Photo: LEAK Ratna

A joint conference to mark the 30 years of cooperation between NGOs and the Royal Government of Cambodia was held on Nov. 24 in Phnom Penh, attracting a thousand participants from local and international NGOs, government officials, diplomats, development partners, private sector, and students.

Speaking in his status as one of the key speakers, Samdech Akkak Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN Sen, Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia, highlighted the important roles of national and international NGOs in accelerating the development process of the country.

“Today’s event will allow us to look at our partnership development and define the strategic direction for tighter, more harmonized, and more predictable collaboration to ensure further results,” the premier said, adding that these include (1) the acknowledgement of contribution and achievement of NGOs for the past 30 years (1979-2009) in economic restoration and development effort; (2) the reflection of experience and good partnership between the Royal Government, NGOs and the people of Cambodia; and (3) looking forward to prolific cooperation and partnership between the Royal Government, NGOs and the people of Cambodia to jointly address challenges in the next decade.

“I would like to extend my profound thanks to the management and staff of both national and international NGOs, as well as aid agencies and all the Cambodian people for their untiring work in the last 30 years dedicating to charitable and humanitarian work and national development,” the Prime Minister said.

Photo: HORN Chanthorn
Prime Minister Hun Sen visits LWF exhibition booth before leaving the conference

The conference also aimed to strengthen future cooperation among key stakeholders and to continue to support Cambodia’s efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals.

In her opening remarks, Ms. Eva Mysliwiec, Executive Director of Youth Star Cambodia and Representative of the NGO Organizing Committee, recalled her first arrival in May 1980 in Cambodia—devastated by war and genocide—as Representative of the American Friends Service Committee, and what she had to do.

“The core of NGO work was focused on massive relief, meeting health needs and restoring agricultural production in order to prevent famine,” Eva said, adding that NGOs’ work in eighties spanned virtually every sector of Cambodian society and economy from the restoration of urban and rural water supply to the rehabilitation of infrastructure, the provision of basic agriculture, education and health inputs, etc.

“Over the past three decades we have seen a consistent growth of partnerships between NGOs and other development actors including the private sector, between NGOs and local civil society, and between NGOs and government at both local and national levels, as well as with international networks,” she said.

The conference provided a good opportunity for development partners to share experience and lesson learned on development work over the last three decades.

Photo: HORN Chanthorn
Prime Minister Hun Sen bends to look at gold medals and his picture

Ms. Pok Panhavichetr shared her experience working with an international NGO in the 1980s with the participants. She emphasized the humanitarian work of NGOs and how she learned development concept over that period.

“For my own point of view, although Cambodia has made significant progress over the past years, NGOs still play important roles in supporting development of Cambodia,” she said, adding that NGOs work in complement to the government by assisting the rural poor to have access to service.

“I am very proud that I still have an opportunity to continue my work in the civil society organizations. I am now a Program Manager for LWF Cambodia which is one of the 26 NGO Consortium providing humanitarian aid to Cambodia in 1979 and early 1980s,” she said.

The conference was jointly organized by 17 national and international NGOs, six of whom have been working in and providing assistance to Cambodia since 1979.

Related story about NGO Consortium

In August 1979, the Lutheran World Federation Executive Committee passed a resolution that “the needy people of Indochina receive every possible assistance and help.” Following the adoption of this resolution, the LWF’s World Service Commission Emergency Working Group authorized the Geneva staff “to explore every possibility to aid Kampuchea.”

At about the same time, LWF was approached to participate in the NGO Consortium for humanitarian aid, inaugurated by Oxfam United Kingdom and Ireland. LWF accepted the invitation and joined the NGO Consortium in September 1979. Thus was born the “Lutheran World Service-Kampuchea Programme.”

The first LWF mission was housed in Room 207 of the Hotel Samaki in Phnom Penh. LWS-KP occupied the room until 1990.

The NGO Consortium headed by Oxfam United Kingdom and Ireland. It consisted of 26 member organizations. Twelve implementing organizations, over half of which had a Christian foundation, channeled aid into the country. The 12 implementing consortium partners were:

1. Australian Catholic Relief (ARC)
2. American Friends Service Committee (Quakers) (AFSC)
3. Comité de l’Aide Médicale et Sanitaire
4. Coopération Internationale pour le Développement et la Soldarité (CIDSE)
5. Church World Service (CWS)
6. Hilfswerk der evangelischen Kirchen der Schweiz (HEKS ; Swiss Interchurch Aid)
7. The Lutheran World Federation (LWF)
8. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)
9. Oxfam – UK & Ireland
10. Partnership for Development in Kampuchea (PADEK)
11. World Council of Churches (WCC)
12. World Vision

LWF contribution to the NGO Consortium—£20,000,000—constituted 15 percent of its total and was second only to Oxfam’s.

Most supplies for the consortium’s projects came by ship from Singapore to Kampong Som (Sihanoukville).

The NGO Consortium wound down at the end of 1980 and ceased operations at the end of March 1981.

Following the dissolution of the NGO Consortium, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (which was then led by Minister Hun Sen) formally requested LWF, in February 1981, to undertake further work in the stricken countryside in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture. This work took three forms (i) the Provincial Piggery Production Center, Tuk Chhou, Kampot Province; (ii) the National Poultry Breeding Center at Prek Som Rong, Kandal Province; and (iii) the National Draft Cattle Breeding Center at Phnom Tamao, Takeo Province, according to LWF Cambodia’s history book. Read the book click this link