UNDP Deputy Country Director's speech at commune database workshop

It is with great honor that I welcome all of you to this important and timely seminar.
Timely because we are now 5 years from 2015 which is the year when all countries will take stock of our collective progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals.  Timely as we are here to discuss how we can make best use of one gem, the national Commune Database, to monitor progress towards the Cambodia Millennium Development Goals at the local level.

I would like to take this opportunity to commend the Ministry of Planning, for its commitment to advancing the Cambodian Millennium Development Goals agenda as the benchmark for human development and poverty reduction in Cambodia … And to congratulate the Ministry of Planning and the National Committee for Sub-national Democratic Development (NCDD) for taking this joint initiative, which, as you will see, highlights the importance of coordinated inter-governmental efforts towards MDGs monitoring. 

The Commune Database contains very valuable information relating to socio-economic trends, in particular disaggregated data on gender, age, and ethnic/religious minorities. As such it represents a precious means of monitoring the Cambodia Millennium Development Goals at the national and sub-national levels. Indeed, many variables of the Commune Database are linked to the Millennium Development Goals and Targets as identified in the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP).

Why a renewed focus on monitoring the CMDGs and why at local level?

First, strengthening the capacity, tools and systems to monitor the Cambodia Millennium Development Goals at the decentralized level are critical if Government is to be able to bridge the gap between aggregate national development priorities and local disparities, based on geographical location and / or gender status. The Commune Database has the potential to become a form of provincial MDG scorecard which has been experimented with success in a number of countries in the sub-region.

Secondly monitoring and reporting on the Cambodia Millennium Development Goals at the decentralized level will help build local support and demand for changes that will help us meet the CMDG.

Lastly the Commune Database can also create more effective linkages between the national and sub-national planning processes. Through these links, opportunities for strategic investments in areas deemed high priority by individual provinces can be identified, and channels to provide recommendations and follow-up with the Government can be developed.

In the wake of its tumultuous past, Cambodia has initiated a gradual but steady process of development that over the years has produced remarkable progress. Building on these early achievements, it is possible to make the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals at the decentralized level a reality for all Cambodians.  Cambodia has several challenges to overcome on the road to achieving the Millennium Development Goals at the decentralized level. I have chosen to highlight only a few:

•    Despite prolonged economic growth during the past decade, rural growth has barely kept pace with population growth; inequalities appear to be increasing between rural and urban areas and unemployment is a considerable challenge in rural areas.

•    Health and sanitary conditions of a significant share of the population are still a matter of concern. The under-five mortality rate has likely increased slightly over the last decade. Maternal mortality in Cambodia remains unacceptably high, with five Cambodian women dying in labor every day.

•    Cambodia’s natural resources also require our priority attention if we are to pass on this tremendous legacy to the next generation.

•    Moreover, since mid-2008, Cambodia has been affected by the combination of high oil and food prices and the global financial crisis, contributing to significant loss of jobs in a number of sectors. This slowdown of growth is likely to reverse gains in poverty and make it much more difficult to achieve Millennium Development Goals targets by 2015.

•    Gains in poverty and hunger are also at stake because of Cambodia’s high vulnerability to the potential impacts of climate change (particularly floods and droughts) on agricultural production and productivity, and its high dependence on fuel wood and the consequent pressure on deforestation. Climate change therefore poses a considerable challenge to achieving CMDG targets.

Looking ahead to 2015 and beyond, there is no question that Cambodia can achieve the overarching goal. But it will require a collective and long-term effort. Time has been lost. Cambodia and its Development Partners have missed opportunities and now face additional challenges, such as the current global economic downturn, making the task ahead more difficult. It is now a collective responsibility to make up lost ground – and to put Cambodia, firmly on track towards a more prosperous, sustainable and equitable country. 

Achieving the Cambodia Millennium Development Goals at the decentralized level requires addressing key challenges and taking a number of key actions. These include:

1.    Designing and implementing a sustainable safety net system that will not only address issues of hunger and shield the poor from economic shocks, but also empower them to take risks and stimulate entrepreneurship;

2.    Improving health service delivery and access to health services, particularly, given the high levels of maternal mortality, for women - making available to women a comprehensive package of services which includes: family planning, pre-natal care, obstetrics, reproductive health, voluntary confidential counseling and testing and other HIV services;

3.    Improving the gender focus of all sectoral interventions to allow women: improved economic and educational opportunities; enhanced access to health services; more opportunities for participation in decision-making; and protection from violence, exploitation and other risks;

4.    Improving governance at all levels, including: the participation of people in decisions affecting their lives; the rationalization of planning and budgeting systems, linking national and sub-national systems; improved civil service capacity and performance in delivering services to address the needs of the population; fighting corruption; and improving the rule of law and respect for human rights

Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,
As Development Partners, we reconfirm our commitment to working in partnership with government in the advancement of the Millennium Development Goals. Through the concerted efforts of the UN system in Cambodia, UNDP will continue to work closely with government and civil society to develop national and sub national capacity to monitor both the implementation of the NSDP and local progress towards the CMDGs.

We look forward to this seminar, during which: concepts, risks, vulnerabilities, and the current Cambodia MDGs status will be discussed to help inform our dialogue to move forward. 

 

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