This project aims to change the perspective of policymakers to pay more substantial attention, show commitment, and accept recommendations from Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and their institutions on the revisions of the current laws that affect IPs’ identity and their community. It is intended to see the IP alliance join their collective action to raise their voices in public and in consultation forums without intimidation and harassment. Leading by CIPO, the collective demand of 7 IP organisations (1. Cambodian Indigenous Women’s Association (CIWA), 2. Cambodian Indigenous Youth Association (CIYA), 3. Indigenous, 4. IP Human Rights Defenders (IPHRD), 5. Conserve Indigenous Peoples Languages (CIPL), 6. Indigenous Agriculture and Development in Cambodia (IADC), and 7. Organization for the Promotion of Kui Culture (OPKC) and their alliance are reflected in the adopted laws that affect their communities.

Key actions of the joined alliance to address these issues include:

1). Establish an indigenous legal team capable of addressing policy gaps in the draft laws, composed of community experts on the expected impact, technical legal specialists (indigenous and non-indigenous), and Indigenous Law students.

2). Produce an in-depth analysis of the legal gaps in the revised draft laws that affect IPs’ identity and community and produce a joint statement as evidence-based documentation that can be used for advocacy based on guided advocacy strategies.

3). Organize formal and informal advocacy dialogues/campaigns to have their recommendations and inputs incorporated into the amended or new policies/laws.

4). Mobilize indigenous communities to provide testimonies about existing laws’ effects and provide context, evidence, and information for advocacy with legislative bodies.

5). Support advocacy campaigns/initiatives organized by affected communities for awareness-raising (for instance, through the media) and addressing the issues. And last but not least, seek valuable support from important international and regional actors (AIPP, ILC, UN agencies, etc.) to influence relevant stakeholders in the policy-making process. 

Indigenous peoples collectively demand the inclusion of the traditional rights to land, and natural resources use and management in the law 

The Cambodian government is developing a number of legislations in response to international conventions and frameworks related to climate change, particularly the CBD, the law on protected areas, the law on forestry, the environment and natural resources code, and land law, all of which contribute to the impact on the rights to land management and use by the Indigenous peoples. The “Our Identity, Our Rights” project, with support from Voice, has made significant contributions to providing opportunities for Indigenous peoples to have a voice and to be included in the above relevant laws. The main objective of this project is to change the views of the lawmakers pay more attention, be willing, and accept the recommendations from the indigenous people into the legislation. This project is implemented by the Cambodia Indigenous People Alliance, a collective forum of indigenous peoples with the support of 16 indigenous representatives and eight indigenous organizations.  

In order to achieve the above objectives, the Cambodia Indigenous People Alliance has identified a number of key activities. These include the establishment of Indigenous legal teams; the production of analyses of relevant legal frameworks; conducting research studies to collect community-based evidence to support the analyses; consultative meetings with Indigenous peoples to provide input into the analysis reports and develop statements; organizing meetings with stakeholders, especially with the official legislation agencies to collect information for advocacy; organizing official meetings with official legislation agencies and stakeholders to include inputs from the Indigenous people; supporting community’s innovative ideas in raising the community’s problems, and online advocacy. In addition, the Cambodia Indigenous People Alliance has been working with partners, including the Silk Organization and the United Nations Mechanism for Advocacy. 

Positive results from the efforts of the indigenous people’s working groups, which handle the above activities, include having set up a legal and rights team for Indigenous people, which is part of the Cambodia Indigenous People Alliance. The alliance comprises 15 members, who had previously published an analysis of the Environmental and Natural Resources Code and produced a joint statement with the following key content as demand for inclusion of Indigenous people and communities in the principle of FPIC and recognition of traditional management zone and the documents were submitted to the lawmakers and the 4th Committee of the National Assembly, the Ministry of Land Management, and the Ministry of Interior. In addition, the Indigenous people’s legal and rights team contributed to the production of a research report on the impact of previous law enforcement in three communities and continued to participate in the analysis and collection of inputs on articles related to the Indigenous people of the draft land law and submitted them to the draft law facilitation team of the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction at the end of March 2024. Indigenous people’s positive mechanisms for engagement with the lawmakers include the identification of influential people or individuals to help guide with communication and approaches. As a result, indigenous peoples’ working groups have engaged and made regular official and unofficial appointments with those people. Moreover, the voice of indigenous peoples in Cambodia has been promoted internationally through the submission of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and Voluntary National Review (VNR) reports and the COP 28 climate change event. In addition, indigenous groups have organized meetings with UN agencies in Cambodia in September 2023 and the Australian and British embassies to promote the rights of indigenous peoples in Cambodia.