Lessons Learned From Rights-Based Approaches in ... - HRBA Portal

Cambodian civil society is still weak and it will take a while before it emerges as a
cohesive force engaged in the nations’ developmental process.
The UN system is well-represented in the country and has played (and is still playing)
a vital role in the country’s development – from helping build the human assets of the
poor - including in the areas of education and health - to helping raise agricultural
incomes by promoting diversification into other rural activities, combined with efforts
to support the mobilization and organization of the poor and promoting their
livelihoods by ensuring access to productive assets, employment, income generating
opportunities and credit. It also works to improve the nutritional status of the
population and to empower Cambodians to fully develop their capabilities through
greater and affordable access to quality basic social services and to reduce regional
disparities in the area of HIV/AIDS, health, water and sanitation, reproductive health,
education. 9
Cambodia has no independent national human rights institution for the protection and
promotion of human rights but there are a number of State institutions with some
human rights responsibilities: two parliamentary committees have been created under
the internal regulations of the Senate and National Assembly respectively; and a
separate Cambodian Human Rights Committee - a Government committee staffed by
civil servants that was created by royal decree in 2001 - has the principal
responsibility for preparing initial and periodic reports under the human rights treaties
to which Cambodia is party.
However, as mentioned at the outset, the country faces severe challenges in upholding
the human rights of its citizens. Cambodians in the rural areas have no access to
information and communication technologies. The media is largely Governmentcontrolled
and the people have limited rights to free speech. Few rural provinces can
receive radio transmissions and newspapers. 10 The situation is further exacerbated by
challenges posed by poor infrastructure, low human resource capacity, poor
governance issues, poor policy implementation and widespread corruption among the
elite - these continue to hamper developmental progress and impede realization of
basic rights.
Against such enormous challenges, this case study documents the strategies used by
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Cambodia in helping former Khmer Rouge communities to begin realizing their right
to education by inculcating a culture of peace. Because this Project is still
operational (it started operations since January 2004 and will conclude in end-
December 2005), the final outcomes are not yet ascertained and what is presented is
an analysis of the human rights-based approach to programming (HRBAP) strategies
used and the interim outcomes visible as a result of the use of such strategies.
9 UN Development Goals, Cambodia 2001, Source: http://www.undp.org/mdg/Cambodia.pdf
10 Ibid. Refer to footnote No 4.
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