World Bank launches program to enhance social accountability
Friday, October 2, 2009 6:28
“I like what’s happening here,” says CLEC Executive Director Yeng Virak, standing inside his booth with his colleagues. He pauses and smiles. “It shows a positive nature in society because leaders and the people who are led should understand each other and work together. I am happy to be part of this work.”
The Community Legal Education Center (CLEC)’s booth was one of 37 civil society organizations’ booths displaying activities promoting social accountability at the launch of a new World Bank Program called PECSA – Program to Enhance Capacity on Social Accountability, on December 3 in Phnom Penh.
More than 950 participants, representing the government, donors, NGOs, monks and students, participated in the launch of the new program and visited the civil society booths.
Welcoming them, World Bank Country Manager Nisha Agrawal said the launch was exciting for the World Bank. “We are usually in partnership with the government on a range of issues such as natural resources management, public financial management, private sector development and more,” she continued. “But today’s event is very new and exciting for us because it is a different kind of partnership; we are working with civil society who are helping the citizens of Cambodia to engage more and more actively with their own government.”
The program focuses on improving the effectiveness of public services; monitoring public spending and enhancing accountability for it; strengthening the management of Cambodia’s national resources; strengthening governance of the private sector; strengthening media as an instrument of good governance; and other governance priorities for Cambodian practitioners of social accountability.
PECSA is a World Bank-funded program in Cambodia which has been endorsed by the Ministry of Interior. It strives to enhance the capacity of civil society organizations to assist citizens of Cambodia to help their government be more effective and accountable.
The full-day event was about “social accountability” (SA) – action by civil society to help citizens achieve greater voice and influence in promoting good governance. This included learning and sharing among Cambodians themselves, learning from international best practice such as India and Philippines, and having the opportunity to exchange experiences among development, civil society, government and youth groups. There were also workshops to discuss lessons and challenges on social accountability initiatives in priority areas of Cambodia’s development, such as citizen rating of commune councils, conflict resolution, natural resource management, monitoring of the National Budget, best practice and good governance, and trade union and labor relations.
Workshops also gave an opportunity for all participants to hear from international resource people on the capacity building programs their institutions and networks offer, the presentation of the preliminary findings of the World Bank sponsored research study on Civil Society Assessment on Social Accountability, and presentation of the plans and program of PECSA.
In opening remarks, H.E. Ngy Chanphal, Under-Secretary of State for the Interior Ministry, briefed the audience on the Government’s actions on good governance. “I hope that this workshop is a great opportunity to share each other’s efforts to help the government to deliver more effectively on its services to people in need,” he said. “Today’s meeting is also a chance to set up a national network for civil society to strengthen the cooperation and sharing experience with the government to strengthen the service delivery mechanism to people, and to strengthen partnership with the government in promoting the state’s reforms.”
Participants were invited to walk around and inspect the 37 booths in which civil society organizations displayed heir activities relating to “helping government be more effective and accountable”.
Pav Vannak, Coordinator of the Community Child-Based Organization (CCBO) – a local organization that works to protect against violation and human trafficking and which had a booth at the launch – said the booth was giving the organization the opportunity to share experience and to learn what organizations do for social accountability.
“I am so proud to be here,” he smiled. “This is a first time for our organization to display our activities in a big event to the public like this. I hope that from today’s results we will have a better society, a society more and more transparent and accountable, a society that has better public service delivery, a society with strong engagement from people and reduced corruption.”
A monk, Nov Sivutha, said the event provided young Cambodians with better understanding of social accountability. He urged that people all work together, including monks, so that the country would receive benefits such as better development and stability. “It is very important that you be responsible for yourself, of what you are doing,” he said. “If you become a good person then our society will become a good society.”
A surprise for Meas Kim Seng, Coordinator of Samakum Teang Tnant (STT) based in Kampot province, was the presence of students. “I see that youth are showing interest in this issue,” he said. “It has great impact to get the academic world to support our work and to help the government.”
Hong Nary, a student from the National University of Management (NUM), said the event was very important to help students to understand about social issues and to understand values in society.
Mour Sin Heang, another NUM student, echoed his classmate: “The message I got today is to work together for a better society.”
Mak Sarath, Program Coordinator of the Youth Council of Cambodia, said the launch was a first event and a good sign that the World Bank wants people to know and to think deeply about social accountability. “Even though we are a small youth organization, we are also a part of helping the government be more effective and accountable,” he said. “It is also a good opportunity to demand that elected representatives be more accountable to people and to respond positively to the needs of young people.”
The launch concluded with the announcement of essay competition winners and the presentation of awards. (Please read the first prize winner essay supplement.)
(Source: The World Bank’s Newsletter: volume 6, number 1, January 2008)