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Awareness Raising & Capacity Building on International Treaty Obligations with a Specific Focus on Human Rights in Cambodia

The Kingdom of Cambodia has signed and ratified numerous international treaties and conventions in recent years. To ensure that national law is in accordance with these international obligations, however, further efforts are needed. In particular, the effective protection of human rights requires a basic awareness and understanding of the relevant standards and protection mechanisms among national decision-makers.

In this regard, the Foundation implemented a project to raise awareness and build capacities for sustainability regarding international treaty obligations, with a specific focus on human rights. Local project partners included the two chambers of the national Parliament, General Assembly and Senate. Using a comparative legal approach, the parliamentarians and their legal advisors have been taught knowledge and skill sets needed to examine whether the laws and future legislative proposals are in accordance with relevant international treaty obligations and human rights standards.

The project activities included several practice-oriented seminars that taught both theoretical foundations and practical implementation approaches from countries in the region. A “train-the-trainers” seminar also ensured that the participants would later act as multipliers to pass on the knowledge gained. During a conference with senior representatives of both chambers of Parliament and independent experts, results of the project activities were discussed and future measures determined in order to apply the acquired knowledge sustainably. Additionally, the Foundation advised the National Assembly and the Senate with respect to the contents of their libraries and provided funds for the acquisition of current and relevant legal literature.