International relations

To reach the consolidation of the peace and stability, the integration into the international community and the economical and social development are the key challenges for a renewed Kingdom. H.E. Hor Namhong, in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, estimates that although Cambodia is very active within the ASEAN "We have to narrow the gap between the six old ASEAN countries and the new members: Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. We have to deal bi-laterally with all our friendly countries in order to get more assistance (ODA), needed for the economic development of Cambodia and also increase foreign investment". And to attract ODA and FDI, the foreign policy is based on enhancing the relations with donor countries such as Japan, which remains the most important donor country to Cambodia with China.

The key role of the international assistance

The year 2003 is the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations for Japan and Cambodia. The Japanese ODA policy doesn't only concern Cambodia but the development of Asian countries as well, nevertheless Japan has always been monitoring closely Cambodia and sent the first help after the brutal democratic Kampuchea regime. For the Japanese Ambassador to Cambodia, H.E. Gotaro Ogawa, "The most important agenda of ASEAN today is what they call IAI or Initiative for ASEAN Integration. This means that they are committed to fill the gap of development between the original ASEAN countries and the late comers". Cambodia is by far the least developed and Japan "has to continue to give assistance to ASEAN countries and particularly those new members" he added. In the past three years, the Japanese government has been helping Cambodia an average amount of some 100 to 120 million USD per year, including infrastructure building, human resources, development, rural development and assistance to the health and education sector.

The Cambodian government's ultimate goal is poverty reduction, and the Ambassador underlined "the Japanese government as well as the Cambodian consider that building infrastructure and thereby promoting economic activities is a very effective way to reduce poverty". To implement these key challenges, Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is in charge of technical assistance and grant aid projects.

One of the main priority of its representative, M. Juro Chikaraishi, "is to rehabilitate the infrastructure and another is to educate people in every sector". Regarding the investment climate, Japan "is carrying out a major project on judicial reform and is involved in improving the civil code" he added.

To improve the institutional capacity building, the Ministry of Economy and Finance has embarked on fiscal reforms by joining efforts with some donors, notably the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the United Kingdom and the Netherlands to strengthen Cambodia's economic and financial management through the Technical Cooperation Action Plan.

Non Governmental Organizations

More than 1,000 international NGO's are operating in Cambodia. Their activities vary in nature, from aid programs to the population, to mine deactivation in the borders of the country. There are plenty of small and very dynamic operations like "Pour un sourire d'enfant", with a school and training program for the integration of children with scholar delay. At the same time, worldwide recognized organizations like the Cambodian Red Cross , counts 126.000 members and is active in every aspect of the Cambodian life as the President of the Cambodian Red Cross, Madame Bun Rany Hun Sen said: "Basically we are present in every layer of the social structure, from communes, passing to the district and provincial levels to a national level. Due to this, we are one of the best informed organizations in the country and when a disaster strikes, we usually are the organization with more input about the situation".

The good public governance for sustainable development

Good governance has gained strong popularity in Cambodia. In November 1998, Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen launched the RGC's (Royal Government of Cambodia) policy agenda, which embodied profound reform measures in public governance. The RGC is conscious that good governance is an essential prerequisite for sustainable socio-economic development and social justice. To this end, the RGC adopted in 2001 its Governance Action Plan, which identifies two categories of reform where action will be critical to Cambodia's development over the near- and the medium-term. The first category involves reforms in four crosscutting areas: judiciary and law; public finance; civil administration; and anti-corruption. The RGC has also identified two specific policy issues: natural resource management, including land management and forestry management, and demobilization of the armed forces.

Moreover, Cambodia is required by the membership in ASEAN and the preparation for accession to the WTO to modify its legal framework to be consistent with the international practices.

Since 1993, a total of 154 laws have been enacted. Another 23 draft laws are awaiting adoption by the National Assembly. Attention is also being directed to economic and investment laws, particularly those related to Cambodia's impending membership in the World Trade Organization. Moreover, human resources are crucial in the efforts to overhaul the judicial system.

The Supreme Council of the Magistracy, which is responsible for overseeing the functioning of judges and prosecutors, begins to play a more active role in the reform process. The problem of low salaries for judges and prosecutors are being addressed to eradicate corruption in the judicial system. The new law introduces a career structure, a Code of Conduct and a more appropriate salary scale for judges. In this sense, the RGC adopted in November 2002 a new salary scale for judges and prosecutors within a range of 1.3 million Cambodian Riels (CRs) (US$330) to 2.5 million CRs (US$630).