A/HRC/42/31
missions to Preah Vihear in May 2018, to Koh Kong in June 2018 and to Kampong Speu
Provinces in September 2018. The Office continued to urge the Government to speed up the
dispute-resolution process and work in a more transparent way, and to accelerate remedial
actions for various challenging issues raised by people affected by the sugar concessions.
56.
OHCHR continued to follow the mediation process between the indigenous peoples’
communities in Bousra commune and the rubber company Socfin, facilitated by the
Independent Mediation Group and conducted in Mondulkiri Province. In addition, OHCHR
financially supported Legal Aid of Cambodia to train the community representatives in
mediation skills as well as to act as legal advisers during the mediation. The ongoing
mediation has resulted in some of the communal land being returned to the indigenous
communities, including graveyards and spirit forests.
57.
OHCHR has continued to promote the dissemination of public information on
economic and other land concessions, including an interactive map of social land
concessions, through technical and financial support to the non-governmental organization
Open Development Cambodia. The interactive map helps to monitor developments in
social land concessions across the country. OHCHR, Open Development Cambodia and
NGO Forum held a regional workshop on social land concessions in August 2018.
Government officials and development partners expressed interest in the interactive maps
and enhanced their ability to use them.
58.
OHCHR undertook 12 monitoring missions to selected ethnic Vietnamese
communities in Phnom Penh Municipality and Battambang, Kompong Chhnang, Prey Veng,
Siem Reap, Pursat, Sihanoukville, Koh Kong and Kompong Thom Provinces in order to
gain an understanding of the challenges they face regarding their legal status, access to
school, public health and discrimination. OHCHR successfully encouraged local authorities
to delay until May 2019 a forced relocation of ethnic Vietnamese floating villages by the
Tonle Sap River. A follow-up mission in February 2019 confirmed that there had been no
further relocation to dry land of ethnic Vietnamese communities in Kampong Chhnang. The
Deputy Governor agreed to delay relocation until basic services were available for people.
59.
OHCHR continued to expand its focus on business and human rights, working
directly with national and subnational authorities, civil society organizations, community
representatives and business actors to increase their understanding of the Guiding Principles
on Business and Human Rights and their application in Cambodia. OHCHR participated in
the meetings of the Corporate Social Responsibility Platform, a platform of business, civil
society organizations and Government designed to raise awareness and promote the use of
relevant guidelines and tools. OHCHR raised awareness about the Guiding Principles and
human rights due diligence at various trainings and workshops organized alone or together
with partners, including the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, as part of the Office’s
grant to the Centre for its work on business and human rights. In particular, OHCHR
organized a briefing for youth, including young entrepreneurs, academia and civil society
organizations, in June 2018 and delivered a lecture to masters programme students at the
Royal University of Law and Economics in November 2018. In May 2019, OHCHR
organized a peer learning workshop on business and human rights for agribusinesses
operating in Cambodia. The workshop attracted almost 40 business representatives from
international, Cambodian and Vietnamese companies and aimed to facilitate further
cooperation with businesses on the implementation of the Guiding Principles.
60.
OHCHR awarded a grant in March 2019 to the organization People in Need to
publish a study on gender-based violence in urban communities.
VI. Human rights information and communication
61.
OHCHR continued its extensive outreach and communication work using a variety
of media forms in English and Khmer. During the reporting period it distributed 67,871
publications to government institutions and others. OHCHR uses Facebook and Twitter to
disseminate information about human rights developments, its activities, and information
from the international human rights mechanisms of relevance to Cambodia. Since January
2018, its Facebook followers have increased by a third, reaching 15,970 people.
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