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Democratic Governance

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A group of Cambodians in their early 20s visit Cambodia’s National Assembly as part of a UNDP-supported outreach to raise awareness about democratic process among young Cambodians.

The Royal Government of Cambodia recognizes that good governance is a prerequisite for economic development and poverty reduction. As such, UNDP supports the Government to strengthen systems, institutions and mechanisms that enable elected representatives, officials and communities to perform their functions effectively, from the national to the local level.

UNDP works closely with the government to improve democratic governance in the following areas: decentralization and local governance development through decentralization and deconcentration reform, parliament, democratic debate, women’s empowerment and inclusion of marginalized groups. We are also helping to build a more robust democracy through providing long-term support to institutions, civic education initiatives and the media.

In the area of local governance, the new Organic Law on the Administrative Management of the Capital, Provinces, Municipalities, Districts and Khans represents an opportunity to provide local voices to the communities and to strengthen representation and participation. The decentralization and deconcentration reform, which aims to devolve key functions and budget to the local level, is expected to increase efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of social services to the rural poor, thus enhancing access to health and education. The reform also has the potential to enable local economic development planning, thus reducing socio-economic disparities between regions.

Democratic Governance Programme Factsheet

Key Facts about Democratic Governance in Cambodia:

  1. The country’s National Strategic Development Plan places good governance at its core, recognizing it as the most important pre-condition for achieving sustainable socio-economic development with equity, equal opportunity and social justice.
  2. The country’s administrative areas comprise one Capital city, 23 provinces, 26 municipalities, 159 districts, 8 Khans, and 1621 communes/sangkats.
  3. The first election of commune councils was held in February 2002, with the second in April 2007. The first indirect elections of provincial, municipal, district councils were held in May 2009.
  4. The Law on Administrative Management of Capital, Provinces, Municipalities District and Khans extends representative deliberative power to all levels of Sub-National administration in the country. This law paved the way for developing the National Programme for Sub-National Democratic Development, which will provide the framework for further local governance reforms over the next 10 years.
  5. In the general election on 27th July 2008, 11 political parties competed for 123 seats at the National Assembly, compared to 23 political parties in 2003. In 2008, 73 percent of seats went to the ruling Cambodian People's Party.

Sources: 1. National Strategic Development Plan 2006-2010, Royal Government of Cambodia; 2. Local Development Outlook, UNDCF 2010; 3. Annual Report 2009, UNDP 2010; 4. Local Development Outlook, UNDCF; 5. 2008 Election Report, UNDP 2008

Last updated: 02 February 2012
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