API is a core member of the group called Cambodians for Resource Revenue Transparency, which focuses on access to information on issues of environment and natural resource management. Here, we play a key role in developing our colleagues’ advocacy skills, and we are also part of the Board of Directors.

API led the CSOs Access to Information Working Group (A2IWG) 

This A2IWG under the support of Project #15: US State Department-funded through EWMI funded Access for All: Promoting Access to Information in Cambodia, 2020-2023, #18: Women and Youth Empowerment in Leadership Program (WYEL), 2022-24 and Project #2: Youth Debate on Access to Information Law 2020-21.

• Raised awareness about the importance of an effective legal framework that provides access to information for Cambodians and empowers them to make requests for the information they As a result, there have been 126 out of 130 (97%) positive responses by the govern- ment to citizens’ requests for information. At the same time, 97 organizations, members of CSOs Access to Information Working Group (A2IWG) and Coalition for Partnership in Democratic Development (CPDD) jointly advocated and pushed the government to pass the Access to Information Law, in annual events (International Day on Right to Information, 28 of September).

• Trained youth and debated on advocacy about Access to Information (A2I) Law with the Ministry of Information, and political party representatives before the national election cam- Those counterparts accepted inputs from CSOs, and CBOs representing indigenous people and people with disabilities. Government and political parties, especially the CPP, committed to pass the draft A2I Law in 2024-25. The Secretary of State of the Ministry of Information and the Minister Attached to the Prime Minister confirmed their support and reported to the new Prime Minister to pass the law soon.

• The Ministry of Information confirmed that the draft A2I Law was in the final stages of discussion between the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Justice and the Council of Moreover, we expect that the Ministry of Information will further improve it based on CSO recommendations. However, the final copy of the draft was not shared with CSOs. CSOs’ inputs to the draft A2I Law were acknowledged by the government and Commission #5 of the National Assembly. The National Assembly advised the Ministry of In- formation to speed up the process. Strong commitments were made by H.E Kim Kumavath, Secretary of State Ministry of Information, and H.E Preap Kol, Minister Attached to Prime Minister, to strongly push to promote the adoption of the Access to information Law during the celebration of the International Day for Universal Access to Information on September 28, 2023.

• Government, CBOs, DP, International NGOs, CSOs, private sectors, youth, street vendors, media outlets, and other relevant stakeholders acknowledged and supported the importance of access to information and the A2I law, and urged for the adoption of the Access to Informa- tion Law as soon as possible.

• API led the CSO Access to Information Working Group (A2IWG) to produce and submit the first Universal Periodic Review Report (UPR) of the Access to Information issue in Cambodia to the United Nation Human Rights Headquarters, and briefed development partners (EU, FHI-360, GIZ, UK Embassy, UNOCHR, EWMI, USAID) and Access to Information working group(A2IWG) members.