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Forum guest speakers included H.E. Senator Pum Sichan; H.E. Dr. Ing Kantha Phavi, Minister of Women's Affairs; H.E. Mu Sochua, Sam Rainsy Party Secretary General; MP Princess Sisovath Santa; and Forum Moderator Ms. Pok Many.
Promoting Female Participation in Cambodia's Political Process
Wat Svay Popay, Phnom Penh
March 06, 2007
The National Democratic Institute (NDI), with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has conducted a series of public forums to promote women’s participation and leadership in politics. The most recent forum was held in conjunction with International Women’s Day on the theme “Can Women Lead?” NDI has conducted a total of eleven forums in ten provinces and Phnom Penh. The forums seek to raise the profile of women in politics prior to the upcoming Commune Council elections on April 1st and to help women understand the importance of their roles and opportunities for leadership.
In her remarks at the forum in Phnom Penh, USAID Mission Director Erin Soto stated, "Very quietly, without great fanfare, Cambodia has made history. The National Election Committee (NEC) has just announced that 20% of registered candidates for the upcoming Commune Council elections are women. That's almost 22,000 -- an astounding accomplishment and an encouraging number!" She noted that 78% of respondents to a recent survey indicated that, faced with equally good male and female candidates, they would be likely to vote for the woman candidate, and she concluded that "Cambodia is ready, willing and able to support women candidates."
The number of women participating in Cambodian politics has been increasing. Women who stood for the 2002 Commune Council elections represented only 9% of the total number of candidates. The NEC's recent announcement clearly signals that Cambodian women are willing to take on new leadership roles in their country.
The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) is a nonprofit organization working to strengthen and expand democracy worldwide. Calling on a global network of volunteer experts, NDI provides practical assistance to civic and political leaders advancing democratic values, practices and institutions. NDI works with democrats in every region of the world to build political and civic organizations, safeguard elections, and to promote citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.
The Khmer Institute for Democracy (KID) is an NDI sub-grantee. Its mission is to foster democratic values in Cambodian society by maintaining a neutral political position. It carries out a number of activities to promote a liberal democratic order as determined by the Paris Peace Agreement of 1991, based on a multi-party liberal democracy system, on human rights and the respect of law as stipulated in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia.