Cambodia

Co-Managed by FCM and the National League of Communes/Sangkats of Cambodia

Local Economic Development priorities

Local governments in Cambodia play important LED roles, even though the legal framework issued by the national government does not clearly specify their economic development mandate. Demonstration projects implemented with members will show how good practices can be adapted and applied. Within the program, NLC/S will represent the needs and interest of members to central and provincial governments to create the political will for more serious local government involvement in economic development. Therefore, a critical activity of the program is to nurture political leadership, including women and youth leaders. The LED issues identified by NLC/S members for Demonstration Projects in Cambodia are:

1. Insufficient capacity and resources to develop local infrastructures (in particular, roads)
2. Lack of investments and services to help SMEs develop and grow
3. Knowledge and skills related to agriculture techniques are not available outside of major centers
4. No strategy/facilities to transform (add-value) locally for agriculture production (dependency on major centers)

Note: The 1^st Demonstration Project is on the theme of LED Strategic Planning. It involves 3 Canadian municipalities and 4 Cambodian Municipalities/Districts as primary partners; and a larger pool of about 30 Municipalities/Districts from 2 Provinces will be nurtured for knowledge sharing, replication purposes.

Priorities related to Association Capacity Building and the Enabling Environment

The role of local governments in advancing and enabling local economic development is only marginally recognized and local elected councils are mostly concerned with investments in infrastructures. As such, NLC/S has yet to fully engage on the issue of LED. The LED theme thus represents a major "uncertainty" and a major opportunity for NLC/S. The ACB component of the country program strategy is aligned on the Strategic Plan of the League. The priority needs identified by NLC/S for support by MPED are:

1. WBS 2100: a) Advance the leadership of NLC/S through improved association governance and membership engagement. b) Enhance capacities of NLC/S for program governance and management (including MPED). c) Support NLC/S to play a role to advance the gender equality agenda in Cambodia, in particular regarding increasing women participation in politics.
2. WBS 2200: a) Raise awareness on LED among membership. b) Strengthen capacities to conduct policy research and articulate the needs of members. c) Develop and nurture a dialogue with national/provincial ministries regarding LED-related issues and the needs of members.
3. WBS 2300: a) Support NLC/S's financial sustainability through the development of proposals to mobilize resources (in particular from donors, with the aim to provide services to members). b) Develop capacity to support the effective mainstreaming of gender equality and environmental sustainability in capacity development projects aiming at members.

About NLC/S

NLC/S is a voluntary organization. It represents the Provincial Associations of Communes/Sangkats from all 24 provinces, reaching out to a grassroots of 1,621 local elected councils. The Board of Directors consists of a President and 3 Vice-Presidents. The Secretariat of NLC/S consists of 6 staffs: Secretary General, policy advisor, capacity building advisor, administrative and finance officers, communication officer and program assistant. Annual revenues for 2009 were USD $18,200.