OHCHR Cambodia 2017-2020

General

Reprogrammed funds to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 The contribution aims to provide support to OHCHR:s entire country programme for Cambodia and is therefore un-earmarked for specific activities. Sweden has supported OHCHR since 1994 through both a global core support and specific supports targeting certain countries. The Swedish core support to OHCHR for 2017 amounts to SEK 55 million. OHCHR was founded in 1993 after decision in the UN General Assembly and has as mandate to ensure the protection of human rights for all. OHCHR works in accordance with UNGA decision 48/141, the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and later international conventions on human rights. The land programme in Cambodia has four main goals: 1) to strengthen international human rights mechanisms; 2) to protect of the democratic space; 3) to combat impunity and strengthen accountability and the rule of law; 4) to integrate human rights in the development and the economic sphere. The contribution is expected to improve the human rights situation in Cambodia. Through observation and reporting OHCHR will make the human rights situation in country visible, they will strive to improve the protection for human rights defenders, and to ensure that legislation are on par with international human rights standards. OHCHR will provide technical assistance and capacity-building support to state institutions and the justice system in order for these to be able to operate in accordance to human rights standards. OHCHR will at the same time work closely together with civil society to improve their knowledge of and inform about the different tools and mechanisms that exists to demand these. Furthermore, OHCHR will work against discrimination and to strengthen rule of law. The proposed support is expected to favour marginalised groups such as indigenous people, people identifying as HBTQ, and contribute to the achievement of gender equality. Women human rights defenders, land rights activists and activists on natural resources constitute special focus groups. Recently the need for support to politically active people has increased. The Swedish contribution to OHCHR is expected to improve access to the justice system for these groups and is also expected to reduce impunity. A new regional support to OHCHR:s field office in Bangkok (PLANit 10836), relating to Asia and the Pacific, was decided on in the beginning of December 2017. OHCHR Bangkok has as one of its assignments to support the field office in Phnom Penh. The latter office has also the possibility to participate in different regional activities. Since October 2017, Sida is financing a Junior Programme Officer to OHCHR Cambodia (PLANit 10560). The planned support to OHCHR is complimented and strengthened by other actors that as well receive Swedish funding. This includes Transparency International Cambodia, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, the Khmer Rouge Tribunal (Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia), UNESCO, as well as the newly finalised support to ILO and H&M. OHCHR is, moreover, in close contact and has a good cooperation with many of the organisation that receives Swedish funding through Forum Syd and Diakonia. The dialogue between Sida and OHCHR has worked well during the previous cooperation phase. OHCHR is considered to be a key actor and important partner to Sweden within the area of human rights. The coordination between OHCHR and other donors is ongoing in Geneva, within the framework of the so-called “Rubens Group”, which consists of like-minded donors and OHCHR, and locally in Cambodia. In 2016 Australia, Japan, Spain, Norway and Sweden provided funding to a Trust Fund that aims to support all activities of the field office. Besides this, OHCHR is receiving funding for specific project – the ongoing support from EU would sort under this final label.

Objectives

OHCHR has a unique mandate to promote and protect all human rights for all people. OHCHR provides assistance, in the form of technical expertise and capacity-development, to support the implementation of international human rights standards on the ground. It assists governments, which bear the primary responsibility for the protection of human rights, to fulfil their obligations, supports individuals to claim their rights and speaks out objectively on human rights violations. The intended outcome of the support to OHCHR in Cambodia is to increase the respect for human rights, to decrease levels of discrimination and impunity and to strengthen accountability and the rule of law. OHCHR will work to improve legislation and its implementation in line with international standards on human rights, it will work to build capacity of both duty bearers and rights holders, and will work to raise awareness and to strengthen protection mechanisms.