In 2020, API pursued the strategic goal of realizing the rights and enhancing the voices of citizens for sustainable development in Cambodia, with a focus on women, youth and disadvantaged groups: low-income citizens, persons with disabilities, indigenous people and out of school children. To work towards this goal, API continued to strive to improve citizens’ access to public information (A2I), to enhance citizen engagement in (local) governance and monitoring of public service delivery, and to develop civil society capacities, as well as engage in advocacy and policy influencing. API further developed its unique strengths to build capacities for change and to link citizens’, communities’ and civil societies’ voices and claims to the national policy-making level; and back again in enabling communities, civil society and local government to understand and fulfil citizens’ rights and government policies – for access to public information, for citizen engagement in local governance and advocacy for citizens’ concerns at all levels.

API also experienced delays in field work activities due to the public health measures which restricted public gatherings and the number of participants allowed in each event. However, in 2020, which was the second year of the current strategic plan implementation period, the vast majority of the initial project activities and key objectives were successfully implemented despite the global pandemic resulting from the novel Corona virus. During the continued Covid-19 crisis situation, the online learning and communication channels we launched in 2020 proved to be very important tools for project implementation and remain a good approach for both the organisation and its beneficiary groups in the future. In 2021, API will continue implementing the 15 projects, thus further contributing to achieve API’s strategic outcomes and goal. You can read our full annual report here.