Speeches
Remarks by Chargè d’affaires Piper Wind Campbell on America’s Role in Asia Hosted by the Asian Foundation and CICP
January 12, 2009
During one of his last press conferences in Phnom Penh our previous Ambassador stated that the Cambodian American bilateral relationship is the best it has ever been. We still believe this to be true; however we do not see this as the endgame but rather as a starting point, particularly now that we are welcoming a new President to the White House, and a new Ambassador, Carol Rodley, to Phnom Penh.
When she first arrived at the Embassy in November Ambassador-designate Rodley made it clear that one of her goals was to shift our focus in Cambodia from overcoming the past to building on the future – specifically, concentrating on the next generation of leaders and on Cambodia’s path to increased stability, peace and prosperity. I believe that American voters expressed a desire for exactly the same shift of focus in our recent elections, and that the combination of our new leadership in the Embassy and in the State Department will be a powerful force for change both here in Cambodia and around the world.
That being said, we are already extensively engaged with our host country on a number of levels, in health care, local government, education and the judicial system among others. I would like to briefly address each of these sectors and the challenges that face us on the road forward. As you will see, the breadth and depth of our involvement in Cambodia will ensure that while our focus may change, our commitment to long term development of Cambodia will not.
Each year the heads of all sections and agencies in the Embassy sit down with the Ambassador to plan the road ahead, not just for the next year but for 3-4 years out in an effort to properly prepare our Mission for the potential challenges of the future. That’s what I’ve been working on the last few weeks, in what should be a quiet vacation period. Our priorities for the next few years closely follow what we have set as our goals in the past. While there have been improvements in some of the sectors that we focus on, many challenges remain which I anticipate will continue to shape our strategic focus.
The health sector in particular remains a serious problem, and we have tried to address this multifaceted issue by devoting roughly a third of our sixty million dollar assistance budget to reducing maternal and child mortality rates, HIV/AIDS and infectious disease prevalence and the quality and availability of health care for the poorest Cambodians. We are by far the largest single donor to health programs in the country, and have given over $270 million in assistance since 1993.
Education is another key priority for Cambodia, and in our yearly plan it falls under the idea of “investing in people,” as does our health care plan. The Khmer Rouge regime left the country’s intellectual and professional capacity in shambles, and the climb back to a modern educated populace has been long and arduous. We believe, however, that critical mass has been achieved in some areas and that the younger generation, particularly those that are currently in undergraduate and graduate courses, have the background and foreign language ability to positively influence Cambodia’s future. In light of that we have increased the availability of our educational exchange programs, both for Fulbright and Hubert Humphrey as well as several new initiatives which focus on younger students and leaders. This year alone we will be sending almost thirty to the U.S. to study at top flight educational institutions for shorter, more focused seminars and survey programs in civics, the arts and the sciences. Through USAID we are also working to increase access to primary education in the provinces. According to recent statistics, access to education is improving, but there is still much work to be done to bring it up to acceptable standards. These are just two of the areas in which we are deeply engaged with the Royal Government and the donor community. We also have an active military to military relationship which is constantly expanding, both in training and in direct financial assistance through the Foreign Military Financing Fund or FMF which allows the government to acquire and ship to Cambodia retrofitted equipment. In the last year we have provided over $4 million for demining operations and have worked to increase Cambodia’s peacekeeping abilities through loans and training which has enabled them to participate in a UN peacekeeping operation. This is a wonderful step for a country which, only a few years ago, was the beneficiary of such intervention, not a partner in one. Other Cambodians troops have participated in multinational exercises, and indeed will host such an exercise in Cambodia in 2010.
The areas I have mentioned represent some of the successful partnerships and initiatives we have had over the past several years. While we are pleased with the progress that has been made we also are cognizant of the many challenges that Cambodia still faces on its road to the future. One of the main obstacles is the weak rule of law, with corruption as a byproduct in both the private and public sectors. We recently welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to release two men jailed for the murder of Chea Vichea; a new year’s eve decision which we described as an auspicious start to 2009. The ECCC (Khmer Rouge Tribunal) continues both to make progress and to raise expectations that justice will finally be delivered for crimes committed nearly 30 years old. During his September visit – important also to demonstrate direct Washington interest in engaging with Cambodia’s leaders and civil society – Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte announced an initial US commitment to the Tribunal.
Aside from those bright, or perhaps slightly less, dim spots we have found very little to be excited about in the rule of law arena. We continue to encourage the Royal Government to complete and pass a law on anti-corruption that meets international standards. Although there is a new Cambodian commitment to do so during this mandate, progress has been promised in the past, but not delivered. Without such a law on the books it continues to be difficult for the government to convince the international community that they are serious about dealing with this terrible cancer which costs the people of Cambodia billions of dollars annually - money that could be better spent improving their infrastructure and their lives.
Just a few minutes ago I noted that we are in a season of change, both in our leadership at the Embassy and in the United States government. We cannot be certain what changes the Obama administration will bring to the State Department, or to our bilateral relationship with Cambodia. I am confident, though, that the depth of our engagement with the Royal Government and the enormity of the problems that face this country will move us in roughly the same direction as we have been traveling. Weak rule of law, poverty, poor health and corruption are all problems that will require unwavering commitment and long term solutions. We are excited about Cambodia’s future and realize that we have invested for the long run and are prepared to see this to the end. The U.S. goal for Cambodia is a to see a country which is domestically stable and able to secure its borders; where government is democratic and just; where the government joins coordinated donors investing in the Cambodian people to improve health and education standards; and where a healthy economy raises more people out of poverty and provides an opportunity for business. I am confident these are the right goals, providing the US a reliable partner in the Asian region. To conclude, I must say I personally concur with the Asia Foundation’s stated hope that the new US administration accords Asia the attention its intrinsic importance to the US demands and I thank you for inviting me to participate in this fascinating program and to deliver some rough remarks on where the Embassy’s focus currently is – and is likely to remain.
