35381 Public Disclosure Authorized Volume 4, Number 1 January 2006 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Social Development Team Visits World Bank Social Development team munity empowerment. Brown, Senior Social Development Spe- Aled by Cyprian Fisiy, Social Develop- The team was accompanied in Cam- cialist, Bhuvan Bhatnagar, Senior Social ment Sector Manager, has visited Cambo- bodia by Nisha Agrawal, World Bank Scientist, Nil Vanna, Social Development dia to learn about social issues and com- Cambodia Country Manager, Gillian Specialist, Heang Path, Justice for the Poor Program Officer, and Bou Saroeun, Com- munications Specialist. During a ten-day mission in Cambo- Public Disclosure Authorized dia, the team met villagers, commune coun- cil members, district and provincial au- thorities, government officials, NGOs, donors, private sectors and community- based organizations, in , Kampong Thom and Siem Reap prov- inces, to learn how they are working to improve social accountability and give a voice to the people. The team looked at several areas such as access to information, mediation insti- tutions and organizational arrangements, enhancing local governance and justice

Public Disclosure Authorized for the poor at the local level, improving service delivery and sustainable manage- ment of common resources for the poor. World Bank newsletter has opportu- nity to interview Mr. Pellini (please see Villagers discuss with the social accountability team how to give more voice to the people page 1) and Mr. Fisiy (please see page3). Decentralization: letting people make their own decisions hile the World Bank Social Development team was visiting WKampong Thom province, the World Bank newsletter had an opportunity to interview Mr. Arnaldo Pellini, Adviser to GTZ, the German technical cooperation organization, who is working on civil society and local governance issues, and on a community-based rural

Public Disclosure Authorized development project.

Q. Could you tell us briefly about your in four districts in Kampong Thom - work here? Santuk, Stung Sen, Prasat Balang and Stoung - to support decentralization A. The community-based rural devel- management, local governance, agricul- opment project is a joint project funded by ture, natural resource management, eco- the International Federation for Agriculture nomic promotion, and infrastructure im- Development and GTZ under the direction provement. of the Ministry of Rural Development in two provinces: Kampot and Kampong Q. In terms of decentralization, have Thom. This program is being implemented See DECENTRALIZATION page 2 Arnaldo Pellini, Adviser to GTZ 2 The World Bank Newsletter January 2006

Phy Ny (feeding her baby) was sitting behind her son who was enjoying pre-school supported by UNICEF under a big mango tree in Seri Reach village, Trapang Russey commune, Kampong Svay district, . Decentralization ... continued from page 1 and with their annual planning because Cambodians as a whole about how to you seen any changes during your four they feel that their participation is im- improve the decentralization process? years working here? portant and helps the commune do its A. I think the decentralization process work better. as far as I could see in Kampong Thom A. The commune elections in 2002 very much relates to local governance and brought major change at the local level, in Q. You are talking about decentrali- management of local development. The terms of the opportunity for people in de- zation. How important is decentraliza- recommendation I would give is to try as cision making and the opportunity to de- tion in helping to develop the country? much as possible from the central level as cide what kind of projects they need and well as the local level to build up the trust want in their villages. My experience is A. The most important thing, I be- between citizens and the government. that the cooperation between commune lieve, is to allow people to participate in And this could be done if the decisions council and people is positive. I feel most making decisions about what they need can be taken together and the priorities of the time that there is a positive attitude and what they think are their priorities. be decided together and also implemented between people and commune councils, Before the commune council elections together, even though projects are small. which can provide for rural development. the institutional structure in Cambodia Everybody takes on responsibility for Soon we should see concrete benefits for was top down. So everything was de- what should work. I think this is a basic the people, who will see that their partici- cided at the central level and delivered change for Cambodia. Concrete examples pation is meaningful, such as in the areas to the local level. This vertical structure may be capacity building for communes of poverty reduction, livelihood improve- has existed for a very long time in Cam- and villages; and the establishment of net- ment and better basic services delivery. bodia and the people were rarely allowed works at the village level, or existing to participate. Now this has changed. groups or individuals, to participate in Another change I would like to share People are able to make decisions about commune council activities and bring up is that Village Networks were formed to what they need, for example, water wells, the issues important for the local commu- help link people with the commune coun- culverts, bridges, schools, or roads. To nity. This is what we try to do in Kampong cils. We have achieved some results. For improve this, I think now is the time to Thom and Kampot. example, some Commune chiefs in Santuk make this change become the reality. For more information contact: and Stung Sen districts have expressed Mr. Heang Path willingness to support people and Village Q. Do you have any recommendation Program Officer Network participation in their meetings to the Cambodian government and to Email: [email protected] January 2006 The World Bank Newsletter 3 Promoting Citizens as Partners for Better Governance nhancing social accountability by supporting E decentralization and promoting citizens as partners for better governance is one of the four objectives of the World Bank Country Assistance Strategy. The World Bank Newsletter had an opportunity to interview Cyprian Fisiy, Social Development Sector Manager, about his work on social accountability and community empowerment.

Q. What is the meaning of social ac- gram and law, and to see to what countability and community empower- extent they going to improve ment for the World Bank? the way of development which is being done by this country. A. Let me tell you where we are com- The Minister of Interior is pre- ing from in terms of social accountability paring a framework of decen- and community empowerment. When we tralization of the organic law. are investing in a given country, we want So we look at how to contrib- to show that the investment has positive ute to this process and to see impacts, particularly on the lives of the to what extent we can engage poor. So, for our purpose we are looking with the government. We also at enabling the environment for those in- look at the engagement and the Cyprian Fisiy, Social Development Sector Manager vestments and assessing to what extent relationship between the villag- those investments are going to enhance ers and the commune council to find out to access other resources either in the mar- the livelihood of the poor. what they need and what is happening: ket or elsewhere. We are looking at the different levels what the nature of the engagement is and of engagement. First is the policy level. what commitment they have for local gov- Third, there are a lot of activities that We are looking at the law and enabling ernance. have been done by NGOs in different set- environment for citizens who have access tings. But these activities are not scaled- to information, and we asked a question: Q. What were the findings? up. Part of our challenges is to scale-up How do they access information? How do these activities. We build what is impor- they use this information to make their A. There are some very important find- tant as we move forward. choices and how do they use that infor- ings. The first is the broad openness to the Four, lack of market access. Even mation to be able to engage with the gov- fact that the government made the request though the citizens produce a lot of prod- ucts and activities in the village, there is I think that in the first place we need to get some clarity that we are no link to national markets. And not all on the same page – what we mean by social accountability. To enough is being sold in the local mar- kets. So we are asking why it is that in a do this, we need to engage the Government. It calls for a system country where most people are living in where you get citizens to work closely with the Government to rural areas there is hardly any access to request better services, to ensure access to those services and also the market. the quality of services. Cyprian Fisiy Q. What is the Bank going to do with its findings? ernment, and to ensure that they have to help them to frame the NGO law, the law adequate services. So when we talk about on association and then we are going to A. The Bank is going to engage at social accountability, we are trying to see work with the government to see to what different levels. We work with the gov- how services are delivered to the citizens. extent the framework of the association law ernment and we engage the government When we talk about empowerment it is has been broadly consulted with civil soci- and we will present the final finding to about the citizen’s voice, and those voices ety. There was demand for the Bank to work the government to see the opportunity being heard and put in the planning pro- with the government to put in place this for the Bank to help their work with citi- cess as well as in the implementation of better law with more consultation with civil zens to reduce poverty in the country those activities. So in that sense, we are society. and to put in place a system for sustain- looking at the importance of trying to ad- ing the investment. So we are working at dress the demand side of governance to Second, we see the increasing demand three levels. The first is with the donor ensure the response to the citizen’s need. for access to information. There are some community to ensure that we are all on requests to us to help put in place a frame- the same page and we avoid the duplica- Q. What are you trying to look at while work for the right access to information. We tion of work. Second, we work with the you are in Cambodia? believe it is critical for engagement not only Government to do what we can to help to to have access to information, but to better improve the livelihood of citizens and as A. We are trying to look at the ongoing analyze the information for people’s daily decentralization and deconcentration pro- activities and to use this information better see PROMOTION page 4 January 2006 The World Bank Newsletter 4

From left, Nil Vanna, Social Development Specialist, Gillian Brown, Senior Social Development Specialist, and Nisha Agrawal, World Bank Country Manager, met villagers at a Community Learning Center contributed by UNESCO and community in Ro Ka village, Promoting Citizens ... continued from page 3 working on another level at the grassroots New!!! well to help develop the new decentraliza- we will build the accountability back into tion and deconcentration program. We the system – what we call social account- believe that the policy framework of the ability, not public accountability. But, it Government needs to respond to the need complements public accountability. Avoid- of citizens. Third is to engage with citi- ing duplication of the work of donors and zens to ensure that their voices are being also learning what is working well in Cam- heard in the policy-making. So the con- bodia – to understand the local context. nection between the Government and the Building institutional trust is also impor- citizens, for us, is very important. tant. If there is trust, the engagement pro- cesses are much better. Looking at the ac- Q. What would you recommend to cess to justice, we understand that justice improve social accountability and com- delivery is to be found mostly at the com- munity empowerment? mune level, and we try to work on this so- lution and to have legal service centers at A. Well, I think that in the first place we the commune level or to put in place para- need to get some clarity that we are all on legal services. We think that it is important Dear Reader, the same page – what we mean by social in helping the government to show more The World Bank in Cambodia has just accountability. To do this, we need to en- responsibility to the poor. published the Report “Public Expendi- gage the Government. It calls for a system ture Tracking and Service Delivery Sur- where you get citizens to work closely with For more information contact: vey in Prinary Education”. The publi- the Government to request better services, Ms. Nil Vanna cation is available in English at the to ensure access to those services and also Social Development Specialist World Bank Public Information Center, the quality of services. We believe that by Email: [email protected] #70 Norodom Blvd.

The World Bank Office Cambodia 113, Norodom Blvd. Phnom Penh, Tel: (855 23) 217 301 Fax (855 23) 210 504 Khmer website: www.worldbank.org.kh and English website: www.worldbank.org/kh