The Dissemination of PILAC2

By Sok Lak

“Project for Capacity Development for Implementing the Organic Law at Capital and Provincial Level (PILAC2)” held the dissemination seminar on September 13, 2011 in Phnom Penh. PILAC2 is a technical cooperation project under the Secretariat of National Committee for Sub-National Democratic Development Secretariat (NCDDS), and supported by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It aims to disseminate informative project outputs related to the decentralization and de-concentration (D&D) reform in Cambodia during the first phase of the project, March 2010 – July 2011.

H.E. Leng Vy, Director General of General Department of Local administration for Ministry of Interior (GDLA/MOI) and First Deputy Chairperson of the National Committee for Democratic Development at Sub-national level Secretariat (NCDDS) said that the first phase of PILAC2 has been completed successfully. “One of the important achievements is to organize training programs on five year development plans and three year rolling investment programs across the country.”

He added those training programs contribute to the formulation of development plans and investment programs at capital, provincial, municipal, district and khan levels.

As the progress decentralization and de-concentration, the promulgation of the organic law in May 2008 and the first council election of capital, province, municipalities, districts, and khans were successfully conducted in May 2009 and the foundation of new local administration system has been laid down. The second, the 10-year national program for sub-national democratic development (NP-SNDD) 2010-2019 was prepared and officially approved by the Royal Government of Cambodia in May 2010. In addition to NP-SNDD, implementation plan first three year 2011-2013 (IP3) for implementing NP-SNDD first step was approved by NCDD and 6 sub-programs such as NCDDS, MOI, SSCS, MEF, MOP association are implementing. The third, the formulation of five-year development plans and three-year rolling investment programs in capital, province, district, municipal, and khans has started since march 2011.

Mr. Yukiharu Kobayashi, Senior representative of JICA Cambodia office said that the Royal Government of Cambodia has so far made significant progress in implementing is decentralization and de-concentration policies and strategies.

“Significant a centralized governing system towards a more decentralized structure is a very comprehensive and time consuming undertaking, associated with tremendous challenges at all stages of the process.”

The National program for sub-national development, the three-year implementation plan, as well as promulgating the law on financial regime and property management for sub-national administrations are admirable evidence that Cambodia is on the right track to achieve its goals and to improve good government, public service delivery , and subsequently eradicate poverty in the country.

The PILAC1 facilitated training of MOI personnel and provincial staff engaged in the D&D reform policy from February 2007 to February 2010 with total budget of 374,136,000 JPY while the PILAC2 aims to enhance the progress of D&D reform through the capacity building on 5-year development plans and 3-year rolling investment programs at capital and provincial level from March 2010 to March 2015 with Budget to implement is 219,184,000 JPY.