Social Development Programme

Welcome to the Social Development Programme website of the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI). The programme consists of two units: Social Development Research (under construction) and the Peace Building Training Programme. In a society with communities fragmented and damaged by decades of conflict, including the traumatic impact of the 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge regime and its aftermath, the building and maintenance of peace and stability remain a fundamental priority if Cambodia is to achieve sustainable development.

A. Peace Building Training Programme

The transition from war to peace and the reconstruction and development process have created new opportunities for positive social change in Cambodia, based on principles of justice, human rights and self-determination. At the same time, after decades of armed conflict and insecurity, these dramatic changes also have the potential to create new conflicts and inequalities. Promoting the understanding and skills to manage these changes and encourage effective local participation, is an essential dimension of empowering society in post-conflict situations.

CDRI’s Peace Building Training Programme aims to contribute to the building of a culture of peace through awareness raising and community capacity building. Its training programmes aim to provide community participants with the awareness and skills to identify conflict, analyse its causes and seek strategies for its prevention and resolution. The training programmes draw on case studies generated by CDRI’s research on issues that cause conflict in Cambodia—family violence, access to natural resources, political disagreements and local governance issues.

The Peace Building Training Programme, with the support of Novib (Oxfam Netherlands), offered training in former Khmer Rouge reconciliation zones from 2000 to 2004, and then continued offering its unique community peace building and conflict transformation training programmes to provincial, district and commune officials, commune council members, local non-government organisations, pagodas and women’s associations, monks and police and security officials, in Phnom Penh, Pursat, Battambang, Kampot, Kratie, Stung Treng, Kampong Speu and Rattanakkiri provinces. Commissioned training was also designed and delivered for other organisations working in Cambodia: GTZ Germany, Terre des Hommes Netherlands, Mlup Baitong, CIDSE, COSECAM, DPA and CWS.

Its core activities include:

1. Strengthening Local Capacities for Peace Building

Human development through training workshops has proven to be effective in breaking down prejudices and in creating lasting partnerships for local development and the management of conflict. The Peace Building and Conflict Transformation Unit provides a range of specially designed courses to meet the needs of participants, preceded by a training needs assessment.

2. Working for Peace

This is a cross-sector training course to enhance the effectiveness of members of government, military and civil society working in the field of peace building. This training consists of four five-day modules and is presented annually by our experienced trainers at CDRI in the Khmer language.

Working for Peace Training was developed from the Core Training Programme in Conflict Resolution Skills offered by CDRI in 1997–98 in partnership with Responding to Conflict (a UK-based organisation specialising in conflict resolution training). The present course, first offered in 2001, uses a variety of case studies and problem-posing scenarios from the Cambodian context. The course facilitators are graduates of the Core Training Programme in Conflict Resolution Skills, coming from a cross-section of civil society and government, and have attended Training of Trainers for Peace.

The course examines current theory and practices as they apply to emerging issues in Cambodia and the development of the participants’ individual and organisational capacities. The purpose is to develop and support a community of conflict management and peace building practitioners with skills training and resources in order to increase the capacity of Cambodians and Cambodian institutions to resolve peacefully, manage and prevent conflicts.

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3. Training of Trainers for Peace

Training of Trainers for Peace is designed to provide those already trained in peace building and conflict management with additional facilitation and training skills so that they may train others in this field. The course involves participation in two intensive five-day ToT workshops held at CDRI, followed by practical experience during Working for Peace courses over the coming year in Phnom Penh. This “real life” practical experience is a key component and must be completed in order to graduate from the course.

The training method combines presentations on training theory with participatory learning activities and skills workshops and builds on the lessons and methodology of Working for Peace and other courses. The course is conducted in Khmer and facilitated by experienced trainers.

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4. The Role of the Press in Peace Building

Since 2001 the Peace Building Training Programme has played a main role in developing the capacity of public officials and civil society leaders to deal effectively and peacefully with conflict in the realm of public policy and decision-making. It has also contributed to building a culture of peace by enhancing the capacity of Cambodians and Cambodian institutions to participate effectively in positive social change. Over time, the programme has made multiple innovations in its practical training programme. It now has a new programme which focuses on the role of journalists in peace building. This programme was initiated seeing the emerging role of the press in conflict resolution and peace building, as well as the potential for the press to be affected by escalating conflict.

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B. Resource Materials for Peace Education

CDRI training courses provide leadership in the development of Khmer language pedagogical resources for peace building. CDRI publications on peace building include an extensive English-Khmer lexicon of peace building terms, and The Buddha as Peacemaker, a four-volume set of illustrated Khmer-language books promoting Buddhist concepts of non-violence and mindful peace. Other peace-related materials published by CDRI are:

The Nature and Causes of Conflict Escalation in the 1998 National Election, by Caroline Hughes and Real Sopheap, January 2000 (pdf 552kb)
The Evolution of Democratic Process and Conflict Management in Cambodia, by Caroline Hughes and Kim Sedara, 2004
An Investigation of Conflict Management in Cambodian Villages, Caroline Hughes, 2001 (pdf 187kb)
Training Manual for Conflict Resolution

CDRI