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Our Identity

The Advocacy and Policy Institute (API) is a Cambodian non-governmental organisation active in advocacy, policy influencing, good governance and civic engagement. Capacity building and dialogue facilitation are at the heart of our efforts towards democratic and sustainable development.

We have received widespread aclaim from both local and international organisations for our reliability, relevance and professionalism. Over a time span of almost two decades, API has helped institutionalise advocacy skills and has been striving to make local democratic and accountable governance a reality. To these ends, we have been conducting more than 300 training courses for over 10,000 participants affiliated with civil society and community-based organisations, local councils, media outlets, trade unions, Government institutions and the Cambodian Parliament.

API is unique in Cambodia’s civil society in serving as a connector and facilitator for citizens’ empowerment in their interaction with government at all levels. API has acquired first-hand experience on policy issues like access to information (A2I) through its grassroots work. Based on this vast experience, we are in the best position to make the voices of ordinary citizens count in policy-making at the national level. Here we have been trying to support government actors serve citizens according to the law and contribute to an enabling environment for citizens and civil society to express their concerns. Finally, we have been playing an important role in helping citizens understand their rights, access to information and make use of the opportunities for engagement offered by various laws and government policies.

Our programmes are guided by a human rights based approach. API serves all Cambodians and values the diversity of gender, sexual orientation and identity, (dis)ability, ethnicity, faith and political opinons. At the same time, we are especially committed to support the most disadvantaged in their efforts to make their voices heard.

Our Core Values

PARTICIPATION

All Cambodians have the right to participate, mobilise and express themselves in matters that affect their daily lives.

JUSTICE & PEACE

All matters should be resolved peacefully and justly according to the principles of our shared humanity.

BUILDING CAPACITY

Particularly at the community level, it is the most sustainable way of building a brighter future for all Cambodians.

ENGAGEMENT

Engaging with all social sectors ensures that when solutions are reached, they are of the greatest benefit to communities.

TRANSPARENCY & INDEPENDENCE

Being transparent, accountable, independent, and non-partisan helps build an organization that earns the respect and confidence of both the Cambodian people and the international community.

Our Impact

Participation Makes a Difference

Whether or not citizens are actively involved in decisions affecting them is not only a fundamental criterion distinguishing democratic from authoritarian societies. It also reflects on the quality of public services, and, ultimately, on the quality of life. At API, we’ve been doing our best to make citizens’ participation the only game in town, especially at the local level.

Our Push for Access to Information

Anyone who has ever tried to get an official document or licence, to open a company, work on a research project or merely avoid being overcharged can witness to how vital reliable access to information is. At API, we’ve always made it one of our top priorities to advocate for a law regarding this basic right, as well as for public institutions that respect it.

API in Facts and Figures

Over the past 15 years, our organisation has come a long way, from a small programme established by our international partners to a well known actor playing a leading role in local civil society. We are now active in almost two thirds of Cambodia’s provinces, and we are implementing more than ten projects at any given moment.

Citizens Can Change Policies

None of us is totally happy with all the laws and regulations of the countries we live in. Some might not protect our rights well enough, others, on the contrary, might impose restrictions we don’t consider justified or might not be sufficiently clear, thus giving was to abuse. At API, we strongly believe that people can change laws and policies, and our advocacy record shows that we are right.

Our Vision

The Advocacy and Policy Institute’s vision is a Cambodian nation that – through poverty reduction and the protection of human rights – creates a national culture of harmony with sustainable democratic, political, and economic stability.

Our Mission

The organisation’s mission is to serve the long term democratic and social development needs of Cambodia through the empowerment of people to interact with their government to protect their rights and provide for their needs.

API is committed to working together with all national and international institutions who share its values of advocating for positive and peaceful social change. API also seeks to encourage coordination among government institutions, citizens and the private sector.