Ou Ambel: Public Forum on the OWSO and Ombudsman Offices

On 14 September 2021, our OW4C project team in Banteay Meanchey, together with the municipal administration of Serey Saophoan, conducted a public forum in Sangkat Ou Ambel. The Deputy Governor, the heads of the Local Council, One Window Service and Ombudsman Offices, the heads of the Taxation and Land Management Departments, were among the more than 60 participants, half of whom were women. After the opening remarks by our Senior Programme Manager Vanpannit Man, Ms. Kimseang Heang, the Deputy Governor of Serey Saophoan expressed her conviction that the public forum could improve the capacity and the quality of the services offered to citizens by the One Window Service Office (OWSO). Ms. Sopheak Suon, the deputy head of the One Window Service Unit (OWSU) at the provincial level, and Mr. Pheareth Chan, the chief of the OWSO at the municipal level, briefly presented the roles, responsibilities, structure, way of working, and future plans of their respective institutions. Similar presentations were held by Mr. Sara Chan and Mr. Vibol Chham, who are in charge of the Ombudsman Offices at the provincial and municipal level, respectively. During the questions and answers session with government, citizens raised around questions, most of which were related to land registration, land transfer, opening new businesses, and document certification. The officials who attended answered these questions and appreciated the feedback by citizens. This forum is part of our USAID-funded project dedicated to strengthening the One Window Service and Ombudsman Offices in Banteay Meanchey, Battambang and Kampong Chhnang.