A/HRC/24/32
general. OHCHR provided financial support for a non-governmental open-data source,
which makes available in one location information on land concessions by province and by
company, and includes briefings on thematic issues. In accordance with its mandate,
OHCHR supported the work of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in
Cambodia on land concessions, and is following up on his recommendations in that regard.
16.
At the invitation of the Ministry of the Environment, OHCHR supported the
consultation process for a bill on environmental impact assessment led by the Ministry, and
provided substantive comments on the harmonization of the current draft with international
standards on transparency, public participation and access to information, gender, the
responsibility of business enterprises, free, prior and informed consent, resettlement, and
grievance mechanisms and dispute resolution processes.
17.
On the promotion of indigenous peoples’ land rights, OHCHR worked closely with
the Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of the Interior. In collaboration with
the International Labour Organization and other development partners, it monitored efforts
countrywide for indigenous peoples to organize and be recognized as legal entities, and to
apply as a community for a collective land title, as recognized in the domestic legal
framework. During the period under review, policies that arose from the implementation of
Directive 001 on land concessions and forestry land prioritized private land titling and deprioritized indigenous land titling programmes, diverting resources from the Ministry of
Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction and hampering progress in
indigenous land titling programmes in progress. In some cases, the national private land
titling campaign effectively resulted in provincial level authorities placing obstacles to
indigenous communities in their pursuit of collective land titles.
18.
Despite the above-mentioned obstacles, OHCHR continued its ongoing support for
seven villages inhabited by Phnong peoples in Bousra commune, Mondulkiri province,
further developed its assistance to Suoy communities in five villages in Aoral district,
Kampong Speu province, and expanded the programme to include support for one Por
community in Samlot district, Battambang province. OHCHR also contributed to advocacy
more generally for indigenous peoples’ land rights and cultural and linguistic rights with
the use of the media (including press statements, publications and video).
19.
In order to promote more responsible business practices in the land sector and to
counter inadequate regulation and oversight of businesses operating in Cambodia (also
relevant to labour rights), OHCHR contributed to awareness-raising and capacity-building
initiatives in the area of business and human rights. OHCHR targeted civil society
organizations, government, community representatives and business actors to increase their
understanding of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights2 and their
application in Cambodia. OHCHR gave presentations at eight seminars and consultations
for civil society, reaching more than 200 representatives of non-governmental organizations
and indigenous communities countrywide, and supported greater capacity for civil society
in its access to non-judicial mechanisms for business-related human rights impact at the
operational, national and international levels.
20.
OHCHR also shared information with the staff of the Government’s Anti-Corruption
Unit, and donors, businesses and professional associations on business and human rights,
supported a monthly radio programme, and assisted with the development of a picture book
on the issue for indigenous communities. One result was both increased understanding
among civil society of the responsibilities of the State and business actors in the land and
labour sectors, and greater interest and capacity in promoting responsible business
2
6
A/HRC/17/31, annex.
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