Speech
Remarks by Ambassador Joseph A. Mussomeli, Certificate Presentation for Participants in the "Fostering the Promotion of Democratic Values" Training Course
Pursat High School, Pursat Province
November 16, 2006
Your Excellency Dr. Kol Pheng, Senior Minister and Minister of Education, Youth and Sports;
Distinguished guests;Teachers; Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is a pleasure for me to be here today to participate in this ceremony to award certificates to 180 high school teachers who have taken part in the training course on "Fostering the Promotion of Democratic Values" conducted by the Peace and Development Institute and funded by a grant of nearly $20,000 from the U.S. Embassy.
This unprecedented project seeks to make human rights teaching a permanent, integral and effective part of the education system in Cambodia that benefits secondary school children and their parents at the grassroots level. This project aims to heighten awareness and understanding among schoolteachers of the values of human rights, democracy, civic education, non-violent conflict resolution, and of laws against domestic violence, human trafficking, and child prostitution. The fact that this project has trained teachers in ways to introduce these concepts into their classrooms and domestic communities means thousands of Cambodian students will be able to learn about human rights ideas and laws for years to come.
Promoting human rights, democracy, and the rule of law is one of the top priorities of the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia. Supporting this project will significantly contribute to the development of Cambodia during this time of transition from a fragile, nascent democracy. After decades of war and conflict, Cambodia retains a culture of violence, lawlessness and impunity, with women and children at greatest risk. This culture is pervasive in everyday life and is an enormous challenge to overcome.
If this is to change in the long run, the hearts and minds of Cambodia's youth must be inculcated with respect for human rights, non-violence and due process of the law. Children must learn what it means to respect the rights of others and the standards of behavior they have the right to expect from those in authority. This project will provide secondary school teachers with the know-how to deliver human rights and legal education to students in their day-to-day teaching curriculum. Such education can serve as a catalyst to foster legal reform, civic education and peaceful conflict resolution.
To conclude I would like to congratulate PDI on the excellent work it has done with this program, particularly in ensuring the close involvement of Ministry officials, heads of teacher training institutions and school principals in planning, designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating the project. Such close cooperation is an example of what can be accomplished when the government and civil society work hand in hand for the betterment of the Cambodian people. I wish everyone involved continued success in their efforts to promote and protect human rights, the rule of law, democratic institutions, good governance, a culture of peace, and gender equality in Cambodia.
Thank you.