NCDM rolls out disaster-control plan
THE National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) has formally launched the Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction 2019-2023 due to Cambodia’s status as a country that is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Addressing participants during a ceremony to introduce the plan and review the 2020 disaster management results on February 17, NCDM first vice-president Kun Kim said the plan’s goal is to build up Cambodia’s resilience to climate-related disasters and to mitigate socio-economic impacts by improving the country’s disaster management system.
Kun Kim said the NCDM hoped to achieve a reduction in the negative consequences experienced due to the occurrence of natural disasters such as drought, water shortages, insufficient rainfall, rain-induced floods, river bank collapses and infectious diseases.
“An effective disaster impact reduction plan will help to achieve sustainable development for all.
“In order to successfully put into practice this complex Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction, it will require the full cooperation of all ministries, institutions, sub-national administrations, civil society organisations and the private sector,” he said.
He noted the action plan takes into account stakeholders’ perspectives and join them
together in the common purpose of building resilience to climate change in Cambodia.
He said this requires raising awareness about the threats caused by climate change and Cambodia’s particular vulnerabilities in this area in order to cement good governance into place that will reduce the risks involved with disasters.
Kim concluded that relevant ministries and institutions have to integrate their responses under the existing legal framework by utilising its cooperative mechanisms to plan effective policies within the overall context of building a sustainable development programme.
Yin Khun Phoy, undersecretary of state at the Council of Ministers and NCDM secretary-general, said sustainable development cannot be separated from an effective disaster risk reduction plan.
He said disaster risk reduction and building resilience both require strong leadership and effective policies that will reduce the negative impacts of these disasters on society.
“When there are floods and other disasters, the most vulnerable people are children, people with disabilities, elderly people and women.
“Disasters hinder our socioeconomic development. They influence the livelihoods of
everyone and especially the people who are already the most vulnerable. Poverty cannot be eliminated and sustainable development cannot move forward without meaningful disaster risk reduction,” Phoy explained.
He said the 2019-2023 action plan was a four-point plan that included disaster risk awareness; increased cooperation between government agencies when disasters take place; increased investment in disaster risk reduction and preparedness; and advance planning of the government’s response to disasters such as plans for restoring services and the rebuilding of infrastructure.
THE Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has refuted criticisms of the sub-decree establishing the National Internet Gateway (NIG) after civil society and media organisations lambasted the new law as restricting the fundamental rights of citizens to use the internet.
A joint statement issued on February 19 by 62 NGOs, community trade unions and domestic and international media associations condemned the edict, saying it would restrict the essential public freedoms.
In particular, rights to freedom of expression, access to information and privacy as well as the competitiveness of internet service providers in Cambodia could be seriously impinged with significant negative impacts on the nation’s economic growth.
On the same day, however, the ministry issued a press release observing that there had been strong reactions from the press and other associations warning of government overreach intended to capture data, monitor users’ conversations and restrict freedom of expression, following China’s example.
The ministry rebutted such assertions, saying there were no stipulations in the subdecree pertaining to capturing data, spying on users’ conversations or restricting freedom of expression. Such allegations were baseless and politically motivated, it claimed.
Instead, the ministry announced plans to draft a new law concerning the protection of private data after a draft law on information and communication security is finalized in the near future.
According to the ministry, preparation of the NIG subdecree was made openly in consultation with experts from the telecommunication sector, private operators and other relevant institutions.
“This sub-decree aims to increase the efficiency of national revenue collection based on the principles of fairness and honest competition with transparency between the state and operators. It will also help prevent illegal cross-border network links, including online gambling, cyber threats, pornography and online fraud,” the press release said.
The joint statement of protest insisted the government repeal the statute, noting that among its 20 articles and 11 chapters, restrictions laid out in articles 6 and 14 will require the Telecommunications Regulator of Cambodia and other institutions to cooperate in taking preventative and corrective measures to disable all network connections which could detrimentally affect national revenue, security, social order, morality, culture or traditions.
“The language of this article is broad and unclear, enabling it to be interpreted and applied by government authorities against human rights activists or any other community groups or citizens who express criticism of the government on social media or elsewhere on the internet,” the statement said.
Sok Chenda, CEO of Mekong Net, one of Cambodia’s leading internet service providers (ISPs), told The Post that she was not aware of all the details of the sub-decree but believed it would have an impact on her business.
“It’s true that the government wants to control the internet gateway. But more important is how the government will include all ISPs under one gateway as a single system,” she said.