Project Launch in Cambodia Correo electrónico
Phnom Penh, 2nd November 2011. The meeting for the launching of the UN Women project, Supporting the Monitoring of Aid Effectiveness from a Gender Perspective in Cambodia was held on Wednesday, November 2nd at the Cambodiana Hotel in Phnom Penh. The project, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, is being implemented by ActionAid in Cambodia and is part of a wider six-country study that will document how effectively gender considerations are being factored in to the aid management process and how well Civil Society Organizations are able to monitor aid flows and hold government and development partners accountable. The meeting was attend by over 50 participants including representatives from the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC), donor partners, NGO networks, NGO support organizations, research institutions with experience on gender and/or aid effectiveness issues, and members of the press.

The objectives of the event were:

1)    To introduce the UN Women study to government, development partners and civil society.
2)    To provide a brief overview on the current status of monitoring aid effectiveness from a gender perspective, the opportunities and the challenges identified.
3)    To initiate a discussion on the opportunities, challenges and recommendations for strengthening aid effectiveness from a gender perspective and broadening the engagement of civil society, including gender advocates and women’s rights organizations, in new aid modalities.

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In her opening remarks, Ms. Wenny Kusuma, Country Director of UN Women Cambodia, noted that as the World prepared for the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, attention was focusing on the progress made in achieving the five guiding principles of the Paris Declaration. Ms. Kusuma explained that at the international level,  there have been many achievements, including the Accra Agenda for Action, which succeeded in bringing in the concerns of gender and civil society. She concluded by telling the participants that UN Women, in partnership with ActionAid Cambodia would be seeking their inputs and participation throughout the study so that this agenda can be taken forward beyond Busan. 
 
Mr. Juan Pita, General Coordinator of the Spanish Cooperation in Cambodia, noted that women’s rights and gender were important issues for the Spanish government, and hence this meeting to launch the UN Women project on gender and aid effectiveness is very significant for Spain. He noted that Cambodia was in a special position as it has a good history of focusing on gender issues, political willingness and a specific Ministry responsible for women’s affairs, in addition to a growing number of gender specialists.  He noted that there were still gaps and weaknesses in addressing gender equality and that it is not enough to be aware and know of gender, but there is a need to act, to change attitudes and to work together in an effective way to reach the common objectives.

Ms. Nhean Sochetra, Director of the Gender Equality Department of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA) welcomed the introduction of the UN Women project in Cambodia.  She noted that in terms of aid effectiveness Cambodia has faced many challenges, but a lot of progress has also been made. She highlighted the role of the Council for the Development of Cambodia and Ministry of Planning in taking the lead in managing aid in Cambodia and that the Royal Government of Cambodia, through MOWA, has played a significant role in mainstreaming gender. She concluded by noting that the UN Women project, implemented by ActionAid, is very timely as it can contribute to identifying the challenges and providing recommendations which can assist the government to strategically plan for gender mainstreaming through government plans and policies.

Ms. Caroline McCausland, Country Director of ActionAid Cambodia then gave a presentation on the history of aid effectiveness since the Paris Declaration in 2005, and highlighted the concerns voiced by women’s organizations and gender advocates for the inclusion of gender equality and the greater involvement of CSOs in the process. She noted the challenges with regard to the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the aid management process and outlined how the UN Women study would help to address some of these challenges.  The study methodology and Cambodia study team were introduced to participants and the presentation finished with a request for stakeholders to remain responsive and accountable to the people, and to work together in a collaborative way to achieve the goals.

Next, Mr. Im Sour, the Director of the NGO Department of the Cambodian Rehabilitation and Development Board of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CRDB/CDC) gave a presentation on the RGC perspectives on aid effectiveness and gender equality. Mr. Im Sour outlined the priorities in Cambodia’s aid management work since 2005 and progress towards the achievement of the Paris Declaration goals.  He noted that following the Accra Agenda for Action, CSOs have been increasingly involved with the RGC. He provided an overview of the alignment of development cooperation to government development plans, noting that in some sectors it was better aligned than in others. In terms of gender, he highlighted the importance and commitment of the government to implement a Programme Based Approach within MOWA.

Ms. Cheryl Urashima, ActionAid Consultant for the UN Women project gave a presentation on the challenges and opportunities in aid effectiveness mechanisms in Cambodia from gender and inclusiveness perspectives.   She outlined the key actors and processes at sectoral level and in relation to gender equality and women’s empowerment, and then highlighted some of the weak links in the process, noting that the mainstreaming of gender cannot be done unless the aid effectiveness mechanisms are working well.  

Following the coffee break, round table discussions were held to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the aid effectiveness mechanisms in Cambodia from gender and inclusiveness perspectives. The participants also generated some initial recommendations to address the challenges and build on the opportunities.

A final presentation by Ms. Ruth Bottomley, ActionAid Consultant for the UN Women project, provided information on the next steps in the research process and reiterated the request for the participation and involvement of all stakeholders.

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