Conflict mediation helps bring justice closer to Cambodia’s poor

Press Release

Conflict mediation helps bring justice closer to Cambodia’s poor

PHNOM PENH, 15 December 2010: Using mediation as an out-of-court means to solve civic conflict has helped to reduce hardships for many Cambodians living in the countryside, who often cannot afford to use, or a daunted by, the traditional legal channels.

Mediation is just one of a number of alternative justice approaches piloted by a joint Royal Government of Cambodia/United Nations Development Programme initiative, called Access to Justice, which aims to give rural Cambodians greater access to legal services.  

In particular, the project aims to narrow the gap between formal and informal justice systems and increase justice services for the country’s most disadvantaged groups, especially women, indigenous people and the rural poor. Since April 2006, mediation practices have been piloted in six provinces: Kampong Speu, Kampong Chhnang, Siem Reap, Battambang, Rattanakiri and Mondulkiri.

The successes and challenges in applying these approaches were the focus of today’s conference titled “Alternative Pathways to Justice”, which brought together government officials, development partners and key stakeholders.

“This project has helped to bridge the gap between formal and informal justice systems in a way that is effective and reliable. In this context, we would like to see continued support by development partners to sustain the project the aim of which is to contribute to reducing poverty in Cambodia,” H.E. Ang Vong Vathana, Minister of Justice, said in his remarks to the conference.

Another non-traditional approach to resolving disputes piloted by the project are forum called “community conversations”. In this process, villagers, through facilitators, come together to talk openly about issues of domestic violence in their community. Through these forums they have also received training in legal and human rights awareness as a preventive measure to minimize disputes. Another important method is the establishment of dispute resolution committees at commune level to mediate conflicts between local residents.

The project’s achievements include:

-    890 community conversations held, increasing understanding and awareness about domestic violence
-    56 Commune Dispute Resolution Committees were established, which mediated some 2,652 civic dispute cases
-    20 justice centres – Maisons de la justice – were created at district level, which mediated 676 cases
-    14 peace tables for dispute resolution were held between local authorities and indigenous communities

Since courts in Cambodia don’t exist outside provincial towns, seeking their services often prove to be a heavy financial burden for poor villagers in terms of costs for travel and time required to follow up on their complaint. As such alternative dispute resolution method has been viewed as a very helpful means to bring justice closer to those who need it the most.

“The project has demonstrated that alternative dispute resolution is an effective and cost-efficient way to improve access to justice, especially for the poor and vulnerable,” Ms. Sophie Baranes, UNDP Deputy Country Director, said in her remarks.

She added that further support by international community will be crucial to assist the government and other organizations in scaling up alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and to improve access to justice nationwide.

The project is a joint initiative between the Council for Legal and Judicial Reform, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice, UNDP and Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).  

For further information please contact:
Aimee Brown: 012 760 513, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Ker Munthit: 011 905 261,
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