"We form 60 per cent of the Cambodian population. Therefore we want to participate actively in decision-making about our lives and livelihoods... Under the new government we want to participate in all levels of policy-making, including drafting the new constitution, introducing legislation and formulating development planning programmes" — Statement from the National Women's Summit, Phnom Penh 5-8 March 1993.

Contents

• Background
• Activities

• Putting gender on the agenda
• Drafting the constitution
• Towards Beijing

• Impact and the Future

Background

The first general election in Cambodia since the 1991 Paris Peace Accord was held from 23-28 May 1993. UNIFEM launched a project to increase women's interest and participation in the election and put gender issues and women's concerns on the political agenda for the election. The project was implemented by UNIFEM and Khemara, the only Cambodian Women's organization at that time, with support and cooperation from the United Nations Transitional Authority of Cambodia (UNTAC) and the United Nations Development Programme. A working group of human rights groups, development agencies, media and journalists, and UN organizations, backed by an all Khmer advisory group, planned strategies and activities to raise the interest level of women in the election and promote discussion of gender issues in the election.

Activities

Putting gender on the agenda

The project provided a series of training courses for international and local NGOs on how to think about gender in their work and how to advocate for more attention to women's needs in the electoral process. An information and media campaign was also launched to bring the issue to the attention of as many people as possible. UNTAC produced a television and radio series highlighting the situation of women in Cambodia, and local Cambodian and English newspapers were provided with facts and statistics on women's education, health, and employment to produce a special newspaper supplement on Cambodian women. One of the staff from Khemara was also trained in how to effectively use the media in advocacy and to moderate discussions on television and radio.

The highlight of the project was the National Women's Summit held 5-8 March 1993. One hundred women from all walks of life gathered in Phnom Penh to identify the issues that most affected the quality of their lives and which they thought should be addressed during the campaign by the political parties, and therefore also by the future government. It was an opportunity for women who normally do not have a chance to air their concerns and hopes in public to express them in an open forum. The output of the summit was a five point women's agenda that was presented to the political parties. The event was well covered by the media which brought wider attention to gender issues amongst political parties, as well as amongst the general electorate and the international community.

The effect of the summit was seen in the increasing solidarity among women. Afterwards some women prepared their own summit reports to share with their colleagues and others met with their peers in their districts and provinces to discuss the summit and the election. Two of the participants began producing a women's magazine elaborating on the topics from the Summit and encouraging women to participate in the election.

Just one week before the polling stations opened, political parties were invited for a political dialogue with women voters. This event increased awareness among women on party platforms and gave them an opportunity to question the commitment of political parties to the five point women's agenda from the National Women's Summit. Only six of the twenty parties invited sent representatives, nevertheless the dialogue was interactive. Women from the audience displayed strength and confidence in questioning the parties on particular issues from the five point agenda. The representatives from the parties, mostly women, were also outspoken and challenged each other on substantial policy questions. The auditorium was filled beyond capacity and many women followed the event closely through broadcast on UNTAC television and radio.

Almost 90 per cent of the registered voters turned up to vote at the polling stations. At a station in Konpong Spue where the UNIFEM Project Coordinator served as an international polling station officer, more than 60 per cent of the voters were women. Informal exit polls revealed that it was not the parties or the political platforms that were important for the voters but the election process itself. When asked why they had come to vote the voters answered unanimously "for peace". Uppermost in the minds of the voters on election day was the connection between putting the ballot paper in the box (whether blank or not) and the establishment of peace, not the connection between party platforms and peace.

Drafting the constitution

UNIFEM's project did not end with the election. Immediately afterwards, the Cambodian women involved in the project requested that UNIFEM help them become involved in the constitution drafting process. UNIFEM decided to extend the project for another four months until the end of that process.

Through the cooperation of UNTAC, UNIFEM was able to ensure a place for discussion on women's rights at the first Constitutional Workshop organized by UNTAC for local NGOs lobbying to have a say in the constitution. UNIFEM also separately organized a Workshop on Women's Rights and the Constitution in cooperation with Khemara, UNICEF, and Asia Foundation. This workshop helped women activists become familiar with the basic principles of the constitution and provided them the necessary background to submit sound recommendations to the National Assembly. After the workshop, participants were sent to six provinces to talk to local women, share the information on the constitutional process that they gained from the workshop, and bring back suggestions from women in the provinces. These suggestions were then incorporated into their recommendations to the National Assembly. The recommendations were followed-up by lobbying by the women activists of National Assembly members. The subsequent Constitution that was passed by the Assembly incorporated progressive clauses on equal rights of women and men and anti-discrimination.

Towards Beijing

UNIFEM did not stop its activities there. The Beijing Women's Conference was just two years ahead, and to further solidify the foundation of the Cambodian women's movement, a decision was made to further extend the project until the end of the year utilizing remaining project funds . Over the next few months, UNIFEM: supported the Secretariat of Women's Affairs in holding a seminar on "Women in Development Planning and Negotiation Skills" for staff of key ministries in collaboration with Khemara; brought together leading Cambodian women from the government and NGOs to assist their preparation for Cambodia's representation in the Beijing Conference; organized a study tour to Thailand for Cambodian women from development and human rights organizations to meet with counterparts and exchange ideas and experiences on their work in empowerment of grassroots women; and financially supported the Women's Video Group and the Women's Voice Magazine to strengthen them as mediums of expression for women.

Impact and the Future

The UNIFEM project "Gender Issues in the General Election" was instrumental in making women and gender issues visible from the beginning of the reconstruction process in Cambodia. A number of local women activists were empowered to effect change in the country and were given the confidence to enter and succeed in the new field of politics. During the one year that the UNIFEM Project operated, the number of Women's NGOs increased from one to eight. The monthly women-in- development sectoral meeting coordinated by UNIFEM which was initially only for international staff of NGOs, evolved into a meeting of Khmer counterparts as was conducted in Khmer by the end of the year. The government showed its commitment to women by the establishment of the Secretariat of Women's Affairs during 1993.

The success of the project may be partly due to there being specific events on which the project was able to focus.These were, first, the general election, then the constitution, and finally the Beijing conference. They gave the project concrete objectives such as increased turnout of women voters in the election, commitment of political parties to addressing women' s needs in party platforms, incorporation of women's clauses in the constitution, and the representation of Cambodia at the Beijing conference. These events also set specific dates for tasks to be completed. Each single event became a magnet to mobilize individuals and organizations committed to a specific end. The project was able to bring together a wide variety of people from among women activists, human rights organizations, UNTAC, UNDP, UNICEF, international NGOs, local NGOs, lawyers, media and journalists, government ministries, parliamentarians and political parties.

The strong involvement of Cambodian women activists in project planning and implementation was also a key to success of the project. Khemara and its president Ms. Sochua Mu Leiper brought gender issue to the attention of other Cambodian women activists and involved them in the project as an advisory group to the project working group. These women afterwards formed such groups as the Khmer Women's Voice, Indradevi Association, Women's Committee for Non-violence and the Election, and became the core members in Cambodia of preparatory activities for the Beijing Conference.

Four years after the project, recent incidents in Cambodia are again making the political situation extremely sensitive. The second general election, which may be held as early as May 1998, will be both a challenge and an opportunity for women in Cambodia to once again show their strength and demand representation for their concerns in politics.

Dated: 20Oct1997