A/HRC/27/43
with the Ministry of Rural Development and a working group of NGOs to address key
challenges in the process. OHCHR-Cambodia assisted in facilitating the representation of
indigenous communities from seven different provinces during the workshop. OHCHR
contributed to advocacy more generally for indigenous peoples’ land rights and cultural and
linguistic rights through the media, including through press statements, publications and
video.
44.
In view of the growing influence of businesses on the enjoyment of human rights,
OHCHR expanded its work in this area through awareness-raising and capacity-building
initiatives. OHCHR targeted government ministries and officials, civil society
organizations, community representatives and business actors, including through chambers
of commerce, to increase their understanding of the Guiding Principles on Business and
Human Rights and their application in Cambodia. OHCHR gave presentations at nine
seminars and consultations for civil society, reaching more than 350 representatives of
NGOs and indigenous communities nationwide, and supported the building of greater
capacity for civil society to access non-judicial mechanisms for addressing business-related
human rights impact at the operational, national and international levels. In addition,
approximately 5,000 Khmer and English copies of the Guiding Principles and 2,000 copies
of the OHCHR Picture Book on Business and Human Rights: Protect, Respect and Remedy
Framework (2013) were distributed.
45.
Furthermore, OHCHR reached out to businesses directly to engage them in
discussions on the implications of their operations. In December 2013, it hosted a visit by
Puvan Selvanathan, a member of the Working Group on the issue of human rights and
transnational corporations and other business enterprises, during which OHCHR coorganized a training session on business and human rights with the Cambodia Human
Rights Committee, in which nine Government ministries and the Council for the
Development of Cambodia participated. As the strikes for a higher minimum wage gained
momentum in the second half of 2013, OHCHR engaged with various chambers of
commerce, buyers for the leading international brands contracting work in Cambodia and
the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia, as well as the concerned ministries
and ILO. OHCHR also continued to monitor the major labour strikes, particularly those
where there was a risk of violence. At the time of drafting, the situation remains to be
resolved, although progress is visible in the establishment of a proper wage determination
mechanism that might peacefully settle the level of the minimum wage in the future by
ensuring regular updates in a manner agreed to by all concerned parties.
V.
Supporting prison reform
46.
The OHCHR Prison Reform Support Programme in the country is implemented in
partnership with the General Department of Prisons of the Ministry of Interior. Specifically,
OHCHR aims to bring the legal framework relating to prisons in line with constitutional
guarantees and international human rights norms; assist the General Department of Prisons
in developing a professional training programme for prison staff integrating human rights
throughout the curriculum; improve prison conditions and the treatment of prisoners; and
strengthen the protection of prisoners against torture and ill-treatment through regular
monitoring.
47.
OHCHR support since 2010 has yielded results with the promulgation of the new
Royal Decree on the Separate Status of Prison Staff in August 2013. The new Decree
replaced the previous Royal Decree adopted in 2000, which separated prisons from police
but only created a cadre of junior prison guards, whereas higher ranking officers were still
part of the police. Now, all staff are recognized as prison staff with a distinct mission, in
accordance with international standards. The Decree creates a career path, reinforced with
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