A two day workshop had been conducted on 28-29 June 2007 by CCSP in collaboration with ILDO, a NGO partner, in Battambang to reach to consensus among NGOs in forming up a network which will work in support of D&D in Battambang. The meeting had 13 participants from NGOs, which most of them is working with and in support of commune councils and decentralization. These NGOs were Islamic Local Development Organization (ILDO), Christian Development of Kampuchea (CDK), Khmer National Community Economic Development (KNCED), Operation Enfants du Cambodge (OEC), AMARA, Khmer Rural Development Association (KRDA), Krom Aphiwat Phum (KAWP), Buddhism and Democracy Organization (B&D), Buddhism for Development (BFD), SABORAS, Meatophum Kumar (MPK), HelpAge International (HAI), Village Support Group (VSG), Khmer Welfare Family Rural Association (KWRA).
OBJECTIVE
The overall objective of the meeting is to encourage and support local NGOs so that they can form NGO network on D&D and build required capacity to engage with the subnational governments on D&D issues.
OUTPUT OF THE MEETING
The primary output of the meeting was a broader consensus and solidarity built among Battambang based provincial NGOs interested to work on D&D issues and willing and committment to form and activate NGO network on D&D in Battambang to engage with the subnational governments on D&D issues with collective strength and strengthened capacity.
Specifically, the meeting produced following outputs:
1. Awareness Raising to NGOs
The awareness of NGOs in Battambang was heightened as they had gotten to know more about the current status of D&D, the progress of developing organic law for D&D reform implementation, the NGOs roles in D&D, and the experiences of networking formation. The meeting had also brought them to know some specific areas/opportunities which the NGOs may work through directly or indirectly in supporting D&D through the NGO network once it is established. Those areas/opportunities had been shown by the facilitator consultant presentation on Commune Investment Program (CIP), District Initiative Project (DIP), the management structure of National Committee to Support Decentralization and Deconcentration Reform Program (NCDD) both at national and subnational levels, Inter-commune Cooperation (ICC), and Accountability Working Group of Commune Fund. Adding to this, the participants had learnt about the experiences of Working Group for Partnership in Decentralization (WGPD).
2. Memorandum of Understanding
NGOs had agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding [MOU] on the formation of NGO network on D&D. The MOU has included network goal, objective, topical areas for network activities, structure, organization, selection process of network coordinator, role and responsibility of coordinating organization and member organizations, communication links with national level actor. Noteworthy is that there were two interesting things in the MoU: (1) the meeting had decided to have a Network Committee of three NGO members, rather than a Network Coordinator and (2) named their network Battambang Network to Support Decentralization and Deconcentration (BNSD). (See MOU of Battambang NGOs as attached.)
