Anti-Corruption Coordinated Action Program
Duration
November 2004 - November 2006
Donors
USAID, Danida
Overview
Corruption has been widely recognized as the one
of the largest problems currently hindering Cambodia’s development.
According to a 2004 USAID Corruption Assessment Report, it is
estimated that “annual diversions from government coffers range
between $300 and $500 million.”
The impact of corruption within Cambodia permeates
all aspects of daily life for all citizens. High levels of collusion
between the state and the private sector result in a fundamental
distortion of the basic legal and regulatory framework and allow:
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Clean Hand sponsored boats during the Water
Festival |
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Collection of limited legal revenues,
as large sums are lost to bribes and other illegal
practices;
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Redistribution of revenues within a small circle of elites;
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Sanction of citizens and
institutions that threaten structures enabling collusion; and
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Diversion of pressures to address the systematic pandemic of
corruption.
The Royal Government of Cambodia has placed
anti-corruption at the centre of its “Rectangular Strategy” for
Growth, Employment, Equity and Efficiency, and Prime Minister Hun Sen
has stated that “The key thrust of the Royal
Government of Cambodia’s strategy to fight corruption is to take
concrete actions that attack the roots of corruption.” (First Cabinet
Meeting of the Third Legislature of the National Assembly, July 2004)
Pact’s Anti-Corruption Coordinated Action Program
(ACCAP) is designed to support all stakeholders in
achieving the anti-corruption component of the Rectangular Strategy. A
coordinated multi-sector effort will bring together civil society,
government, donors and the media to fight corruption, and create broad constituencies for reform.
Goal
To build broad based public support for government
anti-corruption reforms
Objectives
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Assist the government in drafting international standard
anti-corruption and freedom of information legislations
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Assess government capacity to conduct investigations on and fight
corruption
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Strengthen the media’s capacity to investigate and report on
corruption
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Encourage
and strengthen private sector associations to fight against corruption
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Build broad based action by civil society to address corruption
issues.
Achievements to Date
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A moto taxi on the streets of Phnom Penh with
the Clean hand sticker |
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Drafting of the anti-corruption law - Since
early 2005, ACCAP has worked closely with the Ministry of
National Assembly-Senate Relations (MoNASRI) to provide and coordinate
expert technical assistance in drafting the Law on
Anti-Corruption.
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Anti-corruption law workshop - In July 2005
in conjunction with the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC),
ACCAP organized a day and a half workshop for civil society on
International Standards in Anti-Corruption Instruments. Over
five hundred workshop participants representing government,
students, donors, international experts and civil society discussed
international best practices in fighting corruption. As a result of this
meeting, the Civil Society Organizations Against Corruption Coalition formed to provide input to the Law on Anti-Corruption and
to advocate for the inclusion of international standards.
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Donor Coordination - ACCAP plays an active
role in coordinating donor efforts in the fight against corruption,
and has taken the lead in preparing talking points
and position papers on behalf of the Informal Donor Working Group on
Anti-Corruption. The result of these efforts is a unified donor
position on the draft Law on Anti-Corruption.
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Clean Hand campaign - In late
2005, Pact launched the Clean Hand Campaign Against Corruption
in partnership with a wide range of organizations. The campaign
aims to mobilize public support for anti-corruption efforts and to
increase the willingness of people to talk openly about corruption.
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Anti Corruption Day – On December 9 2005
a coalition of NGOs collaborated in implementing a celebration of International Anti
Corruption Day. A range of activities was held across 8 of
Cambodia’s 24 provinces, including public forums, marches and
concerts. A total of 8,000 Clean Hand T-shirts and 20,000 leaflets were also distributed.
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Clean Hand Treaty - The symbolic
Clean Hand Treaty (Khmer
version) was developed in December 2005 by the Civil Society Organizations
Against Corruption Coalition. The treaty is intended to provide all
people with the opportunity to voice their understanding of the
costs of corruption and their commitment to fighting it. In the
first month over 12,000 people signed the treaty.
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Subgrants - ACCAP provides subgrants to local CBOs for community-based anti-corruption
initiatives.
Publications
Please see the
Publications page.
Subgrants
Please see the Subgrants page.
Useful
Links
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