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Governance in post-conflict situations: the case of Cambodia

Governance in post-conflict Cambodia

Authors:
Publisher: UNDP Oslo Governance Centre, 2004

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Over thirty years of civil strife ruined the Cambodia’s social institutions, annihilated the economy and completely destroyed the human capital. As a post-conflict society, this country is facing tremendous challenges in governance, combating poverty and improving the living standards of the citizens.

More importantly, the author says, the country is caught in the dilemma of economic growth and the commitment to democratisation. The dilemma is not because the government has not come up with sufficient development plans, or lacking policies of institutional reform.

For the average Cambodians, having access to public services such as health service, food security and education is essential for their daily livelihood but at the same time they do not discard the need for democratization. Cambodians believe that democracy is necessary for two fundamental purposes:

  • for enabling equity growth and the protection of political rights and civil liberties; and
  • for the prevention of political and economical monopoly.
In this context, the author says, correlation between democratisation and poverty reduction is very crucial for a post-conflict society because a responsible and accountable political system is a prerequisite for social development.

The author concludes that given available resources and paucity in human capital, the state has to be realistic with its policy choice and priority on development. And for the interest of peace, nation-state building and institutional building it is rather important that Cambodia should take the right to development approach into consideration to improve confidence building and trust.