Ministry of Planning
About the Partnership
In 2019, Cambodia, for the first time, is presenting the Voluntary National Review (VNR) at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (UNHLPF) in July in New York City. The Ministry of Planning (MoP) takes the lead in this country-driven process of the review of and reporting on Cambodian Sustainable Development Goals (CSDGs). To prepare for the VNR process, MoP needs to gather and consolidate inputs from and join effort with line-ministries as well as Civil Society Organizing (CSOs) working in sectors corresponding to the goals.
As CSOs’ involvement is crucial to the VNR and the implementation and review of CSDGs, ODC, since January 2019, has forged a collaborative partnership with the Ministry of Planning (MoP) to facilitate MoP’s attempt to enhance public awareness and facilitate the monitoring of the CSDGs through an online open data platform.
ODC and MoP representatives (1st and 2nd from the left) at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum Side Event, 2018. Photo: Open Development Initiative
The agreement binds the two parties to conduct activities that help drive the implementation and review of the CSDGs. The agreed activities include engaging CSOs, organizing various workshops (to be participated by the government and CSOs), sharing relevant data, and raising fund for necessary activities under the agreement.
ODC is researching and writing SDG page and detailing the implementation progress of each goal so that other CSOs and ministries working on achieving the CSDGs can have an additional resource of data and information to evaluate and enhance their organizations’ activities. At the same time, the page allows the concerned public to learn about the aspects and implementation process of CSDGs. ODC has also contributed financially to the publication of the CSDGs which are distributed across ministries, government institutions, CSOs, embassies and more.
Ceremony to release Cambodian Sustainable Development Goals
Considering the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the collaboration with MoP, ODC has made SDGs one of our top priorities on which we are rigorously working to help push forward Cambodia’s sustainable development for all.
SDGs and CSDGs
In September 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This contained 17 items that have become known as the UN (SDGs), with another goal for some country like Cambodia, intended to drive action in critically important areas to the year 2030. These goals have been broken down into 169 targets and 230 indicators.
SDGs were designed with the aims to replace the Millennium Development Agenda, which had eight goals to be achieved by 2015. The new goals were developed partly in response to criticism of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These previous goals were perceived as lacking ownership by all stakeholders, being more relevant to global rather than local development contexts, and giving preference to what donors wanted rather than local development processes.
SDGs localization in Cambodia is made by consultative workshops held by the Ministry of Planning. The participants included representatives from each government ministry, development partners and UN agencies who reviewed the targets and indicators of each SDG to adapt them to Cambodia to inform the work of Technical Working Groups (TWGs). These groups have to develop more specific plans across different functions of the national and sub-national government. CSDGs contain 18 goals – the additional one is concerning explosive remnants of wars – 88 targets and 148 indicators.
