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IRI began working with political parties in Cambodia in 1992 in anticipation of United Nations-sponsored elections in May 1993. Since that time, IRI has assisted with political party strengthening and youth empowerment, conducted election monitoring, media and civil society development, public opinion research, and promoted legal reform.
IRI currently works with political parties to share international best practices so parties are better able to represent the interests of their constituents; and with youth to strengthen their leadership skills and abilities and provide them the tools to be effective leaders. In addition, IRI continues to support the Youth Council of Cambodia (YCC), a local civil society organization which promotes greater youth activism and fosters youth participation in political processes.
Strengthening Political Party Youth Wings
Political parties see young party leaders as their best resource to gain greater youth membership and ultimately more votes. To support these promising leaders, IRI offers workshops on best practices in leadership, campaign management, public speaking and message development. Through these specialized programs, young leaders are able to lobby for youth issues related to education and economic opportunities.
Youth Council of Cambodia
Since its inception, YCC has worked hand in hand with more than 100,000 Cambodian youth on issues related to democratic principles and methods for civic engagement in the democratic process. IRI has supported YCC’s goal to educate and encourage responsible civic action and to equip young people with the skills to be committed participants in civil society since 2001. Today, YCC maintains offices in nine provinces throughout Cambodia and conducts civic and youth governance education programming for youth ages 13 – 27. YCC’s interactive and diverse programs include Youth Democracy Festivals and an active nationwide network of approximately 2,500 motivated and capable young leaders that make a difference in their communities through petition drives, fundraising activities and community development initiatives that serve to help their local communities.
Next Generation Youth Politics Talk Show
With a majority of the country’s population under the age of 25, engaging youth in the political and civic development of Cambodia is critical. One such successful effort is Next Generation (Nek Bantor Ven in Khmer) television show, produced by IRI. Now in its second season, the weekly one-hour program brings together contestants from youth organizations across Cambodia to engender friendly issue-oriented debates among and between youth on significant socio-economic and environmental challenges facing the country.
Public Opinion Research
Public opinion research is a crucial instrument in IRI’s efforts to make political parties more responsive to voters and foster greater participation by under-represented groups and by citizens generally in the political process. Since January 2004, IRI has sponsored eight national surveys in Cambodia, measuring attitudes toward democracy and identifying Cambodians’ most pressing concerns, the results of which are incorporated into IRI programming to encourage political parties and the Cambodian government to create voter outreach strategies and public policies that are in line with citizen priorities and needs.
