J-3_USAID_IEE_No._Asia_13-86.pdf

ti~; USAID CAMBODIA

, IZZZIDJ ';)

~~2o.7 FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

U.S. Agency for J11tematio11al Developme11t Bureau for Asia a11d the Near East

Washiugto11, D.C. 20523

Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) Request for Categorical Exclusion

PROGRAM/ACTIVITY DATA:

Country or Region: Cambodia

Name of New Activity: Civil Society Strengthening Project

Funding Begin: FY 2013 Funding End: FY 2018 LOP Amount: Up to

$33.629.500

IEE Prepared by: April O':.Jeill Date: June 24. 2013

I EE Amended (Y /N): . ' If "yes" Number & Date of Original IEE: NIA

E~VIRONME~TAL ACTION RECOMMENDED: (Place X where applicable)

Categorical Exclusion: ~ Deferral: n

Positi \ 'C Detennination:

With Conditions:

I. Purpose and Scope

Negative Determination:

Exemption:

USAID/C'ambodia wil l implement a six-year project to strengthen the demand for more democratic and accountable governance. and create oppo1tunities for citizens to exercise and ~xpand instrumt::ntal freedom as a means for development and democratic transformation. There arc seven ol~jectivcs: I) capacities of targeted segments of c ivil society strengthened to promote constructiv~ civic engagement in the national policy debate and community development: 2) constituencies for reform str~ngthened through alliance. network or coalition-based advocacy; 3) enabling environment for access to infonnation. freedom of expression and association. and respect for human rights promoted: 4 ) citi7.cns have greater quality access to civic education (formal and infonnal): 5) Strengthen capacity of media to deliver diverse information to the puhlic: 6) vulnerable populations are supported to decrease barriers to their civic and communit) participation: and 7) research and analysis advanced to better inform civil society work.

Activitil!s will be implemented by international and local organi,ations through a mix of assistance and acquisition mechanisms, which will be managed by the Office of Democracy and Governance.

lJSAID/ Cambodia lEE

II. Background

After decades of conflict. the Kingdom of Cambodia is experiencing unprecedented levels of peace. stability. and steady economic gro\\1h. Civil society's constructive engagement with the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC), donors. and the private sector has contributed significantly to this progress. This is particularly the case in the health and education sectors where there have been impressive gains in reducing child and maternal mortality raks.

preventing and treating I llV/AIDS cases, and increasing primary school enrollment rates.

\leverthelcss. progress across the sectors has been uneven and Cambodia remains one or the world·s poorest countries. The benefits stemming from economic growth have not been equitable or necessari ly sustainable. Government policies have emphasized stabi lity and sho11-tcrm development over democratization. The core democracy and governance challenges hindering Cambodia's long-tenn development arc the consolidation or executive power. the lack of government ac.:countability, and absence of alternative centers of power that can effectively serve as a check on government. These factors hinder Cambodia·s prospects for long-term development in all sectors that USAID/Cambodia is engaged in. Y ct. there is an oppo1tuni1y to counterbalance these challenges by empowering Cambodian civil society to play a more active role in decision-making and increasing the government's accountability to its citizens.

Ill. Description of Activities

The goal of the Civil Society Strengthening Project is to strengthen the public demand for more democratic and accountable governance and create opportunities for citizens to exercise and expand instrumental freedom as a means for development and democratic transformation.

Tht: Project aims to achieve its goal through the following sc\·en objectives and illustrative al:tiYitics:

/\. Objective# I : Capacities of tarneted segments o f civil societv strengthened to promote constructiw civic enQ.auement in the nat ional policy debate and communitv development.

• fund a sdcct cadre of local non-governmental organi7ations (NGOs) to carry out core human rights work (e.g.. monitoring violations. investigating cases, providing legal representation to indigent clients, providing holistic services to vulnerable populations.

conducting. advocacy campaigns. etc.).

• Conduct participatory organizational capacity assessments for select NGOs working in various development sectors, and support the development and implementation of customizl.!d training and technical assistance plans to strengthen their organizational capacities.

• Provide support to local civil society resource organizations (CSR Os) that can provide technical assistance and training to Cambodian civil society organizations (CSOs) and grassroots/informal groups. as a means to building more sustainable approaches to organizational development.

• Provide training. technical assistance, and coaching ro improve technical expertise in new areas. such as the use of social media to engage young Cambodians.

lJS/\10/ Cambodia IEE 2

• Provide South-South teclmical exchanges. linking regional CSROs lo Cambodian CSROs to foster exchange and learning on sustainable organi7.ational development approaches.

and regional CSOs to Cambodian CSOs on key technical strategics for improving cff ectivcness.

• Provide forums for community members, particularly youth and women. to engage \Vilh their commune council representatives or other relevant state actors.

• Provide training and ongoing mentoring lo community members. particularly youth and women. in the areas of leadership, communication, and message development.

• Facilitate linkages between communities and NGOs, and communities and CSROs.

H. Objective #2: Constituencies for refom1 strengthened through alliance, network or coalition-based advocacv.

• Provide training and technical assistance to both urban and grassroots organizations on strategies for effective advocacy using alliance or coalition-based advocacy.

• Build the capacity of grassroots networks that are effective at cmmecting citizens and people·s groups across geographies and sectors, to achieve broad-based changes in Cambodia.

• Pro\'ide training and/or technical assistance to promote the fonn ulation of common (or complementary) goals. objectives. and tactics/activities within networks and coalitions.

• I .i nk coalitions to national mechanisms, such as consultations on the 'ational Strategic.:

De' clopment Plan and budget planning. and local mechanisms. such as commune councils. !Or constructive stakeholder dialogue.

C. Ohjcctin! #3: Enabling cnYironmcnt for access to information. freedom of expression and association. and respect for human rights promoted.

• Support experts to provide technical advice to CSOs and possibly th1: RGC on legal and pol il:y de\'elopmcnt.

• I f the ">!GO Lem· passes. support networks of local lav,ryers to assist CSOs management and complia111.:c with legal requirements.

• Support the production of summaries and legal analysis of draft laws to increase understanding of key implications among civil society and government actors.

• Improve civil society's knowledge of existing Cambodian laws that arc not adequately or fairly enforced. creating pressure for more effective and transparent implementation.

• Fund and manage a flexible human rights defenders fund to assist activists whose activities are being restricted.

0. Objective #4: Citizens have greater qualitv access to civic education (formal and informal).

• Support the incorporation or Ci\·ic educarion, including genocide education. into the formal education system. linking education with an awareness or secior and gender speci fie rights.

• Conduct civic education needs assessment and identify key issues (disaggregated by youth and gender) for programming.

• Support local organizations to develop media content with civic education messages to promotl.! a culture or accountability of government actions. employees. and officials.

CSA JD/ Cambodia IEE

• Support local organizations to promote a practice of democratic citizenship, rights and responsibilities in local clubs and associations. as well as peer-to-peer civic education.

• Support organizations, including institutes and think tanks. to develop innovative civic education tools which capitalize ori the Internet and radio programming as a means for distribution .

E. Objective #5: Strengthen capacity of m edia to deliver diverse infom1ation to the public.

• Support the operations of current independent radio or television stations that air programming on democracy, anti-corruption, and human rights issues.

• Provide training or technical assistance to journalists in· investigative journalism techniques. ethics. balanced reporting. Other topics may include how to cover elections.

parliamentary activities and human rights issues. ·

• Support online-based citizen journalism.

• Support the use of radio by NGOs as a means to share information with a wide variety of stakeholders.

• Provide legal assistance and financial support safety nets (possibly through the Human

Rights Defenders Fund) to journalists in case they are arrested for writing on sensitive issues.

• Build a network of independent (non-political party affiliated) journalists to support each other with strategics for keeping some independent space open. and linking that network to regional and intemationaljoumalist netw·orks.

• Foster the growth of independent local market media outlets.

F. Olfjectivc #6: Vulnerable populations are supported to decrease barriers to their civic and communitv participation.

• Build the capacity oflocal g1ievance mechanism providers. such as commune councils, to address grievances effectively and fairly.

• Use scorecards or tools to measure and stimulate dialogues between the government and communities.

• Support trauma counseling and mental health services as needed, to help Cambodians overcome pain from the Khmer Rouge period.

• Initiate reconciliation activities between groups coping with the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge rcgim0

• Create dialogue at local level bet\veen communities and government on less contentious issues. e.g. health ;,md education. in order to build trust.

• Train community members to initiate and foster dialogue through established community systems or forums.

• Using broadcast media to reach a larger audience to build peace and expand the awareness of the effects of the Khmer Rouge.

• Provide rehabilitation and prosthetics to disabled people. to help them enjoy basic human rights and linking them with the broader community.

0. Objective #7: Research and analysis advanced to better inform civil societv work.

USAID/ Cambodia IEE 4

• Commission high quality studies on civil society achievements and challenges using qualitative and quantitative methods, quasi-experimental design techniques and impact evaluation.

• Commission rapid-response analysis on CSO legal issues to assist both diplomatic efforts and local civil society advocacy.

• Survey Cambodian attitudes to unde rstand the causes of low civic engagement and the different youth and gender dynamics, and design interventions based on tbc findings.

• Commission or build local capacity to conduct accountability assessments in each of the technical sectors USAID/Cambodia is engaged in to determine the impact of cff011s to increase civic participation in governance processes and accountability by the government.

• Conduct public opinion surveys to assess local perceptions of CSOs, with a specific emphasis on youth and gender dynamics.

• Provide capacity building training, technical assistance, and coaching to local CSOs to conduct their own research using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and other computer programs.

• Provide training to CSOs to understand, evaluate and use the research done by others.

• Conduct an independent impact evaluation of the Civi l Society Strengthening Project as a whole or some of its activities.

IV. Justification for Categorical Exclusion Request

Non1.: of the activities proposed by this PAD are expected to have any adverse effect on the 1.?nviromncn1 and arc therefore recommended for a Categorical Exclusion. USAID/Cambodia"s Civil Soci~ty Strengthening Project will emphasize technical assistance, focusing on institutional sln.:ngthening. capacity development training. and coalition-build ing. In addition. it will fund local NGOs to carry out core human rights activities. i.e. monitoring human rights violations.

investigating cases. providing legal rcpresentMion to indigent clients, providing holistic services to vulnerable populations. conducting advocacy campaigns, etc. There may be some activities under Objective Six that support the development of prosthetic limbs for disabled people. but they arc not expected to have environmental implications.

Accordingly. none of the activities under the Civil Society Strengthening Project are expected to have any impact on the natural or physical environment and are therefore recommended for Categorical Exclusions per 22 CFR 216.2(c)(2)(i. An Initial Environmental Examination, or an Environmental Assessment are not required because the actions do not have an effect on the natural or physical environment.

Specifically. interventions, as currently planned, fall into the following classes of action:

(a) education. technical assistance and training (216.2(c)(2)(i));

(b) analyses, studies, and workshops (216.2(c)(2)(iii));

(c) document and information transfer (216.2(c)(2)(v))

No Environmental \t1itigation and Monitoring Plan will be required.

US/\ID/ Cambodia IEE 5

V. Revisions

Pursuant to 22 CFR 2/6.3.(a){9). ifnev .. ' information becomes available which indicates that activities to be funded by the Civil Society Strengthening Project might be .. major .. and the Project"s effect "significant:· this negative determination will be reviewed and revised by the originator of the Pr~ject and submitted to the Bureau Environmental Officer for approval and. if appropriate. an cm·ironmental assessment will be prepared. It's the responsibility of A/COR to inform YiEO and BEO on any changes in the scope and nature of the approve activities. which may require the revision of the approved Threshold Decision.

USJ\.10/ Cambodia IEE 6

APPROVAL OF RECOMMEl\"DED ENVIRONMENT AL ACTIONS:

Mission Environmental Officer:

Clearance: OK Brad Arsenault

Democracy and Governance Office Director:

Clearance: OK Shally Prasad

Acting Program Office Director:

Clearance: Ok Elizabeth Davnie-Easton

Regional Legal Advisor:

Clearance: C leared bv email Richard Nelson

Regional Environmental Advisor/ Asia:

Clearance: _ _____ Cleared by email _ _ _

'la~~~f~~~\~'l\\<:-

CLEARA~CES:

Mission Director: ~

Approval: / ', fl( @ 7 Rebecca Black

CONCURREl\"CE:

Bureau Environme1 tal Officer

CCed:

Project Files MEO Tracking 01\..i\

USAID/ Cambodia IEE 7

06/24/20 13 Date

06/24/2013 Date

06/25/20 13 Date

06/26/201 3 Date

06/26/2013

Date

Date

Date Approved:

Disapproved: