Accountability in Governance and Politics

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Background
Cambodia’s evolving democracy has made progress in recent years. However, challenges remain. The country must strengthen public participation in political processes, improve multi-party competition, support electoral administration and strengthen governance. To address these needs, USAID has developed the five-year Accountability in Governance and Politics (AGAP) program.

Objectives
AGAP will assist critical programs supporting the 2012 commune council elections and the 2013 national elections. After these elections, USAID assistance will help Cambodians hold all levels of their government accountable for policy performance by: 1) expanding transparency and access to information; 2) generating progressive leadership; and 3) supporting electoral integrity and observation. The program will strengthen accountability and expand transparency and access to information through, among other activities, regular national political surveys and constituency dialogues, which are town hall-style meetings that allow interaction and exchanges of information between members of parliament and their constituents. The program will generate progressive leadership through its work with young people, including through the Youth Council of Cambodia and the Youth Leadership Challenge television show.

Results
• Conducted seven national opinion polls since 2006, which have gained a high degree of acceptance among government officials, political party leaders and the public.

• Worked with the youth wings of the country’s five major political parties to hold their first democratic elections. The parties picked representatives for youth debates held in the weeks before the 2008 national elections.

• Taught over 47,000 university and high school students about democratic concepts through the Youth Council of Cambodia.

• Produced 58 episodes of the Youth Leadership Challenge television show, which carries democracy messages to millions of young people throughout the country.

• In advance of the 2008 national elections, organized political debates that were attended by more than 22,000 voters and followed by more than a million people on radio and television. The debate series was the first of its kind to be aired on state television and laid the foundation for possible future coverage.