Donors: United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF)
Location: Kampong Thom and Banteay Meanchey
Duration: 2018-2020
Budget: USD 165,000
Local Partners:
– Cambodian Organisation for Women Support (COWS) – Kampong Thom
– Village Support Group (VSG) – Banteay Meanchey
– Coalition for Partnership in Democratic Development (CPDD) – National dissemination
Introduction
This project aimed to strengthen local governance and social accountability by empowering citizens to monitor public service delivery and engage in regional planning and budgeting. Through the use of Citizen Scorecards, the initiative fostered inclusive dialogue between citizens and local authorities, enabling evidence-based advocacy and collaborative planning of action.
Two rounds of scorecard surveys were conducted to benchmark progress: the first established a baseline of citizen needs, while the second measured improvements in service delivery and responsiveness. The project also included extensive outreach, training, and capacity-building activities for citizens, local officials, and women councilors.
Results
- Citizen Empowerment
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- 91.5% of trained citizens (67.44% women) successfully conducted scorecard surveys capturing community needs.
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- 7,271 citizens (4,923 women) participated in 60 outreach activities, increasing awareness of local governance and budget processes.
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- 87.4% of outreach participants reported improved understanding of citizen roles and local service mechanisms.
- Local Authority Engagement
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- 95% of trained local officials demonstrated an improvement in their attitudes toward public service delivery.
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- 77% of trained women councilors and CWC members actively contributed to the implementation of the action plan.
- Action Plans and Implementation
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- Four commune-level action plans were developed and implemented, addressing 16 priority issues, including improvements to health centers, school infrastructure, and public safety.
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- UNDEF contributed USD 8,000 to support small-scale projects, with an additional USD 4,257.33 mobilized from local stakeholders
- Policy Advocacy and Dissemination
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- CPDD facilitated a national conference in February 2020, sharing project learnings with 172 participants from government, civil society, and development partners.
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- Project findings were disseminated via radio broadcasts, community forums, and online platforms, reaching citizens in six provinces.
Publication
