Transparency Needed to Follow Aid Money
The aid sector needs more transparency to ensure that the public knows exactly where and how money is being spent, a consortium of NGOs said Tuesday. Tek Vannara, deputy executive director of the NGO Forum, said at a workshop in Phnom Penh that while the Council for the Development of Cambodia managed an aid database, which breaks down the origin and amount of aid money received by the government, more should be done to inform the public about where and how that cash is eventually spent. “Aid transparency remains an unfinished agenda in Cambodia and other countries,” he said. … According to NGO Forum’s executive director Chhith Sam Ath, transparency could be improved if the government disseminates information on aid money at a commune and village level. Fiona Ramsey, first secretary of the European Union delegation to Cambodia, said that while there is a “good existing database” of aid-related funds and projects in Cambodia, “the difference between loans and grant aid should be clearer.” … The national budget for 2014 is still under wraps, but last year, government officials said they aimed to eliminate foreign aid by 2030. In recent years, however, Cambodia has taken on large loans from China, whose interest rates are traditionally higher than donors such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
Lauren Crothers
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/transparency-needed-to-follow-aid-money-46691/
