DAY 1
Opening Speech by HE Somsavat Lengsavad, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lao PDR
Minister Lengsavad opened the conference by welcoming the delegates, noting the conference would provide delegates with the opportunity to "have a first hand impression of the actual situation in different aspects of the Lao PDR". He went on to explain that the Lao government was happy to cosponsor the conference because "it reflects continued support from international non-governmental organizations to the struggle for national independence of the peoples of Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia in the past." In addition, the theme of the conference coincides with the development plans of the Lao PDR to lift Laos out of the group of least developed countries by 2020.
Minister Lengsavad noted that the gap between the developed and developing world has further widened over the past century. However, there have been achievements in the developing world, for Laos in particular, the most important one has been the capacity of rice sell-sufficiency for the first time in history, which was reached last year. The government of the Lao PDR is committed to reducing poverty in the country, and aims to reduce the number of poor families by more than half by 2005. They will accomplish this through concentrated public investment in rural development combined with decentralization that will see the provinces assuming the role of strategic development units, districts assuming the role of planning and budgeting and villages the role of implementation units. Looking outward, Laos plans to capitalize on its geographic location to become a sub-regional hub for its Southeast Asian neighbors.
The Lao government recognizes the important role played by the more than 100 International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) in achieving Laos’ poverty alleviation targets. They have assisted in training local officials to upgrade their management skills and have introduced appropriate technologies at the local level. Internationally, INGOs have also assisted in building regional and global networks, as well as promoting bilateral and multilateral ties between their home countries and the Lao PDR, including government-to-government ties.
BOX: "Another important aspect, which international non-governmental organizations have the capacity to undertake, is the promotion of bilateral relations and cooperation between the Lao PDR and their respective countries. The international non-governmental organizations can play an important role in increasing government-to-government relations by promoting understanding in the field of politics, culture and tourism."
Lao Plenary
David Elder, AFSC; Khemphet Pholsena, Lao Women’s Union; Phongsavath Boupha, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; Soukaseum Bodhisane, Vice Governor of Savanaket Province
Missing VM speech
Vice Governor Bodhisane spoke of some of the problems hampering development in rural Laos. They include limited funding, lack of infrastructure, too short of a time frame, UXO and Agent Orange.
Questions followed. The first asked about the role of the Lao Women’s Union (LWU) in poverty alleviation, gender equality and gender development. Mdm. Khemphet Pholsena, Vice President, LWU, gave some background on the role the LWU has played during its 46-year history. A recent encouraging step has been the 1998 plan the government passed to promote economic development for women. The plan incorporates projects aimed at reducing poverty and increasing women's knowledge and skill through vocational training, courses in family economics, and help establishing and maintaining small businesses. While the Lao constitution stipulates equal rights for women, Laos is currently implementing the Convention on the Equal Rights of Women. In addition, the LWU is working to implement the Beijing Plan of Action as well as taking the first steps to establish a National Commission for the Advancement of Lao women. There are also projects to improve the education of rural women, which will boost literacy among poor women.
The next set of questions focused on the issue of food self-sufficiency in Laos, particularly what policies and structures the Lao government has found most useful in this area. Vice Minister Boupha responded, mentioning the government's focus on irrigation, which has allowed two rice crops; the emphasis on openness, which allows the people to understand what the government is doing and how policies are structured and implemented. The Lao government is strengthening the rule of law in the country. The use of law to express policy is a new approach in line with this initiative. Vice Governor Bodhisane added that the combination of intensification and diversification had also assisted in improved food security, as had improved training and guidance, combined with improved credit and changes to import laws.
Next answered were questions on the role that bilateral and other external aid played in poverty alleviation. Vice Minister Boupha discussed the fact that the donor community has been willing to work with Laos' five and ten year strategies, and are collaborating with the Lao to work with their plans for long term development, rather than imposing their own (the banks') expectations on the country.
Vice Governor Bodhisane noted that poverty means something different in every country. Poverty alleviation means meeting basic human needs for food, shelter and health care. However, good morals are equally necessary for poverty alleviation, people have to cooperate and work together, see themselves as part of a community. The most important tool for poverty alleviation, though, is human resource development. Vice Minister Boupha added to this noting that implementing programs is once piece, but changing people's attitudes is harder.
The last set of questions focused on Laos' landlocked position and diverse ethnic population and how they affect development, and on the legal structures that encourage foreign investment. Vice Minister Boupha emphasized Laos' focus on being "land-linked" rather than landlocked, as export corridors mean that Laos is now able to play an important role in promoting trade and investment in the region. He also said that the government is proud of its policy with respect to minority groups. They are all represented with the country's power structure, enjoy the full rights of Lao citizenship and contribute fully to the economy in turn. While foreign investment in Laos has fallen since 1997, due to the Asian Economic Crisis, after increasing since policy changes in 1988, the changes in foreign investment laws have been the nation's most important policy initiatives. The challenge now is to make those laws as clear as possible to assure the international community that Laos is a good county in which to invest.
Panel A: Implementation of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child at the Provincial and Local Levels.
David Claussenius, Save the Children - USA; Chea Sam Nang, Ministry of Rural Development, Cambodia; Steve Gourley, Licadho (Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights), Cambodia; Kham Houng Sacklokham, National Commission for Mother and Child, Laos; Amanda Bissex, UNICEF, Laos; Pham Thi Nga, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vietnam; Ta Thuy Hanh, Radda Barnen, Vietnam.
Ta Thuy Hanh discussed Radda Barnen's work in Vietnam, and provided a brief history of children's rights in the country, noting that Vietnam had ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1990. Radda Barnen works with children with disabilities, focusing on community based rehabilitation. In Vietnam, children are seen as having obligations rather than rights. Within this context, working with disabled children poses a unique challenge as it is unusual for them to attend school. There have been some noticeable impacts of Radda Barnen's work, including the Ministry of Education's new attention to inclusive education, and a stated goal to more than double the enrollment of children with disabilities in mainstream schools in the coming decade
Khamhoung Sacklokham noted that Laos had ratified the CRC in 1991, and established a National Program of Action for Children the following year. The strategy of the program of action includes establishing a commission on mothers and children, strengthening the capacity of agencies charged with implementing the convention and intensifying advocacy and social mobilization efforts to ensure that available resources are allocated to benefit Lao children. He went on to say that the last five years have seen solid advances in survival and development programs for children though new protection issues are emerging. Despite these gains, other tenets of the convention remain unmet, Mr. Sacklokham continued. Maternal mortality remains high, as does protein energy malnutrition. Many children lack access to sanitary latrines and quality basic education. Also, the gender gap in literacy and education persists, as do urban/rural and ethnic disparities in access to social services. The goals for the coming years, he said, include universal elementary education by 2015 and reduction in infant, mother and child mortality rates.
Chea Samnang spoke of Cambodia's plans for a better future for children. In the next five years, the government will be implementing the second stage of a Community Action for Social Development Program that they established with the assistance of UNICEF in 1996. This next stage will focus on a program called "Seth Koma" which means child rights in Khmer. The program, which builds on lessons learned from the previous stage, will be implemented in six provinces and will measure success by increased survival rates for mothers and children, improved health statistics and expanded access to education. The two primary projects of the program are decentralized community empowerment and village plans for basic services, which will be carried out through Village Action Plans. The program will ensure that participating villages have access to basic health, education, water, sanitation and credit services.
Amanda Bissex discussed UNICEF's work in Laos and globally. One example she gave of UNICEF's work to incorporate children into the process of the implementation of the CRC was a youth survey UNICEF carried out in Latin America, which has served as a model for a similar survey of children in East Asia and the Pacific. The survey showed that children are generally positive about their future, but many are unprepared to deal with challenges they will face as they enter adulthood. Children in Laos were aware of some of their rights, but over half did not know they had rights just as adults do. In addition, many Lao youth knew little or nothing about drugs, drug abuse or HIV and AIDS. The survey showed that Lao youth often feel that they are treated differently from their peers and that their opinions are not important.
BOX: "The survey showed that children are generally positive about their future, but many are unprepared to deal with challenges they will face as they enter adulthood. HIV, AIDS, and drug abuse stood out across the region."
Steve Gourley discussed how to promote the best interests of working children in Cambodia. He quoted article 32 of the CRC, which states that a child has the right to be protected from work that "threatens his or her health, education or development". Mr. Gourley insisted that this article uniquely impacts the economic and survival needs of the families, and must be balanced with articles 3 and 6 of the convention, which respectively address the importance of taking the child's best interests into account in actions concerning the child, and the state's obligation to ensure every child's survival and development. Is it always in the best interest of children to protect them from work that they and their families depend on for survival? Mr. Gourley clarified that he did not think this should be seen as a defense of the extreme cases of child labor in Cambodia. Ultimately, the goal must be to eliminate and improve work situations that truly endanger children without needlessly preventing them from engaging in work that is beneficial to them and their families. To this end, Lichadho has developed a "Child Labor Matrix" which categorizes work into levels ranging from household chores to the worst forms of child labor. The matrix is designed so that labor inspectors, child rights advocates and employers can assess thirty distinct indicators and both record a clear picture of child labor as it occurs and compare circumstances of children working in various situations.
Pham Thi Nga noted that Vietnam was the first country in Asia and the second country in the world to ratify the CRC. In conjunction with this, Vietnam established the Committee for the Protection and Care of Children in 1991. With assistance from UNICEF, the entire convention has been translated into Vietnamese and a number of ethnic minority languages for further dissemination. In addition, Vietnam has adopted both a national law on the protection, care and education of children, and a national program of action for the survival, protection and development of children. By 2000, Vietnam had achieved most of its decade end goals for improving the lives of children and made great progress in providing for their basic needs. Ms. Nga concluded by noting that major challenges to improving the lives of children persist, which include rural malnutrition, lack of access to sanitation and safe water, low rates of primary school completion and secondary school enrollment.
Questions touched on the role multi-national corporations play in exploiting child labor; the integration of child rights work into broader development projects at the community level and into national planning; the lack of quality health care and professionals in rural areas and how that affects child labor; and what the role of the private sector was in meeting the needs of the CRC.
Panel B: Building Effective Cooperation Between Humanitarian and Development Organization and Government Structures
Dominique Van der Borght, Oxfam Solidarity - Belgium, Laos; Pen Dareth, NGO Affairs and Human Rights, Council of Ministers, Cambodia; Bert Bosch, ZOA Refugee Services, Cambodia; Dr. Bountheuang Mounlasy, International Economic Cooperation Department, State Planning Commission, Laos; Jacquelyn Chagnon, International Consultant, Laos; Nguyen Van Kien, PACCOM, Vietnam; Paul Kelly, PKA, Vietnam
Pen Dareth noted the crucial role NGOs have played in building civil society in Cambodia. He said the involvement of civil society contributes to the promotion of good governance, transparency in financial affairs and support of the reforms initiated by the Royal Government. The state and civil society are partners in development with the same goals in mind - to work together for the common good of the people and society. Therefore, in order to mobilize the wisdom from all walks of life and backgrounds in nation building, the Cambodian government widely supports the role of civil society and NGOs in development of the country. Mr. Dareth concluded by saying the government hopes to establish a legal framework for NGOs, in order to support their programs and activities.
Bert Bosch gave a brief history of ZOA's activities in Cambodia, noting that as a humanitarian organization focusing on refugees, their projects tended to bridge the gap between long-term and short-term development. He then went on to discuss the different forms of partnerships shaped by NGOs, asserting that true partnerships are characterized by equality, mutual benefit and shared respect and support. Development projects that do not have the support and partnership of the government are not sustainable. Humanitarian development organizations, by nature, build partnerships with governments, often those partnerships are the most difficult to build but are ultimately more lasting. Long-term development cannot proceed without these partnerships. Some of the most valuable lessons in ZOA's experiences are that humanitarian assistance needs to be linked to long-term development from the beginning, and that governments need to be proactive in developing partnerships.
Dr. Bountheuang Mounlasy discussed the importance of cooperation to minimize redundancy of efforts. In the area of humanitarian aid, he said, where humanitarian aid organizations are involved, coordination by all relevant actors, especially government functionaries, is even more urgently needed than elsewhere. Dr. Mounlasy highlighted six general points essential to the building up of an effective cooperation between humanitarian development organizations and government structures. They are 1) Understanding of partner institutions; 2) Commitment to work with appropriate government structures; 3) Comprehension of policies and priorities; 4) Exchange of information; 5) Mutual trust; 6) Availability of capacity.
Jacquelyn Chagnon started her presentation by asserting that mistakes are our best lessons: we can learn more from our mistakes than from our successes. She went on to say partnerships and cooperation do not have to be formal, sometimes informal relationships are stronger, paving the way to formal partnerships. Partnership and cooperation require mutual respect, dialogue and trust, but that trust is evolving in Laos. NGOs have a unique role in developing countries, they have the flexibility to test new ground and new methods in ways that governments and multilateral agencies cannot. There are countless examples of NGOs clearing the way for larger developments in integrated rural development, irrigation, and micro-credit projects that began as small NGO endeavors and grew into international models. Multilateral agencies, however, need to learn to involve NGOs and government counterparts in their planning from the very beginning. Ms. Chagnon closed by saying that every institution needs to learn from others. This is the lesson that needs the most work still.
Nguyen Van Kien said that by 1995, there were 250 INGOs working in Vietnam, with assistance levels of $70 million and 5 years later that number was up to 500 INGOs and $83 million in aid. He continued saying that while INGO assistance is not as substantial as that of other Overseas Development Assistance sources, NGO aid responds directly to people's needs. Their contribution to development goes far beyond the transfer of funds, to provide innovation, ideas, international linkages and solidarity. INGOs in Vietnam are asked to provide input on government affairs, and sit on the consultative group of donors to share their ideas and experiences with the gathered donors and government officials. Every six months, VUFO organizes an idea sharing meeting for NGO representatives, as well as smaller monthly meetings and active working groups. Mr. Kien then briefly described the legal requirements for NGOs working in Vietnam, saying that the prerequisites to effective cooperation are commitment, dialogue, trust and respect. INGOs have a legal obligation to register with the government, which is the first step towards opening communication. For the government to create conditions that facilitate NGO contributions to the country, they have to take an active role in coordinating the work of NGOs.
Phan Van Ngoc spoke on some of the opportunities and constraints that development organizations may confront in their work in poverty reduction in Vietnam. The People's Aid Coordinating Committee (PACCOM) has responsibility over day-to-day work and provides INGOs with advice and guidance on a wide variety of issues related to their programs. Advocacy can occur at the local as well as the central level. Working with local government partners also provides opportunities for replicating, or scaling up, program activities. In recent years, many policy reforms have emphasized, among other areas, the move towards a more decentralized decision-making process. However, planning methodology at the local level has not yet adapted to take advantage of this changing policy environment. INGOs are well placed through Participatory Planning and Assessment exercises, workshops and training programs to facilitate this process and improve the understanding of service-providers at local government levels.
Paula Kelly spoke of her experience working with multilateral organizations, NGOs and grassroots groups. She said that effective cooperation in development programs results from excellent planning, strong commitment, respectful relationships, and sufficient and well-developed skills. She also asserted that the key ingredient missing from development programs is cultural, and thus operational synergies. Too much is assumed in developing partnerships. The following method has proven to be effective in creating synergies at a large NGO in Vietnam: 1) Defining values; 2) Developing the principles of practice/procedure; 3) Discussing goals of program and organizational relationships; 4) Understanding the legal aspects of the program; 5) Developing a common culture of the program.
Questions touched on the process of decentralization; the differences between working for and working with partners, transparency with INGOs; the place of local NGOs in relation to mass organizations in Laos and Vietnam; the role of government to coordinate between NGOs; and what the priority issues for Cambodia are in working with NGOs.
PANEL C: The Role of Women and Their Challenges in Social and Economic Development
Ann Helm, City University of New York; HE Ing Kantha Phavy, Secretary of State, Ministry of Women's and Veteran's Affairs, Cambodia; Ros Sopheak, Gender and Development for Cambodia; Bandit Pathoumavanh, Central Lao Women's Union; Somsisouk Inthavong, Basic Education for Girls Project, Laos; Nguyen Thi Thuy, Vietnam Women's Union; Chantal Oltramare, UNDP, Vietnam.
Bandit Pathoumavanh discussed the regionally unique role of women in Laos. Women in Laos are afforded a degree of economic security by old traditions of matrilineal inheritance, which means that women do own property, though they are not traditionally heads of households. Because of this second point, reaching out to women in remote areas in difficult, and often rural women are not accustomed to dealing with officials and outsiders. They tend to defer to men in community decision-making. This leads to men benefiting inordinately from agricultural training that spreads new information and technologies. Development programs too often take the easy path of dealing only with men. The Women's Union works to encourage women to step forward and participate in community decisions and continuing education. Gender Resource Centers offer training for development workers and other teams to help them understand how to better incorporate women into their rural work.
Somsisouk Inthavong discussed Laos' National Education for Girls Project, which aims to reduce the disparity between male and female educational achievements. In urban areas, women and girls are far more likely to complete their education and enjoy a broader range of social and economic opportunities, but in rural areas, there are more pressures on girls to leave school early. Even where women do have access to higher education, that education has not translated into participation in decision-making. Gender division of household labor means that girls are far more likely to be asked to stay home from school to help with household chores while boys tend to finish school. The Basic Education for Girls Project began in 1999, and works at the Ministry level to implement a nationwide program to educate ethnic girls in remote areas.
Nguyen Thi Thuy spoke of the disparity between women's national and local level leadership roles in Vietnam. While women play an active role in national politics, at lower levels women's participation in leadership roles is low compared to their participation in the labor force. While Vietnam is a patriarchal society, women do participate actively in family decision making, and in community work and campaigns. The two primary barriers to women's equality are the rise of prostitution in Vietnam, and government policies that view the household as the basic economic unit. Most policies to improve economic opportunities are geared at families, and when men are the heads of households, programs tend to benefit men (i.e. men are more likely to have access to credit). Another disadvantage for women in Vietnam is that even when women are working as many hours as men in the workforce, men do not pick up the slack at home. Women's own biases compound the situation. The Vietnamese Women's Union conducts workshops for Party and government officials to help them understand gender issues, and training courses to prepare women for elections and leadership roles. In addition, they hope to advance the role of women through household based income generation projects and training on micro-enterprises geared toward women.
Chantal Oltramare discussed UNDP's programs in Vietnam geared towards women, focusing on a project on Capacity Development for the Implementation of the National Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women. Among other things it collected reliable data on the social and economic circumstances of women in Vietnam. She said that all stakeholders are affected by gender issues and should be incorporated into policy development processes. She stressed that policy makers need to recognize that while poverty tends to intensify gender inequalities, gender inequality can also increase poverty. They also need to understand intra-household dynamics and decision-making patterns. From the data collection, several interesting discoveries were made, such as that gender stereotyping is persistent in textbooks, that stereotypes influence teachers expectations and advice for students, and that the rate of women seeking higher education in technical fields has actually declined. As in Laos, men have better access to credit than women and receive most of the agriculture extension training, despite the fact that women take on 92% of new agricultural jobs. In addition, capital-intensive mechanization of agriculture tends to displace women, as men are preferred for operating heavy machinery. Another area of inequality appears in the area of reproduction. Women are not able to negotiate safe sex, even with partners who know that they are HIV positive. Domestic violence is prevalent in most regions, and not recognized as an issue in the courts. In conclusion, Ms. Oltramare said that sound, gender sensitive policies can mitigate the negative impacts of globalization and contribute to gender equality as well as to poverty reduction.
HE Ing Kantha Phavy noted that due to Cambodia's history, women head 20% of households. Reconstruction presents the country with a unique opportunity to protect and promote the rights of women. Parties competing in the upcoming commune elections have promised to present ballot slates that include at least 30% female candidates. Women make up more than half of the workforce in agriculture and fisheries, in manufacturing and in wholesale and retail trade. However, women are less likely than men to be literate or to complete elementary education. And, as in Laos and Vietnam, women are left out of training programs that could prepare them for participation in the economy. Young mothers don't have access to early childhood services and childcare. 41% of pregnant women are underweight and 1 in 30 pregnant women are HIV positive. 36% of households live below the poverty line. Women tend to have fewer resources and assets than men do, and less influence in economic decisions.
Ros Sopheap noted that although according to law Cambodia protects the rights of women as in Laos and Vietnam, there is a gender gap in the participation of women in the Cambodian economy relative to the economic benefit they gain from that participation. Gender disparities, she continued, will not automatically improve with economic development. Young women and children are brought to Phnom Penh from the countryside and forced to work in the sex industry, where HIV rates range from 70% - 80%. While girls perform as well as or better than boys do in school, they are more likely to drop out. Men and women alike equate leadership ability with educational attainment, and so women are less willing to stand for election where they believe they are not qualified. Women do not have access to capital or credit. Low prices for rice and agricultural products mean that men, who once migrated seasonally to urban areas to find work, stay year round, and so rural women, the majority or Cambodia's women, are isolated in a declining sector.
Questions touched on improving women's access to higher education; what was being done to help girls working in garment factories; how awareness of gender issues in policy making and planning is measured; and the role of local NGOs in Cambodia.
PANEL D: Social Responsibility of Business in Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development
Steve Sherlock, Aid to Southeast Asia; HE Sok Siphanna, Secretary of State, Ministry of Commerce, Cambodia; Home Vongxay, State Planning Committee, Laos; David Hill, AESOP Business Volunteers, Cambodia; Peter Fodge, Burapha Group, Laos; Peter Evans, Planet Computers, Laos; Nguyen Xuan Thin, Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, Vietnam
Home Vongxay gave a basic overview of Laos' economic situation. Agriculture accounts for 52% of GDP and employs over 80% of the workforce. In remote areas, people operate in a non-monetized economy. Since Laos began implementing plans to move towards a market oriented economic system in 1986, the business sector has contributed to national development through capacity building, employment creation, foreign exchange earnings, service, and tax revenues which allow the government to pay for social development programs. Contributions of private sector education and health care facilities have improved literacy and reduced infant mortality in the Lao PDR. The private sector does not work in the neediest rural areas, and the primary contribution of the private sector is job creation. Mr. Vongxay suggested that the business community look towards diversification of investments and improve capacity building activities linked to diversification. The business sector can also engage in careful, sustainable business involvement, building new ventures that improve the social conditions of the population, and encourage employment and income growth.
HE Sok Siphanna spoke of the new concept in economic development that Cambodia is implementing: Maintaining Trade Strategy for Poverty Alleviation. In the last few years, economic trends show decreases in the agriculture sector and increases in services and industry sectors as a percentage of GDP. Real GDP is beginning to grow again, and inflation has stabilized since the economic crisis. Exports form the bulk of economic growth in Cambodia, in the form of goods shipped abroad, remittances from workers abroad and value added by tourists. Trade strategy in Cambodia must be a pro-poverty alleviation strategy. Not all trade sectors work for the poor. Meeting these and other challenges will require improvements in agricultural output, employment growth in manufacturing, service and export sectors while developing new export sectors, and new markets for exports. A pro-poor trade sector strategy emphasizes competitive advantage over comparative advantage, and views competitiveness as an enterprise issue and a sectoral issue. Regionalization and decentralization are vital to a pro-poor strategy because manufacturing and industrial growth in Cambodia has been limited to specific isolated regions, which means that some regions continue to starve while others flourish.
David Hill noted that in Cambodia, close to half of the population is under 20 years old, putting immense stress on the labor market. The government can help alleviate this situation by facilitating a good environment for investment. What groups like AESOP can offer is capacity building and marketing skills, by helping farmers and NGOs develop business sensibilities. NGOs and groups like AESOP can facilitate skills transfer and capacity building in areas where people do not have business skills.
Peter Fodge discussed the situation in Laos. The Burapha Group is a foreign investor, building on Swedish traditions of developing commerce and social services hand in hand. Projects of the Burapha Group provide technical consultants in forestry, agriculture, rural development and civil engineering. The goal of development must be to promote access to social services for all citizens. The most important businessman to support in Laos is not the urban office worker, but the rural agricultural worker. The government must increase tax revenues and decrease dependence on foreign aid, which can only be done through increasing the commercial sector. Businesses and the commercial sector can work with the government to bring income and work to the poorest Lao.
Peter Evans also spoke of the Lao economy. He first came to Laos to work for a multi-national corporation. One observation he made while working there was that while, structurally, the development sector was working with the private sector, culturally the two sectors do not socialize together. Mr. Evans than discussed an example of corporate citizenship in the Maldives, working with the UNDP. He closed saying that these partnerships can work, and everyone should look for the places where they can take place. There is a real need for leadership in developing working and effective partnerships.
Nguyen Xuan Thin covered the Vietnamese experience. He said poverty cannot be reduced through economic growth alone because poverty is a social phenomenon. The idea that basic social services can promote economic development is not new to Vietnam. Hunger and illiteracy are prime enemies to economic development. The government has established a plan for the poor which includes providing small loans to poor households. How can businesses contribute to these efforts? In Vietnam, national and international businesses understand that they have a responsibility to the communities they operate in, and the business sector is directly and indirectly involved in poverty alleviation activities. Direct involvement includes funding to support infrastructure development and social programs, as well as emergency relief.
Questions touched on what social responsibility meant to the businesses represented; Cambodian export processing zones on the Thai border and whether this threatens sustainability; why business isn’t in rural areas; why contributions from the private sector for poverty alleviation are limited in Laos; what is the of social responsibility of businesses engaged in poverty alleviation and who are their partners; and if there is any NGO involvement for finding markets for local products in Laos and Vietnam.
VIETNAM COUNTRY PLENARY
Vu Xuan Hong discussed where Vietnam is headed in the future. New attention is being paid to the rural poor, new jobs are being created which means that people have new access to social services such as schools and hospitals. Some remaining points of weakness include weak economic competitiveness, irrational investment policies and a decline in foreign direct investment (FDI). While other policy changes have improved life for urban Vietnamese, poverty remains acute in rural areas, and underemployment is one of the biggest issues faced by the government. Poverty alleviation objectives include raising the GDP level to twice its 2000 level, increasing domestic savings to 30% of GDP and establishing universal Junior High School. International NGOs can play a role in areas such as poverty alleviation in remote areas, education, health care, mine and UXO clearance and education and efforts to combat social problems such as HIV and drug use. Vietnam still has no written law on local NGOs, but the rules have been drafted and are waiting for legislative approval. When you assess the number of local NGOs in Vietnam, it is important to take local traditions into consideration and keep in mind that NGOs are not part of Vietnamese tradition. Also, those organizations that work closely with the government are most likely to achieve their own goals. On the environmental front, at present forest covers only 30% of the country. The nation's current goal is to increase that number to 40% in the coming decade.
A PACCOM representative added that currently, there are 350 international NGOs active in Vietnam. The legal framework in Vietnam gives foreign NGOs an official role and provides them with permit assistance and other logistical aid that allows them to integrate their work with government policy.
The first question asked was how the government facilitates INGO work in remote areas. The Committee for Foreign NGO Affairs and PACCOM coordinate and oversee INGO work. Government mechanisms at the central, provincial, and local level help as well. The next question was how foreign investment was structured and facilitated. Implementing a concrete investment law creates a better environment for foreign direct investment, and at present companies from at least 30 countries invest in Vietnam in a wide range of sectors. The next several questions focused on policies dealing with the disabled poor. There are about 7 million people in Vietnam with serious disabilities. Injuries are very often the result of war or traffic accidents, and 80% of those living with disabilities are poor, many of them in rural areas. The Ministry of Health collaborates with INGOs to provide prosthetics, and also operates hospitals and provides orthotics. They are also concerned with the evolution of medical insurance. The Ministry of Education works to make it possible for children with disabilities to attend school.
Next came questions about employment. Only 20% of young people entering the work force have vocational skills. 63% of the population lives in rural areas, which provides the government the opportunity to reduce unemployment in rural areas and prevent larger urban migrations. In particular, efforts at establishing food-processing enterprises in rural areas so that work is completed near the farms where food is grown are being pursued. The contribution of INGOs extends beyond financial contributions: INGO solidarity and support is vital to government functioning, and INGOs regularly consult with government agencies and have a say in legislation that will affect their work.
The final question asked was if salary disparities caused conflict for government officials who see INGO staffers paid better than their own colleagues. Mr. Hong answered first with a joke, saying that since these staffers pay income tax, no one minds. He then went on to say that opening up of the government and state enterprises means that pay will be diverse in Vietnam, a fact of life that the government accepts. Mr. Hong closed by saying that bilateral cooperation and mutual respect are the only way to build relationships across the boarders between the three countries (Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam).
PANEL E: Cooperative Assistance to Communities Affected by Landmines, UXOs and Agent Orange
Richard Walden, Operation USA; Chan Ratha, Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, Cambodia; Sok Eng, Jesuit Relief Service, Cambodia; Thongdeng Singharath, National UXO Program, Laos; Le Cao Dai, Fund for Victims of Agent Orange, Vietnam Red Cross; Le Van Son, People's Aid Coordinating Committee, Vietnam; Maj-Gen Nguyen Don Tu, Vietnam Handicapped Children Relief Association
Thongdeng Singthirath spoke about the massive amount of unexploded ordinance (UXO) still left in Laos from American bombing. More than two million tons of bombs and millions of antipersonnel bomblets were dropped over half of Laos. To this day, accidents involving UXO average one every other day. Land rendered unusable by UXO is a major cause of food insecurity and poverty in Laos. The National UXO Program works to identify those areas most affected by UXO and train workers. The goals of UXO Laos are twofold: to reduce the number of civilian UXO casualties and to increase the amount of safe land available for food production and development activities. UXO Laos trains teams who can then train more de-miners, surveys the impact and level of contamination, educates the community about the ongoing risks of UXO and directly undertakes clearance. Funding for the UXO Laos program is primarily short term, emergency funding, but the problem is a long term one, and ongoing donor support is necessary.
Chan Ratha then spoke on the parallel situation Cambodia faces due to American bombing and the protracted civil war. The Cambodia Mine Action Center (CMAC) works on mine awareness, aimed at educating people about the dangers of mines, towards a zero victim policy. CMAC also undertakes mapping and land marking projects and manual mine clearance. Within Cambodia, land mines account for sixty percent of incidents, UXO for forty percent. CMAC has a calculated plan to control the mine situation within five to ten years, meaning that within five years, mined areas will be surveyed and marked, with significant reduction in accidents; and within ten years the majority of significant mined regions will have been cleared. The Cambodia Mine Action Authority (CMAA) coordinates the efforts of all groups involved in mine action and all interested donors. CMAA is also responsible for regulating the efforts of mine action operations to prevent careless or uncontrolled mine clearance.
Sok Eng discussed the economic toll landmines are having in Cambodia. For example, while land along the roads has been cleared of mines, nearby fields have not, so landless farmers must resist the temptation to try to plant in these areas. Mine victims asked to reflect on what they want generated a list of basic needs, from water tight roofs to education opportunities for their children, as well as health care and prosthetics or aids appropriate to their injuries. While Jesuit Relief Services is not a de-mining agency, it works with disabled people and campaigns globally for a ban on landmines. Ms. Eng emphasized that de-mining agencies and development agencies must work together in communities, as de-mining is only the first step in resettlement. These agencies must be mindful of what happens after minefields are cleared. Land use planning is in its early stages in Cambodia and land titling is not entirely resolved.
Le Van Son discussed the situation in Vietnam in relation to UXO, of which 800,000 tons remain, wounding 2000 Vietnamese a year. The government must spend hundreds of billions of dong each year on mine clearance efforts and mine awareness programs. As of 1999, less than 10% of mined land had been cleared. The Vietnamese government works closely with a range of NGOs on clearance, prevention, and rehabilitation issues. Projects in all provinces are diverse, in approach and funding level. In addition to NGO work, bilateral assistance, including aid from the United States, provides money for de-mining. US aid for de-mining efforts is particularly important, as the US must recognize its moral and material responsibility for the mine situation in Vietnam. Vietnam is still working to define a clear structure for coordinating cooperative assistance in humanitarian de-mining efforts. These projects are categorized as sensitive or security related. The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) will form the focal point of a master plan to be developed by the Landmines/UXO working group. The government very much prefers equipment donations and technical assistance in de-mining, so that the actual implementation of fieldwork is by Vietnamese.
Le Cao Dai talked about the ongoing effects of Agent Orange in Vietnam. Between 1961 and 1971, more than 3 million "ha" were sprayed with chemical defoliants, of which one million show no sign of recovery. Forest destruction led to severe wet season flooding and dry season forest fires. While most herbicides degrade within a matter of months, dioxin, a by-product of Agent Orange, lingers in the environment. Foodstuffs and agricultural soil in highly sprayed areas have dioxin levels similar to that of industrialized countries. However, in areas immediately surrounding former American air bases, soil tests continue to show high levels of dioxin in the soil, and blood tests continue to show populations near those bases have high levels of dioxin. The priorities for dealing with the legacy of Agent Orange include cleaning up hot spots where dioxins linger in the soil, international collaboration of scientific research to understand how dioxins continue to afflict the population exposed to Agent Orange, and humanitarian aid to those people suffering birth defects and health effects of dioxin contamination.
Maj-Gen Nguyen Don Tu discussed his personal experience with the affects of Agent Orange. Maj-Gen Tu's youngest daughter was born in 1973, after he marched through the defoliated area near the demilitarized zone. She was born an invalid, with severe cerebral palsy and mental deficiencies. His companions from that visit to the 17th parallel all died of liver cancer by 1980. Foreign physicians credit Agent Orange dioxins left in his own tissues with his youngest daughter's birth defects. As many as one million Vietnamese have been affected by Agent Orange, including 150,000 handicapped children. Maj-Gen Tu said that the American government must take responsibility for cleaning up former air bases in Vietnam. Internationally Agent Orange must be banned for all forms of combat. The time has come to form an International Association of Agent Orange Victims that could unite people from the region and in the United States who continue to be victims of Agent Orange.
Questions touched on where the landmines in Cambodia come from; what programs work best for education and victim assistance; about Agent Orange and a discussion of the Peace Villages build in Vietnam to serve children and adults disabled by birth defects linked to dioxins; and what money is most needed for to address the effects of Agent Orange.
PANEL F: Patterns of Development at the Local Level: Strengthening Traditional Rural Economic Life While Connecting to the New Market Economy
Jacquelyn Chagnon, International Consultant, Laos; Ann Thomas, International Cooperation for Cambodia; Houmpheng Boubphakham, Central Lending Committee for Rural Development, Laos; Eric Deflos, United Nations Credit Development Project, Laos; Nguyen Quoc Dat, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam; Michael Zeiss, CIDSE, Vietnam; Winona Dorschle, PACT, Laos
Eric Deflos began by discussing a 1996 survey on the demand for micro-finance in Laos. The survey pointed out that financial services available did not meet demand in Laos, and that in rural areas only 12% of people had access to credit, and only 1% of people deposited their savings in banks. The government of Laos responded to these findings by executing a micro finance project through the Ministry of Finance. The national component of the project is charged with establishing a regulatory and legislative environment conducive to developing micro-finance in Laos. A Micro-Finance Training Center educated a bilingual micro-finance training team and more than 290 practitioners and policy makers in micro-finance, and was able to recover 71% of its costs after 2 1/2 years.
Winona Dorschle discussed PACT's aim to provide sustainable micro-finance services to the poor in Laos. PACT works with local credit unions and other partners in various villages, with women making up 95% of their clients. The basic solidarity group lending methodology used by PACT involves self-formed groups of five to ten members who guarantee one another's individual loans. Loans start small, and after perfect repayment of prior loans, individuals have access to larger loans. The project uses a village approach that starts with meetings with leaders and the village as a whole followed by formation of the solidarity groups and savings and credit training. The village and group leaders form a team out of which they build a Village Savings and Credit Organization. The repayment rate so far has been 99%. Careful micro-finance strengthens the market economy by increasing production and trade, and contributes to poverty reduction through social and economic improvements at the household level.
Ann Thomas spoke with Meng Thoen and Savang La, who are from Ratanakiri Province, where International Cooperation for Cambodia runs a Bi-Lingual Non-Formal Education Program. It is the first such program in Cambodia, and focuses on non-formal, functional literacy. This program also is the first time that some indigenous languages have been written. Teachers receive no pay: a volunteer village development committee may ask students to volunteer a few hours in exchange for the teacher's work. Trainers come in for half days during the week and are paid only a per diem. The program starts by teaching literacy in the indigenous mother tongue. By year two, the split is 50-50, and by the final year students are taught entirely in Khmer. Volunteer teachers are trained regularly, so that they are only one to two months ahead of their students. Villagers are responsible for all construction and labor and for other upkeep requirements. A high percentage of women participate, and their participation in decision making was facilitated by a process through which women would meet together to discuss issues before sitting down with men in the whole group. One of the products of the program is a series of storybooks and math textbooks in Khmer and in indigenous languages.
Houmpheng Boubphakham noted that long and medium range plans in a village should be submitted to appropriate government agencies. If not, plans cannot be implemented smoothly. Otherwise, the government cannot be helpful to those villages in realizing their local goals. Efficient use of government resources requires local groups to work with the government.
Michael Zeiss began by saying that a farmer's benefit from the market economy can include greater food security, and income can meet other family needs. But there are going to be risks: income will fluctuate with prices, and there is always a risk of over-exploitation of resources. Mr. Zeiss quoted a sustainable agricultural expert, who said "What is sustainable is not any given technology, but rather innovativeness. Innovativeness is what lasts and makes agriculture a profitable business in the long term." CIDSE has been working in Vietnam since 1978, and currently is training farmers to grow clean teas, and has formed a group of farmers growing organic vegetables. Crops were chosen which are already major crops in those areas but were being grown with heavy pesticide use. Crops were not chosen based on market considerations. The first lesson learned was that you cannot wait until later to study consumer preferences or educate consumers or you won't have a market when you need it. The teas faced different challenges: certification is required to sell in Europe, and farmers were not organized enough to provide uniform volume. Some best practices built on from these lessons include looking at the customer first and using market analysis and development methodology. From a list of promising products, the group must select the most marketable product and develop a detailed business plan and financial projections. While the final step might seem the most important, it is vital for farmer cooperatives to go through each phase themselves, so that they come out of the process with a clear understanding of how to market their products, not just sell them.
Questions touched on the most appropriate methodology for micro-finance in Laos; how you work non-formal education links into the micro-credit sector, and have micro-finance projects ever been tried in non-Lao speaking villages; what are the hours of bilingual education courses; health, women and agriculture; if bilingual non-formal education projects could be undertaken in Laos or Vietnam, where ethnic diversity is greater than in Cambodia; what policies had allowed Vietnam to move from rice deficiency to rice surplus; what the guidelines of the poverty alleviation program of the government [not clear which country] were; what the link was between urban based consumer organizations and rural based producer organizations - can poor consumers benefit poor producers; obstacles to micro-credit in Laos; and what kind of policies should be practiced to encourage teachers to work in remote areas.
PANEL G: Addressing the Social and Economic Impact of HIV/AIDS
Nina McCoy, Australian Red Cross, Vietnam; Dr. Seng Sut Wantha; Pok Panhavichet, Khmer HIV/AIDS NGO Alliance, Cambodia; Dr. Chanhsy Pimmachanh, National Committee for the Control of AIDS, Laos; Tran Trong Hai, Ministry of Health, Vietnam; Yvan Thebaud, Medicine du Monde, Vietnam; Oun Kom, UNAIDS, LaosDr. Chanhsy Pimmichanh began the discussion with an overview of the HIV/AIDS situation in Laos. Laos has a low prevalence of AIDS but is surrounded on all sides by high prevalence countries. The objectives of the AIDS program in Laos include preventing transmission, improving surveillance and counseling systems, improving the capacity to combat AIDS of both central and provincial staff, and mitigating the impact of AIDS on infected persons. The earliest achievements of the National Committee for the Control of AIDS include incorporation of AIDS in the formal curriculum, establishment of a national surveillance system, and condom marketing programs. Young people in their twenties form the bulk of infected people. Most cases are not recorded until a patient enters the hospital. The primary challenges in the coming years are to strengthen the committee's coordinating capacity and to educate high-risk groups on prevention.
Oun Kom noted that there are only ten INGOs working to address HIV and AIDS in Laos. NGOs work on peer education programs, condom marketing, capacity building for counselors and educators, direct training on sexually transmitted diseases, direct health care services, negotiating safe sex, and the unique challenges of HIV prevention and intervention among minority groups. Young truck drivers are statistically a high-risk group. Peer education is one of the most popular forms of intervention, followed by focus group based services.
Tran Trong Hai began by giving a brief history of HIV/AIDS work in Vietnam. The organizational machinery for prevention and control started in 1990, under the direction of the Ministry of Health. By 1994, a intrasectoral national committee was formed to address AIDS, addiction and prostitution, as these three issues are closely related. By 1998, all provinces of Vietnam had found HIV infections. In May of this year, there were 36,500 known cases of HIV in Vietnam, though by some estimates that figure is only a tenth of the true infection rate. 85% of known infected persons are men. More than half are intravenous drug users, followed closely by commercial sex workers. The highest infection rates are among people in their twenties. While infection is high among IV drug users, infection is not high in some other risk groups, which suggests that some early intervention efforts have been effective.
Yvan Thebaud said that Medicine du Monde had been doing HIV/AIDS work in Vietnam since 1995. Their primary projects include development of HIV/AIDS education curricula and training for home care, and they have been very involved in Vietnam's new condom cafes. They estimate that there are 200,000 - 400,000 cases of HIV infection in 2001. Infection rates are still low among army recruits and pregnant women. The highest risk activity is still drug use. Condom coffee shops help meet the need for broader sex education that can reach past those taboos and address sexual health as well as relationships with partners and their own family. Partnership with the government is mandatory for NGOs. The Vietnamese Ministry of Health began to address AIDS before the first case was discovered. HIV policies in Vietnam conform to international standards, but social evils policies towards sex workers are in conflict with those forward thinking HIV policies: repressive policies towards sex workers and drug users make HIV prevention work more difficult.
Dr. Seng Sut Wantha said the AIDS epidemic in Cambodia is the most serious in Southeast Asia. The first cases were detected in 1991, the first AIDS patient diagnosed in 1993. In 2000, Cambodia saw 533 reported deaths from AIDS, 3,684 reported cases of AIDS, and an estimated 169,000 HIV infections. AIDS is more than a health problem, it is an economic problem. Hundreds of thousands of children are orphaned by AIDS. AIDS mortality is highest among young people who should contribute the most to the economy. Borrowing from moneylenders is common in families treating AIDS - far more common than in rural areas of neighboring countries. Over the next ten years, estimates suggest Cambodia will have to spend nearly $30 million on AIDS treatment.
Pok Ponhavichetr said that Khana is a national NGO founded in 1996 to provide capacity building, technical support, and small grants to local NGOs working on HIV and AIDS issues. 3.2% of sexually active adults in Cambodia are infected with HIV. Men serve as a bridge from sex workers to married women who then often pass the virus on to their children. Families are further fragmented and isolated by burdens of guilt and shame. Women with HIV are stigmatized by social service providers and their community and tend to receive substandard care and are often pushed out of their communities. Economic impacts multiply when participants in micro-finance fall ill and cannot pay their debts or otherwise cannot meet their financial obligations in their community. Work is slowed by the lack of concrete data about the impact of AIDS. People working on AIDS issues need to do more advocacy and lobbying work. Funders also recognize the need to address HIV and AIDS in the context of seemingly unrelated projects.
Questions touched on how to address HIV in sex workers and cross border coordination; how to address problems like pregnant women denied care when they are HIV positive; how to make peer educators comfortable talking about HIV and Sexually Transmitted Diseases issues; whether condom coffee shops were financially self-sufficient; what strategies can reduce mother to child transmission of HIV; if you can monitor Sexually Transmitted Infections through pharmacist reporting; Laos’ need for NGOs help to deal with HIV/AIDS; who is infected in Laos; how to address the situation of orphans in Cambodia; how to provide HIV and AIDS education to young people in remote and rural areas or who work in risky situations; whether Buddhist monks play any role in prevention campaigns; voluntary testing; and condom use.
BOX: "AIDS is more than a health problem, it is an economic problem. AIDS mortality is highest among young people who should contribute the most to the economy." Dr. Seng Sut Wantha
PANEL H: Innovative Agricultural Techniques
Hans Luther, NOSPA, Laos; HE Tao Seng Hour, Council for Agriculture and Rural Development, Cambodia; Dr. Yang Saing Koma, CEDAC, Cambodia; Dr. Bounthong Bouahom, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Laos; Don Tuan Phong, PACCOM, Vietnam; Ly Don Son, NEDCEN, Vietnam
Dr. Bounthong Bouahom spoke in Lao, and the simultaneous translation was not recorded.
Ly Don Son discussed the programs of the Capacity Building Center for the Sustainable Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam (NEDCEN). Programs support SMEs and household businesses and teach them how to protect natural resources in their business projects, through green production and reduced energy consumption, which reduces pollution and emissions. Development of organic and eco-products is an effective means of sustainable rural development and poverty alleviation. The challenge is that organics are a new concept worldwide, rural poor do not have the education, support or connections to compete in the market as a whole, let alone an understanding of the potential value of organic production. An important component of their methodology is that NEDCEN does not do the work for anyone, but rather guides the process, which forces the community to learn from each step.
Dr. Tao Seng Hour noted that agriculture accounts for just over 45% of GDP and employs over 80% of Cambodians. Cambodia's strategy focuses on integrating new techniques into family agriculture, to give farmers control over their own production resources and environment. The private sector must deal directly with farmers, and public capital must be invested in research and technology transfer. Research must go beyond rice crops and include maize, beans, soy, fruits and vegetables.
Yang Saing Koma discussed Cambodia’s experience with the System of Rice Intensification, which was developed in Madagascar to help small farmers increase rice yields without depending on hybrid seeds, or chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The basic idea is that high yielding rice can develop in good soil and field conditions. Traditional rice growing is in flooded paddies, but in fact you can grow stronger rice in aerated soil. Rice is grown is small plots, which reduces the amount of land available to cultivation, but dramatically improves yield from the land that is used. This system significantly reduces the amount of seed you use. Farmers were hesitant to take on the risks of new technology and started by giving over small plots to the intensification process, but they were satisfied with the results and say they will use this method in the future. The process of technology transfer begins by working with farmers who are interested in testing the technology and willing to commit to applying the whole methodology, not applying select principles.
Questions touched on vegetable consumption; livestock and fisheries; what can be done to encourage youth to be proud of farming; where the pesticides used in the three countries are coming from; and what the emerging trends in agricultural extension are.
CAMBODIA COUNTRY PLENARY
HE Tao Seng Hour, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; HE Mam Bun Heng, Ministry of Health; HE Pok Than, Ministry of Education; HE To Gary, Ministry of the Environment; HE Sok Siphanna, Ministry of Commerce; HE Keth Sam Ath, Ministry of Women and Veterans Affairs; HE Son Koun Thor, Rural Development Bank of Cambodia; HE Peou Samy, National Committee for Disaster Management; HE Pen Sareth, Council of Ministers; Dr. Chea Samnang, Ministry of Rural Development; Pum Chantinie, Cambodian Red Cross; Pok Nanda, Women for Prosperity; Thun Saray, Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association; Prok Vanny, KHEMERA; Oung Chanthol, Cambodian Women Crisis Center; Dr. Ping Chutema, Reproductive Health Association of Cambodia; Dr. Nenette Motus, International Organization for Migration; Pia Hammar, Forum Syd; Mike Bird, Oxfam GB; Paul Luchtenburg, World Relief; Larrie Warren, Veterans International
HE Tao Seng Hour reported that some areas of the country continue to face low rainfall and drought conditions, which means that food insecurity persists in Cambodia. The reasons that agricultural growth remains low include inadequate technology transfer, inadequate rural infrastructure, lack of access to cultivable land and credit, and lack of markets or access to markets. Women are key to food security. Agricultural labor is divided along gender lines. Civil war and increased seasonal migration have reduced available male labor, and women head 20% of rural households. Land entitlement is key: you cannot address food security without addressing land security. The government's policy for sustainable and just economic development gives priority to agricultural and rural development, and to education. Meeting any of these goals calls for capacity development at all levels in those ministries that work together on rural development. The first step in this strategy is to diversify and intensify agriculture and irrigation. The second step is to focus money and resources on securing farmland for the rural poor.
Malnutrition is most common in rural areas. Half of Cambodian children are malnourished and mother and child malnutrition is on the rise. Every Cambodian needs economic and nutritional security, and access to adequate healthcare, and the government has established an economic structure to increase GDP, promote irrigation systems, expand farmland and organize micro-credit. The National Poverty Targeting Program will implement the new social agenda, and the government has increased the budget for priority social service sectors.
Dr. Mam Bun Heng began by saying that 4 out of 10 Cambodian do not have reliable access to safe water, schools, healthcare, or sanitation. The maternal mortality rate in 1998 was 473 per 100,000 live births. The Ministry of Health's strategy to promote individual health and enable all Cambodians to participate in socioeconomic development began with a process of organizational and financial reform that started in 1996, focusing on decentralization of control. Cambodia's national healthcare infrastructure has been reorganized to establish regional hospitals that work with local health centers to provide basic primary care. User fees have improved the quality of healthcare. Financing of care is one of the biggest constraints to improvement. Cambodia still needs to address the shortage of health managers with real capacity for managing funds. The Ministry of Health is now preparing to develop a long-term health master plan. Today's goals are to increase access to quality, affordable health services for the entire population, reduce morbidity and mortality among mothers and children, stem the spread of deadly and debilitating communicable diseases, promote health seeking behavior and contribute to economic development and poverty alleviation.
HE Pok Than spoke of the needs for equitable access to education for all Cambodians. Only the wealthiest 20% of the country send their children to high school. To make education available to all, the country must build some 10,000 schools over the next five years, mainly in remote areas, and deploy teachers with incentives to teach in rural areas. There must also be an elimination or reduction of required parental contributions to schools as well as illegal fees charged independently by teachers. In addition, curriculum and textbook revision is needed. Planned decentralization will give schools more leeway in decision making, planning and spending. Finally, the problem of students, especially girls, who drop out early must be addressed.
HE To Gary reminded the audience that in Cambodia, people once called their country the golden village. It was a fertile and heavily forested land thirty years ago. Today, the Ministries of Environment, Agriculture, Water, and Land Management all work together to implement sustainable environmental strategies. More than 80% of the population depends on natural resources for their basic livelihood. In 1993, Cambodia developed a national action plan on the environment. 23 wildlife sanctuaries and other protected areas were established. Cambodia joined the Convention on Biodiversity in 1995 and the Climate Change Convention in 1996.
HE Sok Siphanna asserted that trade must be part of national development policy. On this front, Cambodia is participating in a pilot framework called the Integrated Trade Framework for Least Developed Countries. It will take careful planning for Cambodia to avoid being marginalized by global trends. Cambodia's macro-economic situation is stable: GDP growth has been steady at 4% - 5% for several years, inflation and the exchange rate are reasonably stable, and foreign trade has grown exponentially in recent years and can be expected to reach a surplus within several years. Still, garments make up more than 80% of trade exports, which is too narrow. Cambodia must create 150,000 jobs a year to meet the demand of new entrants to the job market. Since 1996, Cambodia has had Normal Trade Relations with the US. The goal is accession to the WTO. In the meantime, Cambodia must develop and improve the agriculture sector and continue to use trade to combat poverty. The next challenge is to regionalize the growth of trade. Most growth to date is isolated in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville. Special Economic Zones along the border will allow Thai companies to bring in their skills and market knowledge and use Cambodia labor. Not only will this bring skills and capacity that Cambodia still lacks, but it will also open up jobs in areas that have been left out of economic development so far.
HE Son Koun Thor wrapped up, noting that in 1991 Cambodians owed $100,000 in outstanding loans. By 2000 that figure was $13 million, and micro-credit reaches 25% of families in rural areas. However, without micro-finance institutions, moneylenders charge interest rates of 10% and 20% per month. With the presence of organized micro-finance, interest rates closer to 5% are now available.
PANEL I: Best Practices in Building the Capacities of Partners
Jenny Pearson, VBNK, Cambodia; Sao Chivoan, Ministry of Rural Development, Cambodia; Chan Sophal, Cambodian Development Research Institute (CDRI), Cambodia; Sivixay Xayxanavongphet, State Planning Committee, Laos; John Connelley, Care International, Laos; Margarit Schlosser, NGO Resource Center, Vietnam; Dr. Dang Ngoc Quang, Rural Development Services Center, Vietnam
Margarit Schlosser spoke first, discussing the role of INGOs in Vietnam. INGOs have made a considerable contribution to development in Vietnam. While their financial assistance may not represent a large percentage of total Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), the primary value of INGO efforts may now be their ability to innovate, to experiment with new approaches, to do essential research, to provide high-quality training, and to assist in providing policy makers with good ideas. In 2000, the Steering Committee of the VUFO-NGO Resource Center commissioned a study on the lessons learned from a decade of working experience and cooperation in Vietnam; "Lessons Learned from a Decade of Experience. A Strategic Analysis of INGO Methods and Activities in Vietnam 1990 - 1999." Ms. Schlosser noted that INGOs speak of partnership, yet their partners sometimes feel that they underestimate them, that INGOs look down on them. INGOs speak of capacity building, yet their staff, their collaborators, their partners, and eventually even the concerned populations feel that they do not really want to let go. One trainer noted that the high interest in capacity building may signal nothing more than the INGOs' frustration with their own ineffectiveness. Can INGOs - as NGOs, as donors, as governmental extension services - honestly claim to have achieved that much capacity in their organizations?
Dang Ngoc Quang noted that a local survey of development organizations in Vietnam found that local organizations are engaged in diverse areas of development. Local organizations often say they feel they are weak in organizational and financial management. Best practices in Vietnam are learned by doing research and work with other organizations, and by looking at lessons and failures to develop curriculum for training courses that allow staff to train communities directly. Nationally, Vietnam is looking towards a project that would review the last decade of experience with INGOs and mass organizations, in the hope of developing a capacity building curriculum that can be more formally incorporated. The aim is to develop a Vietnamese-designed and inspired management development program based on national experience.
Sao Chivoan spoke of the rebuilding of social capital and local institutions in Cambodia. Development in Cambodia is structured around Village Development Committees (VDC). A focus on developing the capacity of local institutions is a major component of the government's rural development strategy. VDCs are democratically elected and directly involve rural households in all stages of development projects. INGOs have increasingly been organizing other mutual aid groups in communities, and have been instrumental in building the capacity of village and commune level development committees and in facilitating a participatory rural development process.
Chan Sophal spoke of the massive amount of aid that has come into Cambodia since the peace agreement. The scale of aid in Cambodia is of such a magnitude that it distorts the country's economy. Donors and NGOs have taken over the funding of most social services, while the government focuses its own spending on defense and security. These drawbacks are well known, what we don't understand is how foreign aid impacts capacity development, the ability to perform functions effectively, efficiently and sustainably. The Cambodia Development Resource Institute undertook an in-depth study, "Technical Assistance and Capacity Development in an Aid Dependent Economy", which looked at individual capacity, institutional capacity and financial ability of counterparts to continue similar work once outside funds have been withdrawn. What they found was that the extent of the success of technical assistance projects depends upon the importance attached to capacity development in the project's purpose. Often, governments take shortcuts like asking TA experts to do tasks that local counterparts should be trained to do, which gets a job done faster but ignores the importance of capacity development. Often, agencies circumvent government authorities, which can make a project easier, but means that projects are not structurally well placed for capacity development. Less than half the projects studied had convincing plans for long-term continued funding. The biggest threat to sustainability of capacity was that government salaries are too low, and counterparts who have been through capacity development leave to find other jobs.
Sivixay Xayxanavongphet asserted that efficient cooperation is the key to a productive working relationship between partners in development. Meaningful capacity building has five characteristics: information and knowledge; planning; participation; duration; and monitoring and evaluation.
John Connelley spoke of CARE's work in Laos. Within CARE's work, capacity development partners are government staff at the district and provincial level, rather than institutions or organizations. Even when those agencies lack both technical capacity and planning or project development skills, working with district staff is a real opportunity to make your work sustainable. Effective capacity building means asking what you want district staff to be able to do at the end of your program that they weren't able to do at the outset. Project staff work under a district monitoring committee and a provincial advisory committee, and part of CARE's capacity building work emphasizes developing the skills of these administrators as well. Part of the shift from working with to working through begins with training these administrators so that over time NGO involvement can be dramatically reduced.
Questions touched on how Cambodia expects to go about establishing VDCs in 69% of all villages; is there a sector in which the government of Laos particularly welcomes the support of INGOs; will people carry through with a holistic process; how can you encourage governments to prioritize capacity development; what the RDSC does for follow-up for people who have completed training courses; and what happens when funds are set aside for capacity building but not project implementation.
BOX: "One trainer noted that the high interest in capacity building may signal nothing more than the INGOs' frustration with their own ineffectiveness. Can INGOs - as NGOs, as donors, as governmental extension services - honestly claim to have achieved that much capacity in their organizations?"
PANEL J: Addressing the Emerging Youth Problem
Keo Samnang, Ministry of Social Affairs, Labor Vocational Training and Youth Rehabilitation, Cambodia; Sebastian Morot, FRIENDS, Cambodia; Phoxay Khamphoumy, Lao Youth Union; Phetlamphanh Yadanegi, Bahai Development Agency, Laos; Pham Thi Phuong Chi, Vietnam Youth Federation; Tran Thi Van, UNFPA, Vietnam
Keo Samnang was the first speaker of the panel, noting that Cambodia’s population is unusually young, as fully half of the population is under the age of 18. Estimates suggest that as many as 20,000 children live on the streets of Phnom Penh. Drug use is on the rise, and young people are increasingly involved in more serious crimes like armed robberies and vandalism and the country does not have a separate juvenile justice system – anyone over 13 can be detained with adult prisoners. The Ministry of Social Affairs works with NGOs on a number of projects that address the continuing problem of children being trafficked for labor or prostitution, both by reintegrating those children with their own communities and by working to prevent trafficking in the first place.
Sebastian Marot noted that street children are a broad group of youths, including children who live and work on the streets alone, children who work on the streets but have homes that they return to at night, and children who live with their families on the streets. In Phnom Penh, it is estimated there are 1,000 street living children, 10,000 street working children, and 500 children in street families. In truth, street children are not so much more likely to be drug addicted or promiscuous, but they are more visible than other children. Gangs are usually blamed on street children when a closer inspection shows that the kids organizing and managing gangs often have homes and go to school, but street children are their most visible recruits. Experience shows that reintegrated street children are very successful, and many of them work hard as advocates and role models for other vulnerable groups in society, and so promote development in Cambodia. Work with street children can be a strategy for development if that work promotes sustainable reintegration of street children instead of offering welfare and care. Working with street children is an on-going investment in society and in sustainable development, but the work will never be donor free.
Phetlamphanh Yadanegi discussed the Bahai principle that spiritual and moral education is an essential part of children’s character and personality development. Their vision is to develop a moral education framework in Laos. The primary values of trustworthiness and truthfulness form the basis of their curriculum. While parents bear the primary responsibility for the upbringing of their children and youth, teachers, leaders and civil servants are charged with molding the nation, and promoting and defending humanitarian law, rights and values. Their actions set the example that children will follow. Trustworthy moral leadership and institutions must form the foundation of a just and equitable society where collective action and decision making is possible.
Phoxay Khamphoumy said that as the Lao economy opens its foreign economic relations, young people need the vocational skills and knowledge that will allow them to join in economic development as business leaders, managers and technicians. Young people today find they lack the skills they need to find permanent employment, or that permanent employment simply is not available. Other problems facing Lao youth include increased amphetamine use, lack of self-confidence or trust in society, and lack of access to education, health care or basic food and clothing.
Pham Thi Phuong Chi noted that some of the primary areas of concern for Vietnamese youth are education, healthcare, and employment opportunities (youth account for 60% of under-employed people). Vietnam lacks youth specific health policies to address the impact of HIV/AIDS and substance abuse in young people. Quality sexuality education is also scarce. The Program of Self-Assertion, Self-Establishment and Contribution to Building a Prosperous Country has launched two campaigns, "Economize and Accumulate" and "Building New Countryside", which help young adults find capital for production and business endeavors, especially self-employment, income generation and participation in economic development.
Tran Thi Van said that while not as overwhelmingly young as Cambodia, Vietnam also has a large population of school-aged children. Today they place a real burden on the school system that must meet the demand for teachers. Over the coming decade, Vietnam must come up with just over 12 million new jobs. While statistics show that infant and maternal mortality are declining with the birth rate, and more Vietnamese are using contraception, the overall quality of reproductive health remains low.
Questions touched on approaches to moral education in the three countries.
PANEL K: Roles of Community in Environment Protection
Peter Riggs, Rockefeller Brothers Foundation; HE To Gary, Ministry of Environment, Cambodia; Toeur Veasna, Mlup Baitang, Cambodia; Thongsoune Bounphaxaysonh, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Laos; Michael Hedemark, World Conservation Society, Laos; Vo Dinh Thanh, SIDA, Vietnam; Vu Thi Quyen, Education for Nature, Vietnam
HE To Gary said that the rural poor in Cambodia survive through a seasonal rotation of farming, fishing and foraging in forested lands. Restricting public access to any of these domains could end this diversified, range-dependent survival strategy with devastating consequences for rural people. Where traditional use of natural resources is threatened by competition for those resources through poaching and exploitative uses, local residents often abandon traditional use guidelines in an effort to benefit from the resources before they are taken by outsiders. The goal of community based natural resource management is to give local communities a central role in identifying resources, defining development priorities and implementing management practices. For example, although almost all of the Tonle Sap’s fisheries have been sold as lots to commercial fishers, the government sub-decree on community fisheries opened up a significant portion of those lots to community management.
Thongsoune Bounphaxaysonh asserted that the primary environmental concerns of Laos include deforestation, soil erosion and sedimentation, loss of watershed function, loss of biodiversity, and industrial and infrastructure related pollution. He then discussed the particular case of upland farmers – the poorest segment of the population – saying that so long as upland dwellers rely on shifting cultivation, poverty and environmental degradation cannot be solved. With more than 150,000 families practicing shifting cultivation today, the goal of the government is to stop shifting cultivation altogether by 2010. The Ministry of Environment recognizes that the people are the custodians of environmental resources. The first step of government policy is to decentralize environmental management, placing final implementation of policy in the hands of local communities.
Vo Dinh Thanh said that in the last 10 years, the Vietnamese government has paid particular attention to the importance of environmental protection, has developed laws on environmental protection, and sustainable development strategies. If the community is not involved, however, environmental issues cannot be controlled. At the local level, there is no history of attention to environmental preservation. Also, local communities do not have the knowledge or information that they need to use the resources sustainably, and they lack the power to promote policies or implement national strategies. Environmental projects, especially small scale ones, do not outlast the NGO presence, because there is not enough skills transfer to the community to keep it going.
Vu Thi Quyen discussed Vietnam’s first National Park, Cuc Phuong, founded in 1962. The Cuc Phuong environmental education program works to raise awareness among both locals and park visitors about nature, environmental conservation, and the need to be involved in protecting the park. This program is the longest running community based environmental education program in the country and is widely recognized as a model.
Toeur Veasna noted that Mlup Baitang had just begun working on community based natural resource management in early 2000. They organize environmental awareness events and lead participatory rural appraisals. Environmental protection and natural resource management, through the participation and empowerment of communities, is an effective approach, but the will of the community must be taken into account, and teaching materials should be suitable to the community’s education level. Projects need sufficient resources to implement work and must cooperate with other NGOs, similar projects, and government offices to protect the environment without compromising the priorities of local communities.
Michael Hedemark said that in Laos, 80% of protein comes from the forest. Natural resources are also insurance against natural disasters, and provide up to half of rural income, often in quantities double the value of the forest as logs. While communities are able to establish sustainable harvesting and consumption rules, they cannot enforce these rules when it comes to people from outside the village or people of higher status. Communities are able to make plans for local resources, and have had some notable success in this regard, but communities are not capable of making plans for non-local resources like migratory animals or of responding to threats to resources that come from outside the boundaries of their communities.
Questions touched on eco-tourism in Laos; the role minority peoples play in the management of national parks; if national parks are open for the use of natural resources; how much forest is cut down in Laos by highland people and whether concessions are provided; what the implications of administrative decentralization are on environmental policies and practices in the three countries; and if efforts are being made to raise environmental awareness among ministries.
BOX: "Where traditional use of natural resources is threatened by competition for those resources through poaching and exploitative uses, local residents often abandon traditional use guidelines in an effort to benefit from the resources before they are taken by outsiders."
PANEL L: Strengthening Higher Education and Vocational Training to Address Social and Economic Development
Everett Kleinjans, Royal Academy of Cambodia; HE Pok Than, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Cambodia; David Ford, Australian Volunteers International, Cambodia; Phonephet Boupha, Ministry of Education, Laos; Hans Luther, National Organization for Study of Policy and Administration, Laos; Nguyen Tien Hung, National Institute for Educational Development, Vietnam; Jack Bailey, Institute of International Education, Vietnam
HE Pok Than said that Cambodia recognizes that poverty is a significant factor in access to all levels of education. This point particularly applies to post-secondary education. Therefore, a top priority for Cambodia is to increase access to higher education and technical vocational education and training for the poorest as part of the Government’s overall poverty reduction strategic plan. The Government is also conscious of the need to address significant urban/rural and gender disparities in current enrollment patterns. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) will formulate policies that enable both public and private institutions to respond to education/market needs. MEYS is confident that over the next 5 – 10 years post-secondary provision can be repositioned to improve quality and market relevance.
David Ford noted that the majority of Cambodia’s teaching staff passed through the shattered and dysfunctional remains of the education system after the Khmer Rouge era. They can in no way be considered as merely a group of ordinary teachers. They now have an understandable reluctance to share or collaborate and their attitude to political leadership is not surprisingly a mixture of distrust and fear. They are geared towards individual survival rather than institutional success. There is increasing pressure of the system to expand. Even in its present weakened state, Cambodian higher education continues to serve a vital function. Political stability and economic growth are creating an expectation and momentum for change. But finally, these reforms and strengthening strategies will have little effect unless the government shows its commitment to education by paying teachers a livable wage based on competence and performance.
Phonephet Boupha asserted one of the goals of the Lao government is to develop human resources equipped with suitable knowledge and ability. Educational development will focus on access to and quality improvement of human resource development to meet the needs of the country’s socio-economic objectives. In particular, education represents a major form of intervention in poverty alleviation. Mr. Boupha was somewhat critical of the post-secondary education system in Laos from 1975 to 1986, citing poor management, inadequate or irrelevant programs, dilapidated facilities, under-qualified teaching staff and low external efficiency. Currently, higher educational institutions in Laos only number ten, four of which are privately run. During the period 1991 – 2000, the overall enrollment in bachelor degree program increased by 166%.
Hans Luther said that strengthening higher education will require developing the links, methods and content of higher education. While the "hardware" (roads and buildings) has been supplied, the "software" (education and participation) has not. People on all educational levels have to learn to learn. The curricula should be less abstract and more connected to real life experiences. Reforms are often misunderstood as a goal in and of themselves. Finally, if primary education fails in its task, not much can be expected from higher education.
Nguyen Tien Hung noted that Vietnam sees the role of education as a determining factor for its success of transforming into an industrialized country by 2020. However, a critical gap exists between the quantity and quality of lecturers and technical teachers, especially at the university level. Investment in education on a per capita basis remains relatively low. In educational management, developing strategic directions and macro policies has been slow. To overcome these difficulties, the educational system in Vietnam must: consistently improve the curriculum, training and educational methodology; develop teaching and lecturing staff; improve the national educational system; develop the network of educational institutions; increase financial resources for education, and; improve educational management.
Jack Bailey said that IIE sees higher education as crucial to economic development. The 1990s saw the creation of the first large national universities in Vietnam. The hope is that at larger universities, scholars and students can begin to make linkages across fields and find synergy of information. A frequent concern in Vietnam is that graduating students should have skills that are actually needed by the economy and match the available jobs. International exchange partnerships are emerging in new forms to meet some of these challenges. In addition to such programs, Vietnamese students continue to pursue education abroad, and those numbers will grow, which presents yet another challenge, as the country should try to get the most out of the skills these students bring home.
Questions touched on how higher education impacts poverty alleviation; how you can assist self-funded students who want to study abroad; what incentives will sustain the intellectual capacity of developing countries; and how higher education can be made accessible to the poor, especially in rural areas.
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