Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Cambodians for Resource Revenue Transparency (CRRT), a new coalition of civil society organizations was launched today and urged the Royal Government of Cambodia, donors, private businesses, and other stakeholders to promote transparency in the management of revenues from oil, gas and mining to ensure that they benefit every citizen of Cambodia.

As Cambodia is expected to experience a sudden resource windfall, careful planning is needed to ensure that a sudden increase in revenues and expenditures are properly managed in a socially transparent and accountable manner that especially reaches the poorest Cambodians.

“The discovery of oil gas and mining and the revenues gained from it could have a potential to lift Cambodians out of poverty. However, for this to happen, important steps need to be taken to ensure that revenue management is done in an accountable way and that the benefits gained are invested into basic social services such as health care and education, and at the same time, it is equally important to support other vulnerable economic sectors such as garment, agriculture and tourism,” Mr. Mam Sambath, the Chairperson of CRRT said.

CRRT hopes to play a key role by bringing examples of good revenue management strategies from other countries to the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) and by helping the public to have realistic expectations about the implications of the discovery of oil, gas and mining resources. “By working together we believe that we can learn from others’ mistakes and that benefits can be equitably shared,” Mr. Mam Sambath added.

The Cambodians for Resource Revenue Transparency coalition believes that:

o An informed public should participate in open discussions to influence decision making on the financial management of revenues from extractive industries.

o Information should be widely available on operations for exploitation of extractive resources and earned revenues to facilitate public oversight of the extractive industries sector.

o Revenues from extractive industries should be efficiently and fairly used for sustainable development for the benefit of current and future generations.

The founding members of CRRT include Development and Partnership in Action, the Center for Social Development, the Economic Institute of Cambodia, the NGO Forum on Cambodia and Youth Resource Development Program.

AIs part of the CRRT coalition, the five founding members will bring skills in budget monitoring and transparency, good governance, and youth empowerment. CRRT hopes to act together as an agent of constructive engagement with the Government and extractive industries companies to help ensure that revenues from extractive industries are well and transparently managed, in a way that is understood by the general public.

For more information and to set up interview, please contact:

Mr. Borei Sylyvann, Communications Officer, CRRT
Tel: 023 217 607 or Mobile: 012 981 382
Email: crrtcommunications [at] yahoo [dot] com
Or visit our website: www.crrt-cambodia.org