Aid Pledges Continue Despite CNRP Calls for Delay
Germany has pledged $64 million in aid donations to Cambodia for this year and next, amounting to a “substantial increase” over the past two years of official German assistance to the country, the German Embassy announced on Wednesday. Germany’s new aid package, the majority of which—$54 million—will go toward health and rural development, was pledged Wednesday despite a call by the CNRP for donors to delay signing official agreements with Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government until disputes over July’s national election are resolved. The World Bank said late last month that it too was preparing a two-year strategy plan for Cambodia, also likely to come with more aid pledges for the government. … The statement also cites Chhieng Yanara, secretary-general of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), which takes the lead in the government’s relations with donors, saying that the government’s reform efforts would focus on good governance, “in particular the fight against corruption.” … Starting in the 1990s, the government and its main aid donors held a top-level aid meeting roughly every 18 months. Originally known as the Consultative Group meeting, the government renamed the meeting the Community Development Cooperation Forum, during which donors pledged their assistance for the coming year and the government would agree on governance reform targets and update donors on progress made. Similar but lower-level meetings between donor representatives and government officials were held every six months. But the CDC has not called a Cooperation Forum since early 2010, or a meeting of the lower-level Government-Development Partner Coordinating Committee in more than a year. … The suspension of the donor meeting also coincided with the rise of China as the country’s principal benefactor, and regular criticism by Mr. Hun Sen that the country’s traditional donors tied too many conditions to their assistance while China gave money without seeking any reforms. … Peter Brimble, senior country economist for the Asian Development Bank, the current lead donor partner to Cambodia, said Thursday that the Bank’s charter demands that it “refrain from engaging in the political affairs of any member country.” The ADB will be giving $525 million for national and regional projects from 2013 through 2015, Mr. Brimble said. …
Zsombor Peter
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/aid-pledges-continue-despite-cnrp-calls-for-delay-48718/
