Dialogue in Pursuit of Development - Are you looking for one of ...

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to health, education, and other aspects of development. Another issue was
that of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. The silence of most western governments
on both counts was deafening. This inconsistency in values undermined
any effective dialogue with the Cambodians on more recent human
rights issues. Also, one should not underestimate the psychological damage
inflicted by the embargo on an already wounded Cambodian psyche. To be
shunned by a majority of the world’s nations, after emerging from the nightmare
of genocide led many Cambodians to ask what it was about them that
elicited such punitive reactions. This negatively impacted on the Cambodian
people’s capacity to restore their self-esteem and confidence, and placed
another constraint on dialogue.
In retrospect, three observations in particular stand out from this period.
Even though human capital was devastated as a result of conflict and the
genocide, capacities to rebuild communities and the country did and do
exist in Cambodia, and need to be supported in ways that do not undermine
them. The experience from this period also demonstrated that having
the space and time to reflect on the effectiveness of policies contributes to
ownership of reforms.
Emergencies and hardship create opportunities for building strong relationships
between partners, provided that the partners stay in the country
long enough to take advantage of this. Many of the agencies that worked in
Cambodia during the embargo earned the respect of their Cambodian partners.
Mutual respect is an important pre-condition for effective dialogue
and building meaningful relationships. Unfortunately, the high turnover rate
of personnel in some agencies did not allow them to maximise the opportunities
present in the situation.
If one accepts that dialogue must be based on a number of values which
relate to fundamental questions such as mutual respect for human rights,
the equal rights and value of every person, and democratic principles, then
it also follows that credibility in the dialogue process derives from coherence
and consistency in communicating those attitudes and values across to
the partner.
1988–1991: Liberalisation
Three events had a significant impact on Cambodia during this period, and
on the nature of development cooperation. First, the meeting between Prince
Norodom Sihanouk and Prime Minister Hun Sen raised hope that a peace
settlement might be within reach. The second event was the final withdrawal
of Vietnamese troops in 1989. Third, at this time Cambodia introduced
a number of internal reforms, including liberalisation and a move
towards a market economy. These changes made it politically feasible for
multilateral agencies under the umbrella of UNDP to send preparatory missions
to Cambodia. Increased bilateral funding became available for hu-