Human Rights First Urges IMF to Focus on Workers Rights,
the Rule of Law and NGO
Participation
New York – November 5. In a letter sent to
the IMF on Friday November 2, 2001, Human Rights First
called on the agency to take a close look at the status of labor rights, the
rule of law and NGO participation in poverty alleviation strategies during its
visit to Cambodia. The IMF Team was due to arrive in Phnom Penh on November 5 to
review the Cambodian Government’s compliance with conditions of its $81million
poverty package.
Statement by Justine Nolan, Director of
Workers Rights Program, Human Rights First:
A strong poverty alleviation strategy must ensure that
economic growth is not at the expense of human rights, including workers rights
and the right to a fair trial. Such a strategy must also actively engage
Cambodian civil society, which is best placed to understand the concerns of the
poor and disempowered.
Workers Rights:
The free exercise of fundamental workers rights, like the right to organize,
is a necessary prerequisite to long-term poverty alleviation. The IMF should ensure that the Cambodian
Government implements the workers rights enshrined in Cambodian and
international law, eliminates corruption in the enforcement of those rights, and
develops fair and effective mechanisms for the resolution of labor
disputes.
Rule of Law: Not
only labor laws, but also criminal and civil laws must be implemented vigilantly
and fairly. Without a system that guarantees just accountability for legal
infractions, no Cambodian citizen and no foreign investor can be secure in their
decisions. The long-term stability of the Cambodian economic and judicial
structure is at least partly dependent on the efficacy, fairness and
independence of its legal system. The recent trials of alleged members of the -
(write out what CFF is) demonstrates the persistent weaknesses in that
system.
NGO Participation:
It is well-recognized that the most successful poverty alleviation
strategies are those that have buy-in from the constituents whose lives the
programs are trying to affect. The IMF should incorporate Cambodian NGOs into
its strategy development and implementation. It should also encourage the
Cambodian Government to take concrete steps (want to specify?) to ensure that
NGOs feel safe from intimidation when carrying out their
work.