Potential Transition Award Recipient USAID US Agency for International Development

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 ii CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Civil Society Strengthening Project (CCSS), Contract Number AID-442-C-16-00002, is a five-year contract awarded to the East-West Management Institute, Inc. (EWMI) by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with a period of performance from June 27, 2016 to June 26, 2021 and now extended to July 31, 2021.

The goal of the CCSS project is to increase the capability of Cambodian civil society to engage in democratic processes by representing citizen concerns. The objectives of the project are to strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) in Cambodia, and provide analytical and technical services to USAID/Cambodia’s Office of Democracy and Governance to respond to opportunities for democratic development.

Annual network meeting to reflect on project implementation, good practice, lessons learned and next steps, organized by organized by the Alliance for Conflict Transformation (ACT). In order to achieve these objectives, CCSS carries out three tasks:

Task 1: • CCSS helps to inform CSO risk management strategies by providing free legal advice on compliance issues. Funds for these services are provided by the Legal Defense Fund. • CCSS supports CSOs to involve citizens in local democratic processes by providing grants through its Democracy and Governance Fund (DGF). For example, several sub-grantees facilitate citizen requests for Commune Investment Programs (CIPs), while others organize patrols of community forests and fisheries.

Task 2: CCSS delivers organizational and technical capacity development assistance, through customized coaching for individual CSOs by its subcontractor VBNK, training and other means.

Task 3: CCSS provides analytical and technical services to shed light on the civil society environment, for example through public opinion surveys.

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 1 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

CCSS Q2 FY21 RESULTS AT A GLANCE • Legal Aid Cambodia provided legal advice on compliance issues to 131 CSOs

• 1,178 (568 females) citizens were engaged in civic activities, despite the challenges of COVID-19 • Citizens raised 58 issues with subnational authorities Total and Average Visits • ODC website traffic continued to increase, as 600,000 555,390 428,711 measured by visits, 400,000 142,904 185,130 pageviews and return visits 200,000 • ODC’s Facebook likes also 0 Jan-Mar 20 Jan-Mar 21 increased to 27,548,

Total Visits Avg. Visits compared to 23,989 in Q2 of FY20

• 17 commune councils took concrete action in response to citizen concerns • Officials held 11 public forums at the commune level • In capacity re-assessments, all five grassroots sub- grantees improved in the majority of the 11 categories. • Two of the groups improved in all the categories.

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 2 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

PROGRESS UNDER EACH TASK1

TASK 1: Support to Cambodian Civil Society EWMI-CCSS supports CSOs in their efforts to manage risk by providing legal advice on compliance issues concerning Cambodian laws, such as the Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations (LANGO) and others under the Legal Defense Fund (LDF). This legal advice has been particularly useful to CSOs in light of the evolving legal framework and enforcement landscape, as evidenced by LANGO’s approval in 2015, tax requirements, Labor Law amendments, the Law on National Social Security Fund and many regulations. CCSS also provides legal representation and advice to address time- sensitive challenges to the activities and liberty of individuals.

SUB-TASK 1.1: Legal Defense Fund

Providing legal advice on compliance As the legal framework applicable to CSOs continued to evolve, Legal Aid Cambodia (LAC) provided legal advice to 131 CSOs to support them to manage their risks.

Legal Assistance Topics

In Q2 FY21, LAC delivered: • Three presentations in person and one online presentation for 157 (42 females) participants from 127 CSOs • Five individual legal consultations with four CSOs

1 For complete results on performance indicators see Annex A.

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 3 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

• LAC presentations and consultations covered various aspects of LANGO, Tax Law, LAC’s Facebook page reached 939 Labor Law, Law on Accounting and Auditing, accounts and gained 1,171 followers Law on COVID-19, the National Internet in Q2. Gateway and pension funds under the National Social Security Fund.

In addition, LAC continued to produce and upload additional guidance documents to its Facebook page, which reached 939 accounts and gained 1,171 followers during Q2.

SUB-TASK 1.2: Democracy and Governance Fund Along with legal support and capacity building, CCSS provides grants to a diverse portfolio of local NGOs to identify and expand opportunities to engage citizens in democratic processes. These grants enable CSOs to flexibly navigate in an ever-changing space – which gives them an opportunity to use new skills provided by CCSS while continuing to build their own capacity. The grants, legal support and capacity building all work together to ensure that CSOs are able to maximize their effectiveness.2 Ultimately, CSOs will be able to demonstrate that they contribute to a strong democratic Cambodia with engaged citizens and a responsive government, who together can meet the challenges and thrive as a middle-income country.

CCSS sub-grantees have learned that it takes many steps to achieve their objectives, which in turn creates further momentum for positive change. Sub-grantee training sessions, citizen patrols and community meetings lead to citizen calls for government action, which lead to increased responsiveness by government officials. The cumulative

2 CCSS has created a comprehensive Theory of Change showing how the project’s components contribute to the overall goal.

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 4 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT effect of all these activities – and their success – ushers in new norms and expectations about the roles of citizens and officials. Ultimately it changes the fabric of target communities. Taken together, these activities serve to expand civil society space throughout Cambodia, beyond the boundaries of target areas. This ensures that the impact of these activities is sustainable for years to come, and contributes to the self- reliance of civil society.

CCSS sub-grantees begin by preparing citizens to get involved in their communities in Step 1, then support them in calling for government action3 in Step 2. In Q2 FY21, sub- grantees were able to continue with these activities, although at a lower level, due to the challenges of COVID-19. The immediate outcome is that government officials then respond to the CSOs4 and proactively convene public forums,5 as shown in Step 3.

CCSS sub-grantees

Over time, repeating these steps – and particularly using tools provided by CCSS such as applied political economy analysis tools that strengthen CSO ability to identify and expand opportunities -- will result in ‘increased technical, operational and financial capabilities’6 as evidenced by a ‘change in organization performance.’7 As CSOs gain skills and experience, they have the opportunity to ‘develop and strengthen partnerships, collaboration and coordination among CSOs’8 and to gain ‘enhanced ability… to deliver

3 As in Indicator 1.11 4 As in Indicator 1.9 5 As in Indicator 1.10 6 As in Expected Result 2.1 7 As in Indicator 2.3 8 As in Expected Result 2.2

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 5 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT quality programming.’9 This leads CSOs and citizens back to Step 2, creating a self- reinforcing virtuous circle, whereby successful citizen engagement motivates more engagement and more results. Ultimately, CSOs will become ‘more engaged in the promotion of democracy and human rights’10 leading to systems change in communities and in the expectations and dynamics with elected officials and local authorities, as envisioned in Step 4. The ultimate impact is a higher quality of life for citizens – and the confidence and motivation to expand their civic engagement, in order to ensure that their rights are recognized and that they receive the services to which they are entitled.

As evidenced by their key results, the CCSS sub-grantees11 continued to build upon successful activities in Steps 1 and 2, and achieved concrete results in Step 3. Step 1: Preparing citizens to take action CCSS sub-grantees were able to engage Cambodians in their activities in Q2 despite significant barriers due to upticks in COVID-19 cases. During the quarter, CCSS sub-grantees engaged a total of CCSS sub-grantees 12 1,178 (568 females) citizens in community meetings and engaged 1,178 citizens in volunteer activities such as forest patrols, training civic engagement sessions and other civic activities. These platforms gave activities in Q2 FY21. citizens an opportunity to call for the enforcement of laws on forests and fisheries, infrastructure improvements, high quality education and more, as outlined in Step 2. • Eight Indigenous community representatives met with Highlanders Association (HA) to discuss a constructive strategy for obtaining a community land title for a 1,000-hectare site in Kbal Romeas Commune in . Participants also prepared for an upcoming meeting with the Stung Treng Provincial Governor to explain their proposal. • CCSS supports other CSOs to prepare for community action by providing data and by building capacity in using data. Open Development Cambodia (ODC) expanded its data on mining concessions and added three new government notifications to its website. Specifically, ODC added seven new features to the existing dataset of the mining concessions in Koh Kong and Preah Sihanouk and updated two existing features on mining concessions in Tboung Khmum and Ratanak Kiri. ODC also published government notification on the abrogation of land in Ta Mok Lake, mineral exploration licenses and sand mining.13 • ODC website traffic continued to increase. The ODC website has received an average of 344,924 monthly pageviews, which reflects a significant increase compared to the same period last year. The website reached 185,130 users per month, which is higher than the target of 70,000.

9 As in Expected Result 2.3 10 As in Expected Result 1.3 11 As the project nears completion, grants are closing down. Q2 FY21 sub-grantees included: 1) Highlanders Association (HA), 2) Open Development Cambodia (ODC), 3) Youth Council of Cambodia (YCC), 4) Nak Akphivath Sahakum (NAS), 5) 3S Rivers Protection Network (3SPN), 6) The Affiliated Network for Social Accountability Cambodia (ANSA), 7) Community Empowerment and Development Team (CEDT), and 8) Alliance for Conflict Transformation (ACT). 12 As referenced in Indicator 1.3 13 For further information on additions and updates to the ODC website see Annex B.

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 6 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

Increased use of the ODC website Total and Average Visits 1,500,000 Total and Average Pageviews 600,000 555,390 1,034,77 500,000 428,711 3 400,000 1,000,000 812,150 300,000 185,130 142,904 200,000 500,000 344,924 100,000 270,717 0 Jan-Mar 20 Jan-Mar 21 0 Jan-Mar 20 Jan-Mar 21 Total Visits Avg. Visits Total Pageviews Avg. Pageviews

Total and Average Return Visits Total Facebook Page Likes 300,000 245,621 28,000 27,548 183,391 200,000 26,000 23,989 81,874 24,000 100,000 61,130 22,000 0 Jan - Mar 20 Jan - Mar 21 Jan-Mar 20 Jan-Mar 21 Total Pageviews Avg. Pageviews Jan - Mar 20 Jan - Mar 21

Step 2: Citizens call for government action CCSS sub-grantees support citizens to call for a range of government action, from commune services to Citizens raised 58 issues enforcement of natural resource laws and beyond, as with subnational authorities. outlined below. In total, citizens raised 58 issues with subnational authorities as a result of sub-grantee activities,14 despite the challenges of convening citizens during the pandemic.

• Youth working with YCC in were very active during Q2. They attended regular commune meetings to request action by authorities to respond to community needs. During a community dialogue on gender responsive public services, the youth from Municipality and also raised concerns about gender inclusion, domestic violence and other public services. Representatives of PDoWA and the commune chief said that they are committed to addressing these concerns. YCC youth group members also joined a monthly forest patrol with community forest committee members and local authorities. Loy Sam Ann, first deputy chief of the Sangkat Koun Kriel, expressed his appreciation of their contributions. “I am

14 As reported in Indicator 1.11.

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 7 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

thankful to YCC and the donor supporting training courses and capacity building to youths in this area to enable them to actively participate in community development,” he said. • The Affiliated Network for Social Accountability Cambodia (ANSA) organized constructive dialogues among its volunteers and women and youth network to discuss school service issues related to Youth participant in YCC activity. access to textbooks, health services, security and the environment. Education authorities in Mondulkiri and Ratanak Kiri acknowledged the findings of Check My School’s monitoring report. ANSA also organized meetings at the provincial and district levels with education officials. Suy Toeun, Principal of Yeun Primary School in Kak Commune, Barkaev District in Ratanak Kiri province praised the ANSA project. “I saw that the school has been improved by ANSA’s volunteer community facilitators (VCFs) playing a very important role in supporting of improving education services. They helped the school to plan and implement it accordingly. The VCFs has received capacity building in different tools like Kobo Toolbox and Zoom Cloud meetings and using those tools to apply it into practice and communicate with the “I saw that the school has been improved school officers and beneficiaries,” he by ANSA’s volunteer community facilitators said. “VCFs applied facilitation skills in playing a very important role in supporting meetings and dialogues on of improving education services.” community participation and Suy Toeun, Principal of Yeun Primary improving relations among school School in Kak Commune, Barkaev District in management teams and parents to Ratanak Kiri province improve school services.” • With guidance from the Community Empowerment Development Team (CEDT), communities shared a report documenting the successful conversion of Community Forests (CF) to Community Protected Areas (CPA) in two villages in Dak Dam Commune with the Ministry of Environment, Provincial Department of Environment and other key stakeholders. The report included a brief history of natural resource management, land use and ongoing land issues with economic land concession companies. CEDT also published the report on its website and Facebook page.15 • After consultation with lawyers, Indigenous Peoples working with HA requested a meeting with the Stung Treng provincial governor and other officials (the governor and representatives from the Kbal Romeas commune, provincial department of land management, urban planning and construction, provincial department of agriculture, provincial department of environment and the prosecutor of Stung Treng provincial court) to discuss setting up poles in the Bounong Indigenous community in Kbal Romeas to mark the boundaries of the Sieu Kich Company land concession. The

15 For further details see Annex C.

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 8 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

provincial governor has not responded so the community leaders will follow up when it is possible to do so.

Step 3: Behavior change – government responses (outcomes) As grants began to close out, and participation waned due to the pandemic, CCSS grantees 17 commune councils took nonetheless reported positive responses to concrete action in response to their requests. A total of 17 commune councils citizens. took concrete action in response to citizen initiatives generated by sub-grantees,16 and Commune councils held 11 public commune councils held 11 public forums.17 forums CCSS believes that these positive results will not only benefit communities in the short term, but also reinforce the benefits of civic participation and lead to sustainability.

• In response to the ANSA project findings, the district-level education officers, school principals, commune chiefs, commune administrative police officers took citizens (parents)’ recommendations into account when identifying solutions such as infrastructure improvements, as reported previously. Some results of these discussions were unexpected. For example, an official of Bar Kaev District Office of Education, Ratanak Kiri, Mr. Kung Deang planned to integrate school priorities such as toilets and school infrastructure into the CIP. • Youth working with YCC received positive responses to six requests to sangkat councilors, municipal and provincial authorities as detailed below. Later on, youth group members joined a group of 12 (2 females) people, including Sangkat Bansay Reak councilors, to monitor construction of the canal. At that point, 85% of the construction was complete, with the remainder scheduled to be completed in the following three months. The canal will provide access to at least 450 families for rice and vegetable farming purposes in both in the rainy and dry seasons. Responses to youth requests in Oddar Meanchey province facilitated by YCC No Items Villages Communes Districts Requests Successes Pending

Oddar Meanchey province 1 1 community library Ampil Thmei Ampil 1 1 0 2 2 roads repaired Phlong Chas, Bos Sbov Samraong 1 1 0 (1) 8,000 m * 6 m and Phlong Thmei, Bos (2) 5,000 m * 6 m Sbov, Trabaek repaired 3 1 clean water system Bos Sbov Bos Sbov Samraong 1 1 0 connected 4 1 new canal (2,500 m * 5 Bansay Reak Bansay Reak Samraong 1 1 0 m) built 5 1 road with 2,300 m * 8 m Kouk Spean Krasang Chong Kal 1 1 0 repaired 6 1 new road (1,200 m * 8 Champa Sokh Koun Kriel Samraong 1 1 0 m) built Total 6 6 0

16 As reported in Indicator 1.9 17 As reported in Indicator 1.10

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 9 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

Lesson learned • Many CCSS grantees adapted their project plans from offline to online meetings with community people in order to avoid travelling across the regions and provinces.

Field Monitoring Visit18 CCSS conducted a field monitoring visit with representatives of USAID to Kampong Thom and provinces on February 9 and 10 to observe grantees working with citizens and CSOs.

CCSS and USAID observed CEDT conduct a closeout meeting on February 9 with beneficiaries in Krang Village, Sochet Commune, in . CEDT has been working with the community to expand an existing Community Protected Area (CPA). As the CEDT grant from CCSS comes to a close this month, the Ministry of Environment (MoE) review process is about 60% complete. CEDT noted that the focal person had changed, and that COVID-19 had caused further delays. After working hand in hand with the community to complete several steps of the process, CEDT sought to assist beneficiaries to plan for the future.

It was interesting to note that USAID has had a positive impact on this community in several ways.

In addition, CCSS and USAID observed the LAC meeting with CSOs focusing on compliance, specifically on new requirements on tax and labor issues, as well as general provisions of the LANGO. They also alerted participants CEDT facilitating action planning at project closeout meeting in Kampong Thom. about an upcoming national internet gateway, noting that it will be strictly monitored, and asked participants to consider the

18 For a more complete report see Annex D.

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 10 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT potential impact on their work. Most of the questions were on tax and labor requirements. LAC also provided a handout spelling out various penalties.

Step 4: Systems change CCSS has found further evidence that the CSO role in engaging citizens in democratic processes is not only accepted but also becoming institutionalized. During Q2, CCSS observed several signs of progress toward this objective, as project participants became formal leaders, and as government officials recognized the role of CSOs.

• In Q2, two youth who were trained by YCC in democracy, leadership and public speaking were recruited to more formal leadership positions in their community. For example, Yan Sophiel, from Taman Village, Sangkat Koun Kriel, was elected to be a secretary of a community forest committee in Oddar Meanchey province. He has been using the knowledge and skills he gained from YCC to work for community development. • Beneficiaries of the Nak Akphivath Sahakum (NAS) PEACE project engaged the Governor in province in collaboration to respond the needs and concerns of community people by integrating them into the district investment plan. The district governor acknowledged the project’s contribution in assisting the community people to collectively voice their concerns and needs at village and commune levels. “I Phouk Savuth, Kang Meas District Governor in Kampong Cham have been involved in all NAS province participating in NAS reflection workshop. project’s activities such as quarterly district reflection forums to respond to villagers’ concerns and needs,” he said. “I observed that the project produced good results to build capacity to community people and commune councillors.” He thanked NAS, EWMI and USAID for implementing and supporting the project. • ODC’s expertise in mapping is highly valued by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, as shown by collaboration on developing a mapping curriculum. ODC and MoEYS-DIT successfully produced 17 tutorial videos on Google map reading on computers and mobile phones. The videos are now publicly accessible on both the Ministry’s and ODC’s YouTube playlist in the . ▪ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDt349AvcEaI2YcGWw7e_Jw3dIHKGAnU- ▪ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvEBaAA6n-Rp_EOBvk-PKe8jIFuHQHegt ▪ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvEBaAA6n-RrER2Stm- WwlYpGT7UiaMHU

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 11 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

SUB-TASK 1.3: Grassroots and Informal Groups Although CCSS in-kind support to the grassroots and informal groups came to an end this quarter,19 the grantees continued to demonstrate positive results flowing from CCSS support.

• With its improved skills in strategic communication and fundraising, the Governance Committee (GC) has received additional funds from donors and charitable individuals for fishery conservation, constructing community huts and repairing roads. • Learning Center for Developing Community (LCDC) has continued to focus on livelihoods and improving the technical skills of members. LCDC received financial support from World Vision to dig a lake (70m x 50m with 3.5m depth) to supply drinking water for the organization’s business. • Prey Lang Community Network (PLCN) members in Kratie signed their third contract with a private company to sell wild honey, following EWMI’s introduction to the company. The network agreed to sell 510 liters of honey at a value of about $7,600 USD. The company pledged to provide a $100 as a bonus for the network after it fulfills its commitment. The network will contribute 5% of the gross income to natural resource protection and management activities, such as patrolling. • Young Eco- Ambassador (YEA) has begun the process of legal registration as a private company, focusing on two main themes; research and development, and social media and advertisement. YEA recruited new program members and volunteers to work on the projects, including the USAID-funded Greening Prey Lang project and another environmental project coordinated by Danmission. In addition, their members have accessed the online courses to obtain new professional skills. During the pandemic, YEA made use of its opportunity to develop and create their promotional materials, and created a website, cartoons, infographics and other materials.

Organizational capacity re-assessment During Q2, EWMI re-assessed the grassroots groups based on its Organizational Capacity Assessment tool. Comparing the re-assessment scores to the baseline scores in 2018 provided an opportunity to measure the grassroots and informal groups’ progress as well as the quality and impact of CCSS activities to build capacity. The re-assessment focused on 11 specific areas.

According the re-assessment, all five groups improved in the majority of the 11 categories. Two of the groups improved in all of the categories. Details appear below.

19 CCSS provided in-kind grants and capacity building to these five groups: Community Network for Action (CNA), the Governance Committee (GC) network of 17 forestry and fishery communities in , the Learning Center for Developing Community (LCDC), a community development group based in which is working to protect forests in Preah Vihear, the Prey Lang Community Network (PLCN), which is working to protect forests in four provinces, , and Young Eco Ambassador (YEA), which engages Cambodian youth on environmental issues.

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 12 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

GC Organizational Capacity Assessment scores 2018 and 2021 8.5 9 8.07 7.71 7.92 7.78 8.07 7.42 7.33 7.44 7.64 7.22 8 6.66 6.85 7 7 6.33 6.44 6.14 6.28 5.5 5.88 5.77 6 5 5 4 3 2 1

0

Trust

Clarity

Capacity

Solidarity

Leadership

Governance

Sustainability

Communication

Monitoringplan

Structure/culture Activity implementation Activity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

GC 2018 GC 2021

Scores for GC went up in all categories. GC’s highest scores were in communication (8.5), clarity and structure (8.07), respectively. The biggest increase over the original assessment was in monitoring plan, increasing by 1.76 points from 5.88 in 2018 to 7.64 in 2021. Its lowest re-assessment score was in capacity at 6.14, which indicates a need for future improvement; however, it had increased 1.14 score compared to the original assessment. PLCN Organizational Capacity Assessment scores

10 9 8.72 8.45 8.36 9 7.658 7.81 7.63 7.63 7.63 8 7.15 7.2 7.36 7.18 6.3 7 5.75 5.9 5.85 5.85 6 4.9 5 4 4 4 3 2 1

0

Trust

Clarity

Capacity

Solidarity

Leadership

Activity

Governance

Sustainability

Communication

implementation

Monitoring plan Monitoring Structure/culture 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

PLCN 2018 PLCN 2021

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 13 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

Scores for PLCN also rose in all categories. PLCN’s highest scores were in leadership (9), clarity (8.72), and governance (8.54), respectively. The biggest increase over the original assessment was in clarity, increasing by 4.72 points from 4 in 2018 to 8.72 in 2021. Its lowest re-assessment score was in sustainability at 7.18, which indicates a need for future improvement; however, it had increased 1.33 score compared to the original

YEA Organizational Capacity Assessment scores 9 8.25 8.5 7.88 8.05 8 7.63 7.19 7.05 7 6.666.8 6.75 7 6.41 6.38 6.49 6.03 6.13 6.05 6.05 5.74 5.82 5.97 6 5.56

5

4

3 2

1

0

Trust

Clarity

Capacity

Solidarity

Leadership

Governance

Sustainability

Communication

Monitoring plan Monitoring

Structure/culture Activity implementation Activity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 YEA 2018 YEA 2021

assessment.

Ten of YEA’s 11 scores increased. In 2018, YEA’s highest score was in trust, rated at 7.05, while the lowest score was in governance at 5.74. However, in 2021, the highest scores were in activities implementation (8.5), trust (8.25), and communication (8.05), respectively. Nevertheless, the lowest score is monitoring plan at 5.56, which decreased item from 5.82 in 2018.

Seat Lykheang, founder of YEA, said that the materials and capacity building provided by CCSS were very helpful. “Those materials are the key connector from people to field work. YEA improved a lot,” he said. “In addition, I really appreciated the online courses: master class in skill sharing. These online learning platforms became an incredible significant for YEA’s members to access especially during the COVID-19 outbreak. More than 30 of YEA members took the courses and they learned so many skills, and our products/ services have increased their reach.”

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 14 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

LCDC Organizational Capacity Assessment scores

9

8 7.66 7.1 7.29 7.1 7.2 6.666.86 6.86 7 6.43 6.43 6.29 6.44 6 6.22 5.71 5.71 6 5.44 4.77 4.77 5 4.66 4.55 3.77 4

3

2

1

0

Trust

Clarity

Capacity

Solidarity

Leadership

Governance

Sustainability

Communication

Monitoringplan

Structure/culture Activity implementation Activity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

LCDC 2018 LCDC 2021

Similarly, LCDC improved in 10 of the 11 categories. LCDC’s highest scores in the re- assessment were in trust (7.29), sustainability (7.2), and structure (7.1), respectively. The biggest increase over the original assessment was in governance, increasing by 1.94 points from 3.77 in 2018 to 5.71 in 2021. Its lowest re-assessment score was in leadership and governance at 5.71, which indicates a need for future improvement; however, it had increased for leadership 0.94 and governance 1.94 score compared to the original assessment.

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 15 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

CNA Organizational Capacity Assessment scores 12 9.7 9.4 10 8.7 9.1 8.8 7.8 8.1 8.21 7.2 8 6.9 6.6 6.6 6.7 6.8 7 7 6 6 6.31 6 6 5.2 4.7 4 2

0

Trust

Clarity

Capacity

Solidarity

Leadership

Governance

Sustainability

Communication

Monitoringplan

Structure/culture Activity implementation Activity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

CNA 2018 CNA 2021

The Community Network for Action (CNA) improved in nine of the 11 categories. CNA’s highest scores in the re-assessment were in activity implementation (9.7), solidarity (9.1), and communication (8.8), respectively. The biggest increase over the original assessment was in clarity, increasing by 3.5 points from 5.2 in 2018 to 8.7 in 2021. Its lowest re-assessment score was in governance at 6, which indicates a need for future improvement; however, it had increased 1.3 score compared to the original assessment.

CNA attributes its high score in activity implementation to the fact that it increased its “It was incredibly important to have activities. The decreased score for support from EWMI. We were able sustainability, it bears mentioning that this to protect our ancestors’ forest and category had the highest score in the first land. Now I am able to advocate assessment, and the re-assessment score is with government officials and speak still a relatively high score. Thus, the results up confidently.” indicate that CNA has made remarkable Morn Sophen, core member of CNA progress and they show high satisfaction on the CDPs.

The group appreciated support from EWMI. Core member Morn Sophen explained that “They (CCSS-EWMI) distributed materials and my capacity and knowledge were improved. It was incredibly important to have such the support from EWMI, we were be able to protect our ancestors’ forest and land. Now, I am be able to advocate with government officials and speak up about the issues confidently.”

Strengthening sustainability through eco-tourism Three of the grassroots and informal groups requested further capacity building on sustainable ecotourism. YEA was able to share a session with other three grassroots

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 16 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT groups – PLCN, CNA, and GC- on sustainable ecotourism. The session focused on the process of establishing an ecotourism, challenges and opportunities. Moreover, about 12 members from GC, two from CNA, and six members from PLCN have signed up with YEA team for more discussion and learning on creating the ecotourism site. YEA, additionally, has called and talked with the members of grassroots groups on this basis.

Materials monitoring CCSS continued to monitor the materials it provided to the grantees. During Q2, the majority of the materials provided by CCSS still functioned well, but a few hammocks provided to PLCN were reported to be broken. All materials provided by the project were used for commonly interest the groups such as; patrolling, meetings, and administration.

Impact of COVID-19 on CCSS The recent surge in the number of transmissions has and significantly impacted both the project implementation and organizational operations. All CCSS sub-grantees have implemented work-from-home policies and followed the government’s plans to curb the spread of the pandemic in Cambodia. In addition to their concern about their health, they faced challenges in carrying out activities, particularly meetings with community members or officials. Many CSO activities were cancelled or delayed, and therefore CCSS provided no-cost extensions to several sub-grantees. Furthermore, authorities were fully occupied with urgent tasks related to the pandemic, and therefore less available to CSOs focusing on other issues.

Challenges and consequences • NAS reported that provincial authorities issued a letter and a message on Telegram system in all districts directing postponement or suspension of all activities. ● Most communities working with ACT respected government directives by staying home. Without their forest patrols, de-forestation and illegal fishing increased.

CSO mitigation measures Working on line, including through virtual meetings, was the main adaptation by sub- grantees.

• ANSA led its 22 volunteers, nine Department of Education officials and 48 primary school principals to install Zoom Cloud Meeting on their smartphones/computers before organizing two online workshops. Training sessions on using Zoom were much appreciated. Check my School Volunteers in Ratanak Kiri and Mondulkiri also adapted their activities from face-to-face learning and field work to online platforms for school service monitoring through Kobo Toolbox. • ODC called on donors and partners to exercise flexibility and understanding during the COVID-19 outbreak. ODC reprioritized and adjusted its programming and outreach activities. • LAC organized virtual meetings for CSOs on compliance issues. When LAC faced disruption due to slow internet service and electricity outages it adapted by copying the meeting link to staff smart phones to enable them to continue the meetings by

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 17 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

phone. LAC observed that the number of the participants was lower than it would expected in an off-line meeting.

TASK 2: Enhance Technical and Organizational Capacity of Civil Society towards sustainability

SUB-TASK 2.1: Organize Orientation and Ongoing Civil Society Collaboration Forums

Ongoing Civil Society Collaboration Forums In addition to providing practical guidance during field visits to sub-grantees, CCSS was able to convene both off-line and online coordination meetings among stakeholders from 22 different provinces, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Cham, Tboung Khmum, Mondulkiri, , , Koh Kong, Kandal, Siem Reap, , Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear, Kratie, Stung Treng, Kampong Thom, , Kampong Speu, , Kep and Takeo) and to convene a virtual grantee meeting.

Stakeholder coordination meetings CCSS convened four meetings to bring CSOs together for updates on various legal requirements for CSOs, with sessions led by LAC. In the first three meetings, participants also discussed concerns relating to women, youth and Indigenous Peoples, and CSO strategies to address them, with representatives of USAID:

• February 4 meeting with 34 (10 female) participants from 30 CSOs in : on tax and Labor Law requirements. • February 10 meeting with 42 (8 female) participants from 39 CSOs in Siem Reap: on the Law on Accounting and Auditing, LANGO and the Labor Law. Participants came from the provinces of Siem Reap, Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Pursat, Oddar Meanchey, Kampong Thom, Preah Vihear and Kratie (see field monitoring visit report below). • February 25 meeting with 59 (15 female) participants from 50 CSOs in : on the Law on Accounting and Auditing, LANGO and the Labor Law. Participants came from the provinces of Kampot, Preah Sihanoukville, Kampong Speu, Kep and Takeo. • March 30 meeting with 26 (9 female) participants from 20 CSOs in Pursat, Battambang, Pailin and Banteay Meanchey on the new pension fund of the National Social Security Fund, the new National Internet Gateway (NIG) and the law and sub-decree on the COVID-19 pandemic. EWMI provided information on ways to mitigate risks in internet usage, Participants raised many questions about the law on COVID-19.

Quarterly grantee coordination meeting EWMI organized its final quarterly grantee coordination meeting for 25 (6 females) participants from 16 NGOs on February 23rd. Some participants joined the meeting virtually.

The meeting included the following sessions:

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 18 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

• In sharing the benefits and the challenges of working online, the participants said that it helps them to stay safe, reduce travel time, and remain close to their family members. But they also noted that working on line poses many challenges, due to limited internet access - especially among beneficiaries, limited contact with colleagues and interruptions from neighbors and family members. • CCSS validated its recent research on the advantages (sustainability) and challenges (capacity) of working with CBOs.20 • VBNK led a reflection session on outcomes, factors contributing to success and suggestions for improvements in CCSS Quarterly Grantee Coordination Meeting on February 23.

future programs. Many participants said that the capacity strengthening by VBNK and CCSS have been very useful and important to their staff and their communities. They also stressed the importance of building positive relationships with local authorities. • EWMI briefed the group on the new National Internet Gateway and provided advice on ways to improve digital security. • Participants provided several comments suggestions in the anonymous feedback box:

o EWMI should raise funds to continue CCSS for three more years to resume and expand targeted communes to encourage the commune authorities to fulfil their roles and responsibilities under the law on commune/sangkat management. o If CCSS gets more funding to continue its project, it should support Indigenous CSOs and communities. o CCSS provided valuable support to constitutional rights defenders and activists. o CCSS provided effective capacity building to grantees in organizational development and communities in engaging local authorities to respond to the community needs. o Grantees improved their reporting skills. In the first year, the weekly bullets were challenging and later on the grantees built their capacity to fulfil this requirement. o The CCSS team is friendly and easy to work with.

20 EWMI will include a summary of these findings in its final report.

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 19 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

Evaluations showed that all the participants said that the meeting was important and helpful to their organizations. Promoting peer learning: Financial Improvement Team (FIT) On January 28, CCSS organized a quarterly FIT meeting for 30 (23 females) finance staff from 19 CSOs to discuss grant close-out preparation and new government guidance on E-filing tax payments. The meeting was co-facilitated by VBNK and EWMI. Many participants requested a meeting on annual financial reports to government, preparation for financial audits and new tax requirements.

Contributing to learning by other USAID projects CCSS participated in a workshop on social and behavior change communication strategy validation organized by the USAID-funded Green Future project with youth and CSOs. The project is working with youth to produce videos to promote changes in behavior and attitudes.

SUB-TASK 2.2: Facilitate Organizational Capacity Assessments Planned Training Workshops responding to common capacity development needs: In order to reflect the participants learning and application after attending the training during the first quarter of 2021, VBNK organized a three-day follow-up workshop on three topics on (Financial Management for Finance Staff, Internal Control and Fraud Prevention and Procurement Management) on February 03 – 05, 2021 in for 22 participants from 21 NGOs in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Battambang, Oddor Meanchey, Kratie and Kampong Thom provinces. Participant evaluations showed that: o Most participants have applied what they learned from the training course within their daily operations. o A few participants have not yet applied their learning, due to lack of staff or support. o Through the follow-up workshop the participants improved their knowledge and skills and shared different tools or methodologies among their peers.

SUB-TASK 2.3: Assisting in Establishing Capacity Development Plans (CDP) and Annual Action Plans (AAP)

Current status of CDP and AAPs As the project ends at the end of May 2021 for VBNK, with interventions projected to end at the end of March 2021, so that final reassessments and reporting can be conducted. However, the reemergence of COVID-19 in February 2021 has meant that many of the planned coaching sessions and other interventions had to be cancelled and

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 20 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT rescheduled after Khmer New Year. This may ultimately lead to not all of the planned activities taking place.

SUB-TASK 2.4: Ongoing Customized Technical Assistance: Coaching, Mentoring and Training Workshops VBNK continued to conduct OD coaching with partners in Q2, however, many planned coaching sessions were delayed or conducted virtually due to COVID-19. Selected outcomes achieved in the last quarter are as follows:

NGO Topic Outcomes ANSA Financial After receiving coaching on budget development, Management ANSA’s finance team are aware of the practices in the financial manual and procedures in implementation. They were able to define gaps in the financial manual. In addition, the management team provided input on good practices of the financial manual and procedures in implementation and management to fill the gaps in the financial manual.

ANSA now has an updated financial manual and is committed to implementing it. 3SPN and Financial After receiving a range of support on financial HA Management management, the staff learned how to use its accounting system (Input => Processing => Output) and understands the common financial report types commonly used by NGOs in Cambodia (Income Statement report, Balance Sheet report, Cash Flow Forecasting report, Budget Monitoring report, Funding Grid report, Financial report as required by donors) and the relationship among financial reports.

As a result, they can make better analysis of their financial performance, using the budget and actual expenditure statements to detect errors in recording the codes or budget lines. Program managers can use these reports to monitor their program achievements and project funds. KVAO Financial KVAO received coaching on E-Filing of tax related Management documents with the General Department of Taxation (GDT). VBNK presented the supporting documents for E-filing and how to login to the system by using e-filing. By the end of March 2021, KVAO was able to complete the filing electronically

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 21 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

Human VBNK assisted KVAO to update personnel policy Resources provisions on three topics (Termination, Seniority, and Gender/minority). CLEC Financial As a result of VBNK’s recent interventions, CLEC has Management completed its monthly tax returns by E-filing and made arrangements for payment of taxes.

SUB-TASK 2.5: Conducting Monthly Site Visits Site visit reports and coaching minutes have been provided to USAID by email and can be provided upon request.

TASK 3: Analytical and Technical Services

Survey on perceptions and attitudes about CSOs Following a baseline poll in 2016, and midline poll in 2018, EWMI carried out its third and final public opinion poll to capture citizen attitudes and perceptions about CSOs nationwide. With a total of 2,052 respondents (1,047 women) the endline poll was conducted in urban and rural areas in 20 provinces from January 5, 2021 to February 5. The poll yielded several interesting findings, some in contrast to baseline findings from the baseline poll in 2016-2017, which may be useful to consider in the context of future programming.

Awareness of CSOs Awareness of CSOs is increasing. Nearly all the respondents (99 percent) – in comparison to 77 percent in the baseline -- were able to name a CSO after the concept and activities were explained to them. Human rights organizations outpaced health CSOs in terms of being well known, in contrast to the baseline survey which showed more awareness of health CSOs. Specific names of CSOs were not always identified but respondents commonly named ADHOC and LICADHO followed by the humanitarian organization, the Cambodian Red Cross, and CSOs that provide health services such as RHAC or the Cambodian Red Cross. As in the earlier polls, there were differences among women and men in levels of awareness by sector. Women were more likely to mention CSOs working on religion, humanitarian activities and health, while men were more likely to emphasize CSO activities on sensitive issues such as political freedom, land rights, the environment and legal assistance.

Advocacy and impact Awareness of CSO advocacy has continued to decline, with 48 percent saying they were unaware in the baseline, and 68 saying they were unaware in the endline. The proportion of respondents who said that CSOs are creating change in Cambodia dropped from 36 percent in the baseline to 14 percent in the endline.

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 22 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

Q44. CSOS ADVOCACY PROGRAMS…

100% 3% 4% 7% 12% 14%

80% 21% 14%

36% 13% 60% …are having no impact in Cambodia

… are having limited impact in Cambodia

… are creating change in Cambodia 40% Do not know any CSO advocacy program 68% 58% 48% 20%

0% BASELINE (N=2105) MIDLINE (N=2105) ENDLINE (N=2052)

Involvement with CSOs Involvement with CSOs more than doubled, increasing from 29 percent in the baseline to 60 percent in the endline survey. This finding is a positive reflection of USAID investments in civil society, and perhaps of increasing acceptance of the role of CSOs in Cambodia.

BASELINE SURVEY ENDLINE SURVEY

Q27. ARE YOU INVOLVED IN ANY OF THE CSO- BY INVOLVEMENT WE MEAN WORKING VOLUNTARY, CONTRIBUTING MONEY, HELPING OR ASSISTING DURING FREE TIME?

100%

80%

No, 70% No, 72% No, 71% 60% No 40% Yes

20% Yes, 30% Yes, 28% Yes, 29%

0% Male (N=1,033) Female Total (N=2,105) (N=1,072)

The groups most likely to be involved with CSOs were public servants (this figure jumped from 55 percent in the baseline to 75 percent in the endline), students (which increased from 48 percent to 64 percent) and business owners (which increased from 24 percent to 61 percent). These findings align with common practices of CSOs to bring citizens –

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 23 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT particularly youth – together with public servants in the context of service delivery or advocacy. The increase in involvement of business owners is an important development for CSOs to reflect on, particularly as Cambodia shifts from being an aid-dependent country to a middle-income country with a vibrant private sector.

As in the baseline survey, women were more likely than men to be invited to protests or community dispute resolution activities, while men were more likely to be invited to activities that raise challenges to the government.

Despite these findings indicating a higher profile for CSOs, respondents showed a decreasing desire to in asking CSO for help, which dropped from 88 percent in the baseline to 76 percent in the endline. The highest category where respondents would ask for help is health, and the number who would ask for help on human rights fell by nearly half.

BASELINE SURVEY ENDLINE SURVEY Q32. IF YOU HAVE A PERSONAL CHALLENGE, WOULD YOU APPROACH A CSO TO HELP YOU?

100% No, 10% No, 11% No, 11% 80%

60% No 40% Yes, 88% Yes, 88% Yes, 88% Yes 20%

0% Male Female Total (N=1,033) (N=1,072) (N=2,105)

Q33. IF YES, WHAT ARE THE ACTIVITIES?

1050 Health Services 951 Human Rights 583 Land Rights 371 Child Support 310 Employment 249 Corruption 243 Domestic Violence 233 Other 193 Migration 77 Discrimination

VALID CASES: 1,799 MISSING CASES: 306

Perceptions about effectiveness The poll showed an increase in perceptions of effectiveness of CSOs, except for human rights CSOs.

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BASELINE SURVEY ENDLINE SURVEY

Q37. PLEASE, CAN YOU PROVIDE ME YOUR GENERAL VIEW ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INSTITUTION IN TERM OF THEIR SERVICES

100% 4% 15% 12% 18% 80% 4% Very effective 0% 34%

60% 45% Effective 7% Moderately1% 40% effective 7% 72% 0% Ineffective 20% 45% 32% Very ineffective

0% DK CSOs working Youth CSOs working in health Association on human services rights

Political neutrality Most respondents agreed that CSOs have no political affiliation, and that they operate independently. In all three polls, more than 50 percent of the respondents perceive that CSOs are not politically affiliated and do not have any political agenda- baseline (55 percent), midline (75 percent), and endline survey (62 percent). Similarly, the majority of the respondents said that CSOs are independent from political influence. The endline data suggests that about 65 percent reported “yes- CSO is independent” while 16 percent “No” and 13 percent “do not know”.

Q38. IN GENERAL, DO YOU THINK THAT CSOS ARE INDEPENDENT FROM POL ITICAL INFLUENCES? 100% No, 16% No, 19% No, 16% 80%

60% Yes, 54% No Yes, 65% Yes 40% Yes, 77% DK 20% DK, 29% DK, 13% 0% DK, 3% BASELINE (N=2105) MIDLINE (N=2105) ENDLINE (N=2052)

Recommendations for future programming Donors and other development actors will likely seek to increase the proportion of Cambodians who perceive that CSOs contribute to positive change. In designing future

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 25 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT interventions, it may be helpful to consider the priorities of respondents. These priorities have shifted, even though three of the top four priorities (health, agriculture and education) remain the same since the baseline survey. Beyond those top priorities, the proportion of respondents who prioritized human rights has increased, as has those prioritizing environmental activities. Interest in infrastructure has decreased. Among women, there is a significant increase in interest in legal assistance, land rights and human rights.

BASELINE SURVEY ENDLINE SURVEY

Q47. AREAS THAT CSO SHOULD WORK ON AS A PRIORITY IN CAMBODIA (BY GENDER) Male Female

Religion 0 3 Political Freedom 16 3 Gender 9 11 Disability and Rehabilitation 13 18 Legal Assistance 33 21 Environment 25 43 Land Right 65 48 Human Right 117 66 Business Environment 239 205 Agriculture 355 225 Humanitarian Aid 186 255 Education 280 303 Infrastructure 359 390 Health 385 424

Future activities will likely take place in challenging economic circumstances. In the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, respondents also demonstrated increased pessimism about the economy and household debt, which aligns with earlier informal findings by CCSS grantees. For example, the percentage of respondents who reported a very negative or slightly negative change in their family economic status jumped from 12 percent in 2016 to 20 percent in 2021. This pessimism may have an impact on interest in civic engagement, particularly on issues that do not have an impact on economy issues or household economics.

Future programs should also take into account the shift in attitudes about reliable sources of information. Since the baseline poll was conducted in 2016, smartphone usage has jumped dramatically from 46 percent to about 78 percent. At the same time, responses demonstrated that social media decisively overtook television as the most reliable source of information. Responses about radio also shrank. These findings are critically important to CSOs seeking to amplify their message through media, and they further underscore the value of CSO training specifically on social media, not just communication techniques.

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 26 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

BASELINE SURVEY ENDLINE SURVEY Q21. WHAT IS THE MOST RELIABLE SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING IN CAMBODIA? (BY GENDER)

Television (1,548 Female, 822 Responses) Male, 726

Social Media (742 Female, 333 Responses) Male, 409

Female, 309 Radio (711 Responses) Male, 402 Female Female, 14 Website (40 Responses) Male, 26 Male

Female, 5 Other (13 Responses) Male, 8

Newspaper (17 Female, 4 Responses) Male, 13 0 500

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED/RESOLVED Describe new problem from this quarter As the CCSS project moves into its final two months and the outbreak of COVID-19 in February 2021 it was inevitable that some of the coaching sessions were delayed or cancelled. This may lead to VBNK and partners not achieving full delivery.

Proposed solution to the problem The team will try to communicate and provide necessary online support.

Outstanding Problems from Previous Report (Q1) The on-going COVID-19 situation is still impacting on VBNK’s ability to deliver coaching interventions as planned and many sessions are being postponed and rescheduled.

Proposed solution to the problem VBNK will continue to communicate with partners to provide support as necessary with partners to prioritize the support they require during the end of April and early May.

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 27 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

Annex A: Performance Indicator Tracking Table (1 January – 31 March 2021)

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Baseline Life of Project Indicator Performance FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 Justification & Status Indicator Actual Actual Target Actual Date Target Actual Target Actual Target Target Target Actual Q1 Q2 Q3 GOAL: To increase the capability of civil society to engage in democratic processes TASK 1: Support to Cambodian Civil Society Expected Result 1.1 - An improved sub score of Civil Society Sustainability Index – Legal /Enabling EnvironmentQ1 Indicator 1.1 4.3 4.6 4.5 4.6 4.6 4.6 *N/ 4.5 N/A 4.5 N/A N/A TBD Annually There are no Outcome: Sub score (2015) A targeted further reports of Civil Society released by USAID Sustainability Index Legal/Enabling Environment Expected Result 1.2 - Threatened CSOs or human rights activists have improved access to high-quality legal representation Indicator 1.2: 0 (11/ 2 1 1 1 1 29 20 27 20 N/A N/A 20 Annually Number of domestic 2016) targeted CSOs engaged in monitoring, advocacy or legal defense work on human rights receiving USG support through the LDF Indicator 1.4: 0 20 0 20 4 5 17 17 44 17 45 41 22 Annually The project Number of human (11/ targeted provided legal rights defenders 2016 representation for (HRDs) supported ) 41 individuals through the Legal (including 5 Defense Fund (LDF) females,2 ethnic minorities).

Data on age is stored in hard copies located in the LAC office, and is unavailable due to COVID-19 restrictions. Indicator 1.5: 0 2 2 4 3 4 4 4 12 4 0 0 24 Annually Number of legal (11/ comple targeted analyses supported 2016 ted and through the LDF ) 1 final concerning civil draft

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 28 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

society enabling environment Indicator 1.12 (New): 0 0 50 300 496 300 431 300 216 200 33 131 450 Number of CSOs that (2017) receive support from CCSS on issues related to compliance with LANGO and other Cambodian laws (LDF)

Expected Result 1.3 - Cambodian CSOs and citizens are more engaged in the promotion of democracy and human rights Indicator 1.3: 0 5,500 2,973 5,50 11,830 4,50 24,0 4,50 13,857 4,500 2,42 1,178 TBD Disaggregation: Number of people (201 0 0 23 0 ( 6,930 2 (568 engaging in 6) (11, female (1,24 femal Sex: Males: 610 monitoring, 735 s) 8 es) Females: 568 advocacy or legal fem fema defense work on ales) les) Age group: human rights 14-24: 297 receiving CCSS 25-35: 235 support Over 35: 646

Ethnicity: Khmer: 971 Non-Khmer: 1 Indigenous Group: 169 Minority Group: 37

Disabled: 1

Journalists/media: 0 Indicator 1.6: 0 15 6 14 10 18 15 24 15 22 18 16 13 23 -8 CSOs Number of CSO (201 10 10 10 -5 grassroots partners supported 6) groups through Democracy and Governance Fund (DGF) grants Indicator 1.7: 71.43 80% 57.14% 85% 79.31% 90% 86.4 90% N/A 90% 90% Annually Percentage increase % engag enga enga 9 eng engag engage targeted in the number of (201 e in ge in ge in enga age e in in CCSS-supported 7) advoc advo advo ge in in advoca advoca CSOs that implement acy cacy cacy advo adv cy cy mechanisms for cacy ocac y

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 29 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

citizen advocacy with government entities. 1.8: Number of TBD N/A N/A N/A TBD Deleted traditional media and social media reports that cover CCSS-supported partners’ activities. Indicator 1.8: 45% Baseline only No POP was 55% 20% No POP will be 65% 65% To be Percentage of (201 conducted in conducted in reported Cambodian citizens 7) year 2 year 4 in year 3 that report engagement in activities organized/ sponsored by CSOs. Indicator 1.9 (New 16 N/A N/A 20 31 25 47 28 48 N/A 25 17 28 2018) Outcome: (12/ Number of commune 2017 councils that take ) concrete action in response to citizen initiatives generated by CCSS grantees (DGF) Indicator 1.10 (New 0 N/A N/A 12 24 12 62 3 41 N/A 18 11 27 2018) Outcome: (12/ Number of commune 2017 public forums held ) where citizens provide input and/or feedback to commune councilors (DGF) Indicator 1.11 (New 0 N/A N/A 30 158 37 305 36 364 N/A 51 58 103 Disaggregation: 2018): Number of (12/ 26 issues issues raised with 2017 concerned the subnational ) private sector authorities as a result of CCSS Issues were chosen grantees’ activities based on consensus (DGF) by a total of 2,578 people including Female: 1323 Male: 1255 Indicator 1.13 (New 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 18 250 10 N/A N/A 28 Annually Jul 19): Number of (09/2 targeted requests/issues 019)

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 30 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

raised by citizens that are granted by government. Indicator 1.14 (New 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 13 14 15 N/A N/A 15 Annually Aug 19): Number of (09/2 targeted grantees who 019) contribute to USAID gender policy objective (1-access to resources and opportunities;2- the elimination of gender-based violence; and 3- the increasing women’s capacity and voice to realize their rights).

TASK 2: Enhance Technical and Organizational Capacity of Civil Society

Expected Result 2.1 - Increased technical, operational, and financial capabilities of select civil society organizations Indicator 2.1: 0 30% 0 50% 78% 60% 80.1 70% 85.7% 75% N/A N/A 75% Annually Percentage and (2016) % & & & targeted number of targeted 20 10 20 CSOs that meet CSO CSOs CSOs annual proposed s benchmarks for specific categories of organizational capacity development. Indicator 2.2: 0 30% 0 50% 0 60% *N/ N/A 90.4% N/A N/A N/A 75% *To be Percentage and (2016) A & reported number of targeted 20 at the CSOs that meet end of annual proposed project benchmarks for specific categories of organizational capacity development. Indicator 2.3: 3.5% N/A N/A N/A N/A *N/ 4 3.8 4.63 N/A N/A Annually Change in (201 A 4.63 targeted organizational 7) performance of Task 2 CSOs beneficiaries.

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 31 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT

Expected Result 2.2 - Developed and/or strengthened partnerships, collaboration, and coordination among CSOs needed to support continued organizational growth and project implementation. Indicator 2.4: 0 40 63 50 119 55 77 60 70 60 8 139 CSO disaggregation: Number of CSOs participating in *Type of CSO (58 quarterly Civil Advocacy/monitori Society Stakeholder ng; 63 Service Coordination provider; 1 Meetings Research; & 5 Others)

*Sector of CSOs (50 General human rights; 3 Gender issues; 17 Environmental protection; 15 Land and livelihood rights; 1 Labor rights; & 41 others)

**Geography – see chart at end of Annex A Indicator 2.5: 61.9 65% 46.67% 70% 52.63% 75% 54.6 75% 60.66% 75% N/A N/A 75% Annually Percentage of CCSS- 66.67 2% targeted related CSO activities % that involve multiple (201 CSOs 7) Indicator 2.6: 0 16 40 25 23 25 24 25 22 25 11 9 25 Annually -3 APS partners Number of civil (2016) targeted -4 DGF partners society organizations -2 CSOs (other receiving CCSS partners) assistance to improve organizational capacity Expected Result - 2.3. Enhanced ability of selected CSOs to deliver quality programming Indicator 2.7: 3.34 5% 10.18% 8% 3.66 12% 3.98 15% 4.13 20% N/A N/A 20% Annually Change in average (2017) 3.42 3.68 3.47 3.54 3.59 3.67 3.67 targeted percentage ‘CSO advocacy index’ scores Indicator 2.8: 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A *N/ N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 75% *To be Percentage of CSO (2016) A reported partners that have at the developed a multi-

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year planning end of document identifying project the needs and priorities of stakeholders, against which they target strategic fundraising. TASK 3: Analytical and Technical Services for USAID/Cambodia’s Civil Society Activities Expected Result - 3.1. A heightened, thorough understanding of Cambodia’s civil society sector and political environment, including opportunities and challenges based on the produced analyses Indicator 3.1: 0 1 1 0 N/A 1 1 0 N/A 1 N/A 1 3 Number of public (201 opinion surveys 6) produced regarding the civil society and political environment in Cambodia. Indicator 3.2: 64.33 Baseline only N/A (No POP is 75% 85% N/A (No POP to 90% 90% To be Percentage of % conducted in be conducted reported citizens with (201 year 2) in year 4) in year 3 perception of the 7) & 5 positive contribution of CSO activities. Expected Result - 3.2. Clear and actionable recommendations developed for meaningful capacity development of Cambodian civil society in key sectors

Indicator 3.3: 0 0 0 N/A 0 N/A 0 N/A 0 1 Number of Political (201 Economy Analyses 6) conducted. Expected Result - 3.3. An enhanced ability of USAID/Cambodia to quickly respond to opportunities to protect or advance democratic development, human rights, and/or political reform in Cambodia. 1 Indicator 3.4: N/A 80% The Percentage of indicator relevant USAID/US is Embassy staff that deleted find CCSS Public Opinion Polls and Political Economy Analyses useful

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** Indicator 2.4: Disaggregation of CSOs by geography

No Province # of people # of CSOs 1 Banteay Meanchey 9 7 2 Battambang 18 16 3 Kampong Cham 2 2 4 Kampong Chhnang 3 2 5 Kampong Speu 11 9 6 Kampong Thom 8 8 7 Kampot 12 12 8 Kandal 2 2 9 Kep 5 5 10 Koh Kong 1 1 11 Oddar Meanchey 3 3 12 Phnom Penh 22 18 13 Preah Sihanouk 6 6 14 Prey Veng 3 3 15 Pursat 9 8 16 Ratanak Kiri 2 2 17 Siemreap 13 12 18 Svay Rieng 4 4 19 Takeo 24 22 Grand Total 157 127

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Annex B: New resources on the ODC website

ODC has updated and expanded its data and information resources for the public and beneficiary group on topics related to economy and commerce, public health, and labor by publishing four new topic pages and a blog post on “Oil exploration in Cambodia.”

1. Economic policy and administration 2. Investment 3. Patient rights 4. Unions

ODC updated existing datasets such as NPA, RICL, MCC, FCA, ULR and OGB.

1. Natural protected areas in Cambodia (1993-2021) 2. Registered indigenous communal land 3. Mining concessions in Cambodia (1995 - 2021) 4. Fisheries conservation areas 5. Urban Land reclassification 6. Oil and gas blocks in Cambodia

• 563 news articles: 10% of the articles were news covering the current country’s issues related to land, environment and natural resources, protected area, biodiversity, indigenous people, forestry crimes, investment project, aid and development, landmines/UXO, civil society and governance. • 94 relevant press releases/public announcements: issued by government’s ministries, NGOs, development partners and foreign embassies have been made accessible on ODC’s platform. • 63 online data resources and content expansion: a total 63 legal documents and publications related to state land reclassification, new establishment of natural heritage sites, community fisheries agreements, forest cover and booklet on natural resources and wildlife status in Cambodia have been uploaded to the Data Hub.

35 legal documents 1. Sub decree No. 199 on land reclassification 2. Sub decree No.200 on the reclassification from state public property to state private property 3. Sub-decree No. 202 on the cutting of 25 hectares 93 acre of land in , Preah Sihanouk province from the forest cover in 2002 and reclassification as state private land 4. Sub-decree No. 203 on the cutting of 1010 Hectares of 66acres and 13 centi acres from the forest cover in 2002 and reclassification as of state private land for collective Ownership to the Kavet indigenous community in La Lai village, Kok Lak commune , Ratanak Kiri province, and grant ownership rights to the parcel

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5. Law on measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other deadly infectious diseases 6. Policy on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education 7. Sub-decree No. 201 on the rehabilitation of 4815 hectares of Veal Samnab lake in as state public property 8. Sub-decree No. 200 on reclassification of State Public Property to State Private Property 9. Sub-decree No. 186 on the cutting of 368 hectares of land in Phnum Sruoch district, from the forest cover in 2002 and reclassification of state private land 10. Sub-decree No. 199 on reclassification 11. Circular on the implementation of the Law on financial management in 2021 12. Law on Financial Management 2021 13. Sub-decree No. 23 on the establishment of National Internet Gateway (NIG) 14. Sub-decree No.27 on the quarantine measures to prevent the COVID-19 transmission 15. Sub-decree No. 165 on land reclassification 16. Sub-decree No. 205 on cutting of 1,146 hectares, 02 acres and 41centi-acreas from the forest cover in 2002 and reclassifying as state private land for donation to collective ownership to the Kavet indigenous community in Rak Village, Kok Lak commune Veun Sai district, Ratanak Kiri province, and grant ownership rights to the land parcel 17. Sub-decree No. 204 on the clearing of 331 hectares, 75 acres and 39 centi-acres of land from forest cover 2002 and reclassifying as state private land for collective ownership to Jarai indigenous communities in Sala village, Kak commune, Bar Kaev district, Ratanak Kiri province, and grant ownership rights to the land parcel 18. Sub-decree No. 16 on the establishment of multiple use area of Toul Pon Taley Boeung Snae 19. Sub-decree No. 221 on the area of Boeng Trabaek reservoir in Phnom Penh as state public property 20. Economic diplomacy strategy 2021-2023 21. Sub-decree No 184 on the designation of sustainable use areas and reclassification of 100 hectares of state private land in Preah Sihanouk national park "Ream" in Ream commune, Prey Nob district, Preah Sihanouk province 22. Decision No. 97 on the introduction of master plan on land usage for Poipet municipality, Banteay Meanchey province 23. Sub-decree No. 12 on the establishment of Phnom Preah Kuhear Luong natural heritage site 24. Sub-decree No. 13 on the establishment of Phnom Totong-Phnom Touch natural heritage site 25. Sub-decree No. 175 on the adjustment of the area of Boeng Ta Mok (Boeng Kob Srov) in Phnom Penh 26. Sub-decree No. 174 on the cutting of 61 hectares 27 acres and 32 centi acres in Prey Nob district, Preah Sihanouk Province 27. Inter-Ministerial Prakas No. 413 on upgrading and establishing medical facilities 28. Sub-decree No. 08 on the abrogation of sub-decree No. 219 dated December 30, 2020 on the adjustment of Boeng Ta Mok (Boeng Kob Srov) area in Phnom Penh

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29. Sub-decree No. 164 on land reclassification 30. Sub-decree No. 162 on the reclassification of the state public property to state private property 31. Law on management usage and handling of state properties 32. Sub decree no. 158 on land reclassification from state public land to state private land 33. Notification No. 074 on the selection of companies for sand business in Koh Kong and Preah Sihanouk provinces 34. Notification No. 04 on the abrogation of more than 60 hectares of Ta Mok lake 35. Notification on the announcement of the selected companies to resume the procedure of granting one mineral exploration license in and another in Ratanak Kiri province

28 publications 1. Agreement, relevant documents and management plan for Trapaeng Sangkae community fishery 2. Agreement and relevant documents for Trapaeng Ropov community fishery 3. Agreement for Prek Tnaot community fishery and related documents 4. Agreement for Changhon village community fishery and related documents 5. Kampong Samaki Fishing Community information 6. Trapaeng Sangke Fishery Community information 7. Agreement and relevant documents for Totoeng Thngay community fishery 8. Agreement and relevant documents for Kep Thmey community fishery 9. Agreement, relevant documents and management plan for Kampong Samaki community fishery 10. The Book on natural resources and Wildlife Status in the protection area system and biodiversity conservation corridor at the northern of Tonle Sap lake 11. Forest cover change data of natural protection areas system from 2006-2016 12. Preah Jayavarman-Norodom National Park Management Program "Phnom Kulen" 2018-2027 13. Cambodia Forest Cover (2018) 14. Open Data Survey 15. Cambodia’s maiden Apsara oil field comes onstream 16. Cambodia inter-censal agriculture suvery 2019 (CIAS 2019) selection of thematic maps 17. Cambodia inter-censual agriculture survey 2019 (CIAS19) final report 18. National report on census of agriculture 2013 19. Factsheet on community fisheries and development projects in coastal areas 20. General population census of the Kingdom of Cambodia 2019 national report on final census results 21. Global burden of disease study 2019 (GBD 2019) results 22. Databank: World development indicators 23. Information document on community protected areas 24. Coastal strategy of Koh Kong 25. Koh Kong provincial investment program (2020-2022)

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26. Koh Kong provincial development plan (2020 - 2024) 27. Booklet on natural resources and wildlife status in protected areas and northern biodiversity corridor, north Tonle Sap lake 2020 28. Forestry magazine No 62 on the achievement for the first half of 2020 of forestry administration

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Annex C: CEDT case study- Conversion from Community Forest to Community Protected Area in

CEDT worked closely with the MoE, Department of Community Livelihood, PDoE, and local authorities to assist the local communities to convert CFs to CPAs. The purpose of the conversion is to effectively conserve natural resources and improve the community livelihoods through potential creation of small-scale community ecotourism. The following summarizes the process that local stakeholders conducted with instructions from the Department of Community Livelihood.

Consultation meeting to guide the conversion process o The MoE’s representatives provided procedures to raise legal awareness regarding the Community Protected Area Guideline and Protected Area Law to local communities. o There was internal discussion, clarification, and decision-making among community members on whether to agree to convert from CFs to CPAs. o The local communities prepared request letters proposing the conversion. o The MoE’s representatives verified and confirmed the final decision from the local communities, including their willingness and commitment. o The MoE, PDoE, local authorities and CEDT conducted field visits in CF areas to identify potential natural resources (good timber areas, special plants, grassland, and watershed).

Data collection and mapping in the community forest by local authorities and communities o Reviewing existing documentation of CFs, including demographics of CF areas, populations, land use areas, and community profiles. o Focus group discussions among community representatives and members to confirm CF areas and to map potential areas. o Sketch mapping of existing CF boundary and excluded areas. o Identifying the location and overlapping CF areas with economic land concessions (ELCs).

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 39 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT o Household interviews, land demarcation through GPS (Indigenous practice rotation plantations, spiritual land, farming lands, watershed, mountains, species areas, and waterfalls). o Developing natural resource mapping from the results of data collection from household interviews and biodiversity survey.

Stakeholder consultation on overlapping boundaries with companies A meeting was organized by staff representatives from the MoE and chaired by the vice-governor of Mondulkiri province with representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Forest Administration, PDoE, local authorities and community people to - o Clarify and confirm the overlapping boundary between CFs and ELCs. o Review relevant legal documents from both parties to understand the history and connection of natural resources in the CF and visit the location to confirm boundaries.

Lessons learned Critical success factors include: o Strong commitment and enforcement from the Department of Local Livelihood, Department of General Department of Administration for Nature Conservation and Protection to support local communities and raise awareness about conversion. o Completing necessary legal documents for conversion o Collecting data and history from local people (bylaw and CF map). o Meetings chaired by the vice-governor of Mondulkiri province to develop cooperation between ELCs and local communities through neutral solutions. o Documenting natural resource mapping and biodiversity survey by local people to enable them to clearly understand their geographic areas and resources. Through this documentation, they discussed with their members how to manage and use the forest and natural resources in sustainable ways. The community people work with local authorities (rangers) to conduct co-patrolling even though they are still in the process of being converted to CPAs.

Challenges o Local people were very frustrated with the process because it was slow and unclear, and almost all of the actions need to be taken by the MoE. o Unclear political commitment from the national level to support the community forests. o The target area is being allocated for ecotourism concessions run by the private sector. o The forest areas are protected informally by local people.

Recommendations o Political willingness from the authority provides opportunity to create CPAs in some areas where communities have land for plantations, farming, and agriculture. o The process for conversion from CF to CPA should be speeded up. o Local communities need a plan to zone the areas to be strictly protected as core or conservation zone and sustainable use by local people to improve their livelihood (such as ecotourism, NFTP commercial areas and sustainable agriculture).

FY21 QUARTERLY REPORT JANUARY 1, 2021 – MARCH 31, 2021 40 CAMBODIAN CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHENING PROJECT o Traditional forests should be allocated to village management and protection based on customary practices to ensure people’s livelihoods and enrichment of ecosystems and natural resources. o Indigenous Peoples will be impoverished if they lose access to forests.

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Annex D: Field monitoring visit report

CCSS conducted a field monitoring visit with representatives of USAID to Kampong Thom and Siem Reap provinces on February 9 and 10 to observe grantees working with citizens and CSOs.

CCSS and USAID observed CEDT conduct a closeout meeting on February 9 with beneficiaries in Krang Village, Sochet Commune, Sandan District in Kampong Thom province. CEDT has been working with the community to expand an existing Community Protected Area (CPA). As the CEDT grant from CCSS comes to a close this month, the Ministry of Environment (MoE) review process is about 60% complete. CEDT noted that the focal person had changed, and that COVID-19 had caused further delays.

Therefore, CEDT sought to assist beneficiaries to plan for the future.

So far, CEDT has worked hand in hand with community members to: • Prepare a list of community members, complete with thumbprints. • Draft and file an application documenting the natural resources with maps, photos etc. with MoE. • Document the community’s history, including a household survey and its resource management practices. • Build community capacity to meet with government officials. • Facilitate community communication with MoE officials.

Participants expressed strong support for the CPA application. One participant said that he wants to prevent natural resources from being lost, and for citizens to take care of these resources. Other participants said the community members want to protect what they have, even if they have to use their own funds to do so.

CEDT stressed that the community role will continue to be crucial to the success of the CPA application. CEDT representatives that even though their grant was ending they may still be able to provide a small amount of support, for example by proving assistance in creating maps.

It was interesting to note that USAID has had a positive impact on this community in several ways. Some of the participants are members of the Prey Lang Community Network and of committees associated with Community Forests and CPAs that are supported by the Greening Prey Lang project. They said that they were grateful for the in-kind support (materials and supplies) provided to those projects as well.

In addition, CCSS and USAID observed the LAC meeting with CSOs focusing on compliance, as noted above. The lawyers briefed participants on new legal requirements on tax and labor issues, as well as general provisions of the LANGO. They also alerted participants about an upcoming national internet gateway, noting that it will be strictly monitored, and asked participants to consider the potential impact on their work.

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Most of the questions were on tax and labor requirements. Participants asked about the consequences for not registering for a tax ID number and penalties for other violations. LAC explained that under Prakas 962, an organization could lose its license, registration or property. LAC also provided a handout spelling out various penalties.

LAC shared a case study from LAC about an NGO that successfully requested an exemption from retroactive taxes when it registered for a tax ID number. LAC advised participants to advocate for themselves to ensure that they are only required to pay taxes going forward, not back taxes.

LAC also reviewed penalties for violations of the Labor Law, as noted below.

Monetary fines for violations of the Labor Law

No Description Wages Max # of Days and Fine in compliance with decision by per day max amount Fines trial court (riels) Max # Max amount # of days Amount fine (riels) of day fine (riels) 1 Discrimination (Article 12) 40,000 6321 2,520,00022 61 to 90 2,440, 000 to 3,600,000 2 No copy of Labor Law kept at 40,000 21 840,000 10 to 30 400,000 to 1,200,000 enterprise (Article 14) 3 Forced labor (Article 16) 40,000 63 2,520,000 61 to 90 2,440,000 to 3 600 000 4 Recruiting for debt bondage 40,000 63 2,520,000 61 to 90 2,440,000 to 3,600,000 (Article 16) 5 No opening or closing notification 40,000 63 2,520,000 61 to 90 2,440,000 to 3,600,000 declaration for enterprise (articles 17 and 18) 6 No registration book (Article 21) 40,000 21 840,000 10 to 30 400,000 to 1,200,000 7 No notification announcement on 40,000 42 1,680,000 From 31 1,240,000 to 2,400,000 staff movement (Article 21) to 60 8 No internal regulation for the 40,000 21 840,000 10 to 30 400,000 to 1,200,000 enterprise (Article 22) 9 3 months after the opening day of 40,000 21 840,000 10 to 30 400,000 to 1,200,000 the enterprise, there is no internal regulation or the enterprise’s internal regulation get no approval from a labor inspection (Article 24) 10 Employer imposes monetary fine 40,000 42 1,680,000 31 to 60 1,240,000 to 2,400,000 on employee by docking a sum of money from the normal wage (Article 28) 11 No posting to display internal 40,000 21 840,000 10 to 30 400,000 to 1,200,000 regulation where employees can see (Article 29) 12 Change of the enterprise’s 40,000 21 840,000 10 to 30 400,000 to 1,200,000 internal regulation does not comply with legal norms of the MoLVT

21 63 is maximum days for calculating the amount of monetary fines. 22 The amount of monetary fine for 63 days. This amount can be double if repeated.

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13 Use of the Cambodian 40,000 21 840,000 10 to 40 400,000 to 1 200 000 employee’s work book does not comply with the law (Article 34) 14 No entry and exit visa listed in 40,000 21 840,000 10 to 30 400,000 to 1,200,000 Cambodian employee’s work book (Article 37)

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