Cambodia: World Bank Group Country Engagement Note 2015-2016 Consultation Plan

The World Bank Group (WBG) is undertaking public consultations with stakeholders to inform the development of the Country Engagement Note (CEN) for the partnership between Cambodia and the World Bank Group during 2015 and 2016.

An CEN provides a framework for the World Bank Group’s engagement in a country until a full-fledged strategy and Country Partnership Framework can be developed.

The WBG is seeking input from government and non-governmental stakeholders to identify the priorities for the WBG’s engagement over the next two years.

These consultations help delineate the most effective interventions for the WBG to pursue, and to build support for implementation of its program of activities in the country. The WBG seeks to follow international good practice in the design and execution of its stakeholder consultation process.

Objective of CEN Consultations

The objective of the CEN consultations is to seek the views of a broad range of stakeholders in the country on the focus and scope of the WBG’s overall engagement in Cambodia, the range of activities the WBG proposes to undertake in partnership with Cambodia during this CEN period, and the proposed implementation arrangements for these activities.

Key Stakeholder Groups to Be Consulted

The Consultation Process

The consultation process will include both face-to-face consultation meetings as well as an on-line/web-based platform (available in Khmer and English) to enable participation by a wider range of stakeholders. The on-line consultations are ongoing and are expected to continue through the end of the face-to-face consultation meetings.

On-line Platform:

The on-line platform will include background materials to help stakeholders effectively and constructively engage in the consultation process. There will also be a questionnaire available on the website that stakeholders can use to provide their input and views either directly through an on-line survey form, or by downloading the questionnaire as a Word file and sending it by fax, mail or email to the World Bank’s office in Phnom Penh. It is open to all interested participants.

The final schedule of consultation meetings will be included on the consultation webpage, with those meetings that are open to the public clearly indicated.

The on-line platform will also be the channel through which other stakeholders can stay informed about the CEN process and see how their input – either on-line or at consultation meetings – has been incorporated into the CEN and if not, why it has not.

Face-to-Face Consultations:

A total of 11 face-to-face meetings are planned over a two-week period with the different stakeholder groups noted above. This face-to-face consultation is planned in late 2014 or early 2015, with dates to be determined.

The provinces in which consultation meetings will be held are: Siem Reap, Kampong Cham, Phnom Penh and Preah Sihanouk. Participants from neighboring provinces will be invited to these consultation meetings.

These provinces have been selected as hub locations for consultation meetings for both logistical reasons (they are more easily accessible locations for participants from neighboring provinces) and because they have the most WBG-financed activities at the provincial, district and commune levels.

The WBG will cover the costs for travel expenses incurred for participants who need to travel to participate in a consultation meeting.

Three major NGO networks in Cambodia, the Cooperation Committee of Cambodia (CCC), NGO Forum, and Community Peacebuilding Network have been requested to identify CSOs representatives for the face to face consultations. Format - The face-to-face consultation meetings will for the most part be structured as focus group discussions in order to be able to probe issues in depth. The discussion would be framed by a series of guiding questions (tailored to each stakeholder group). It is expected that these meetings would take about 3 hours including break-out group discussion and reporting.

Language – Consultations with Government, Parliament, private sector and development partner consultations will be conducted in English with Khmer translation provided. Consultations with Sub-national government, CSO/NGO, and Youth meetings will be conducted in Khmer with simultaneous interpretation services for English. The on-line platform will be available in both English and Khmer.

Stakeholder Feedback – A summary note from each consultation meeting will be sent via email to the participants for a one-week review and validation period. Revisions will be incorporated to the extent possible and the summaries will be finalized. The finalized summary, along with the list of participants, will be posted on the consultation website, with the exception of the government meetings. All summaries will be available in English, and summaries in Khmer will be available for those meetings conducted primarily in Khmer.

A final summary highlighting inputs and feedback from all consultation meetings and online questionnaires will be presented to the Ministry of Economy and Finance at wrap up meeting after the consultation period has ended. This summary will also be posted on the consultation website near the end of the CEN drafting process. It will include an explanation as to why some feedback may not have been taken on board, and will be submitted as part of the Board package when the final CEN is presented to the Board.