ASEAN Region Local Administration Forum 2005 in Cambodia
-Human Resource Development for Local Administration Officers-

With Cambodia as the co-organizing country, CLAIR Singapore successfully conducted the ASEAN Region Local Administration Forum 2005 in Phnom Penh and other provinces from 29th November to 2nd December 2005.

Held annually since 1995, this project aims to provide an open forum for Japan and other ASEAN countries to exchange experience and expertise in local governance, improve the efficiency and quality of administrative management, and promote interaction between administration officers.

In the case of Cambodia, where the local administration system has been implemented in 2002, there is a lack of well-trained local administration officers and their training becomes a task of utmost urgency. After consultation with the Ministry of interior, Cambodia, the theme "Human Resource Development for Local Administration Officers" had been decided. The event consisted of a main forum held in Phnom Penh and visits to Takeo and Siem Reap provinces.

Day 1 Phnom Penh

An audience of about 110 people, comprising central and local administration officers from Cambodia as well as local government officers from Japan attended the main forum in Phnom Penh on 30th November.

The forum consisted of three presentations. After the opening addresses by Mr. Kayama Michihiro, Chairman of the Board of Directors of CLAIR and H.E. Prum Sokha, Secretary of State, H.E. Sak Setha, Director General ofthe General Department of Administration spoke in the first presentation on "Capacity Building For Cambodia's Local Administration Officers." He highlighted the various problems faced by communes that form the basic units of local administration and cited Cambodia's achievements in its efforts toward human resource development among local officers. In addition, to ensure that decentralization and deconcentration processes continue to be implemented to all levels of the provinces, cities, khans, districts, communes and sangkats, he mentioned the necessity of establishing a system of personnel training for local officers and a training institute to conduct medium to long term courses in future.

The second presentation was given by Mr. Ishikawa Yoshinori, Vice-President of the Local Autonomy College in Japan, which is a training institute for Japanese local administration officers. He presented on the history of the Local Autonomy College which was started amidst a new local administration system after World War II and he elaborated on its organization structure and functions. In addition, he talked about the accomplishments of the college and its visions for the future. The college has successfully groomed 50,000 officers for the past 50 years.

Next, in the third presentation by Mr. Miki Toshiki, Deputy Director of the Hyogo Prefectural Civil Service Personnel Training Institute, a concrete example of how a Japanese local authority conducts its training programs was shown. He outlined the organization structure of the institute and gave a summary of the content of the courses available. Group discussions, practical exercises and internships in private sectors and welfare institutions are among the unique training methods incorporated in the training programs.

A lively round of Q&A session followed. The forum concluded with H.E. Prum Sokha expressing words of appreciation to all support for the capacity building of Cambodia's local administration officers, and with Director Chiba Yoshihiro of CLAIR Singapore looking forward to the continuation of human resource development of local administration officers on the basis of cooperative relations strengthened in this forum between the two countries.

Day 2 Takeo

In order to further understand Cambodia's administration at the local level, the Japanese local government officers visited Takeo province on 1st December. After a courtesy visit to H.E. Sou Phirin, Governor of Takeo province, the delegates received a presentation on the activities of Takeofs Local Administration Unit by Mr. Un Vanna, Chief of the Local Administration Unit.

In the afternoon, the delegates visited Leay Bour commune, where they met and talked with the commune councilors. The delegates were able to realize how the councilors, having been elected to public office, do their utmost in formulating plans for regional development and deciding on the implementation of projects, despite the huge financial and personnel difficulties that communes face.

Day 3 Siem Reap

On 2nd December, from the viewpoint of understanding human resource development across a wide range of areas that is being carried out in line with local conditions, the Japanese delegation visited the Paul Dubrule Hospitality and Tourism School in Siem Reap. With rapid growth of the tourism industry in Siem Reap, the number of hotels has risen from only 1 to about 80 in 10 years. Consequently, the lack of skilled staff to work in these hotels has recently become a serious issue. Established in 2002, the school is the personal initiative of Paul Dubrule, the co-founder of the French Accor group, and aims to train Cambodians in the skills of the hotel, restaurant and tourism industry in accordance with international standards. After a brief overview of the schools's history, objectives and activities by the Director of the school, Mrs. Beatrice Baranger, there was a short tour of the school's restaurant, guest rooms and other facilities that allow students to carry out practical training. About 100 students graduate from the school annually and 97% of the graduates in 2004 were employed in the tourism industry.

This year's event has brought local administration officers from both countries together to exchange knowledge and expertise. Furthermore, it has enabled the Japanese participants to deepen their understanding on Cambodia's situation through provincial visits. With this experience, it is hoped that interaction such as economic and tourism exchange between the two countries will be broadened