Listen to the audio version of this article (generated by AI).
Civil society groups are pushing for the strengthening of local governance and public participation due to barriers they face daily, from limited access to budget information to the prevention of participation in decision-making processes.
The concerns were raised during a panel discussion during the launch of Oxfam’s Citizen-Led Inclusive Planning and Services (CLIPS) initiative, a two-year project aimed at making local governance more transparent, inclusive and accountable, while strengthening citizen participation in local planning and budgeting.
The initiative comes amid the Interior Ministry’s discovery of funding irregularities in development projects in communes across the country, calling them a “systematic collusion and misuse of commune funds”.
Seng Reasey, executive director of NGO SILAKA, said many barriers prevent citizens from engaging in budget planning and holding local authorities accountable, including limited understanding of budget processes, inadequate knowledge of the legal framework and information, and lack of trust between citizens and authorities.
“We see the problem from both sides [citizens and authorities]. Sometimes citizens are hesitant to participate because previous problems gave no solution,” she said during a panel session.
Authorities and citizens often lack adequate opportunities to discuss local issues, while some matters raised by citizens fail to be solved by the authorities responsibly.
“They [citizens] feel unsafe after bringing up the matter as they are afraid of being targeted or blamed,” Reasey said.
“Another issue is that some do not understand commune budget planning or how it is linked to their daily livelihoods,” she added.
Chea Bopha, a representative of the Phnom Penh Center for Independent Living, said that vulnerable communities are often cut out from access to information and public services, and have limited opportunities to participate in meetings with local authorities.
“We have observed that local authorities have not allowed civil society groups or people with disabilities to participate in the project. They claimed that budget-planning meetings are an internal matter,” she said.
“As a result we have lost the opportunity to provide input into budget planning and development at the local level.”
Bopha also highlighted setbacks in accessing IDPoor equity cards and assessment of disabilities. She said commune offices and health centers lack handicap-friendly facilities, making it difficult for people with disabilities to access essential services.
In addition, service providers and authorities display discriminatory or “bad” attitudes towards people with disabilities.
“We are scared and find it difficult to speak to them because they are not accommodating when we lodge complaints or seek advice from them,” Bopha said.
Meanwhile, Sambathphalla Chey, Head of Policy and Analysis Unit of the National Committee for Sub-National Democratic Development Secretariat (NCDDS), said the government has increased annual funds to sub-national administrations from about $840 million in 2021 to $1.7 billion in 2025.
But, despite more authority and resources, sub-national administrations require a stronger capacity to handle the issues.
“There is still a lot of work to strengthen the implementation of existing mechanisms. We have introduced many mechanisms, but the implementation has not achieved its desired results,” Sambathphalla said. It requires review, adjustment, and support to ensure that sub-national administrations can implement these mechanisms well.
“If we transfer authority and resources, but sub-national administrations are unable to use it to solve problems for citizens, it is a waste of state resources,” he remarked.
That said, decentralized governance has expanded, with more than 800 administrative services across 14 sectors now available through one-window service offices.
Sophoan Phean, national director of Oxfam, said that the CLIPS project, running from June 2026 to August 2028, reflects a shared commitment to ensure that citizens have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their lives. This includes participation by women, youth, people with disabilities, and Indigenous communities.
“By strengthening local planning, budget transparency, and public participation, we can build stronger trust between communities and local authorities while contributing to more inclusive and effective public services,” she said.
Over the next two years, the project will be implemented in 14 districts and 60 communes in Phnom Penh, Kampong Thom, Kampong Chhnang, Pursat, Mondulkiri, and Ratanakiri.
