Aid Dependence in Cambodia: How Foreign Assistance Undermines Democracy

7/31/2019 Aid Dependence in Cambodia: How Foreign Assistance Undermines Democracy

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In j a n u a r y 200 5 , Cambdias rst cnrmd

victim highy pathgnic avian inunza

(HPAI) was discvrdin Vitnam. This d t

th pubicatin nws accunts critica Cambdias ntriusy wak hath

inrastructur. A March 5 Wall Street Journal artic by Jams Hkway ntitd In

Rura Cambdia, Dradd Avian Inunza Finds a Wak Spt ratd th vaiantrts Cambdias chi u-huntr at th cash-strappd Ministry Hath,

whs mrgncy budgt r ducating [Cambdias] 13 miin pp abut

bird-u dangrs was a mr $2,500 (Hkway 2005). I argu that such cvrag

cnrmd an xtant imag Cambdia as a hapss natin-stat, s ragi and

incapab that it had aid t prtctindd had murdrdits wn citizns in

th mid-1970s. Nw, atr mr than a dcad dnr intrvntin t dvp

th cuntry, Cambdia riskd bing grund zr r th nxt gba pandmic.

Paying its part as an inctd cuntry, Cambdia rcivd a pdg $32.5

miin rm dnrs at th January 1718, 2006, Intrnatina Pdging Cnrnc

n Avian and Human Inunza in Bijing (Wrd Bank 2006c). In 20082009, at

ast 15 impmnting partnrs wr satd t spnd $22 miin t cmbat HPAI

and prmt pandmic prpardnss in Cambdia in th aras anima hath;

3an international problem

The Cambodian Response to Highly

Pathogenic Avian Inuenza

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88 A N I N T e R N A T I o N A l P R o B l e M

human hath; inrmatin, ducatin, and cmmunicatin; and pandmic pr-

pardnss its. S svr was th cncrn that th Unitd Stats, which, wing

th vnts Juy 56, 1997, had barrd dirct gvrnmnt-t-gvrnmnt supprt Cambdia whi giving hundrds miins dars t nngvrnmnta

rganizatins (NGos), awd an xcptin r th U.S. Cntrs r Disas Cn-

tr and Prvntin (CDC) t wrk dircty with th gvrnmnt Cambdia.

Th CDC has undd HPAI activitis in Cambdia sinc 2005 t strngthn anima

and human survianc systms, train anima and human hath rntin wrkrs

t dtct and rspnd t disas utbraks, and run a cmmunicatins prgram t

str a natina chang in rvant bhavirs.1

Givn th critica risk psd by HPAI and th hug inusin aid that Camb-dia rcivd t cntr th risk an HPAI pidmic, it is a cas that I biv rs

a cntmprary and critica pprtunity t assss th ctivnss aid in shap-

ing Cambdias pubic picy, as w as th ways aid dpndnc inuncs th

Cambdian rspns. Cambdias xprinc sinc th disas was discvrd n

a arm utsid Phnm Pnh in January 2004 rvas imprtant aspcts hw this

dvping cuntry with imitd rsurcs and capabiitis has rspndd t a cri-

sis that has gba pubic hath impicatins and, in turn, hw th gba rspns

t th crisis has actd Cambdia. Cambdias rspns t HPAI dmnstratsth prvasiv waknss in th natins picy prcss. Th stats rspns

rvad vidnc pr gvrnanc, ack pitica wi as manistd in an

unwiingnss t cmmit stat unds, and a aiur t prtct th ivihds th

pr. Manwhi, th cas HPAI has as rvad dnrs aiur t crdinat

pans r t tak apprpriat stps t prtct and ducat th pr. Instad, dnr

rspnss hav tndd t cus n prvnting th sprad HPAI t th dvpd

wrd. Takn tgthr, ths shrtcmings suggst th prsistnt waknsss

th Cambdian stat and th aiur th intrnatina cmmunity t addrss th

prbm ctivy in th cntxt a majr hath crisis.2

The Emergence o HPAI in Cambodia

Th svr acut rspiratry syndrm (SARS) crnavirus causd a nar pan-

dmic btwn Nvmbr 2002 and Juy 2003, with 8,273 knwn inctd cass

and 775 daths wrdwid, a cas-ataity rat 9.6 prcnt (WHo 2004). Twnty-

ight cuntris and trritris wr actd within 10 mnths. Ths incudd

mst Suthast Asiawith th ntab xcptins Cambdia, Bruni,

Myanmar, las, and Timr-lst, which had by thn bcm indpndntbut



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A N I N T e R N A T I o N A l P R o B l e M 89

th virus wnt w bynd Asia, invving th Unitd Stats, Canada, Grmany,

th Unitd Kingdm, Itay, and Swdn in th dvpd wrd. Th mrgnc

SARS was a prcursr t th gba picy rspns t HPAI. Th SARS virusmad travrs aru that trav by pan wud carry a risk cntagin. In this

way, SARS ramd th dwnsid gbaizatin and wrdwid trav and cast

th dvping wrds ratinship t th dvpd wrd in a nw ight. SARS

bcam a raying ca r what t d abut pacs ik Cambdia, whr th hath

inrastructur, dstryd by dcads war and pagud by crruptin, cud

bary unctin. But SARS was ny a tst Cambdias mrgncy rspns sys-

tm. HPAI was th ra mrgncy.

By Dcmbr 2003, HPAI had arady inctd bth Thaiand and Vitnam.It was ny a mattr tim br th disas wud rach Cambdia thrugh

crss-brdr trad, much which rmains unicia. Anticipating as much, th

Cambdian gvrnmnt tmprariy bannd th imprt birds and putry ggs

rm Thaiand and Vitnam n January 13, 2004 (Xinhua 2004). Nnthss,

within tn days, Cambdia had dtctd its irst utbrak avian inunza n a

arm utsid Phnm Pnh. At ast 3,000 chickns wr rprtd t hav did n

at ast thr arms nar Phnm Pnh; tw days atr, as part a picy dstry-

ing putry in an ara surrunding HPAI utbraks, 10,000 chickns wr cud(AFP 2004; JeN 2004b).

Anthr yar passd br Cambdias rst cnrmd human victim suc-

cumbd t HPAI. A twnty-v-yar-d wman rm Kampt Prvinc inctd

with th virus did at a hspita in Vitnam in January 2005. Th wmans brthr

had did simiar rspiratry prbms wks br but had nt bn tstd r

HPAI. Th gvrnmnt rspndd by nc again banning th imprt iv birds

and ggs rm Vitnam and Thaiand (JeN 2005a). Th scnd idntid human

victim, a twnty-ight-yar-d man, as in Kampt Prvinc, did in March; h

had bcm i wing cntact with a sick chickn (AP 2005a). This cyc ut-

braks, victims, and bans wud cntinu r anthr tw yars but mystriusy

stppd apprximaty n yar br th Juy 2008 natina ctin and thn,

ik cckwrk, rsumd in Dcmbr 2008. In tta, twnty-tw anima utbraks

wr cnrmd btwn January 2004 and Jun 2012, and thr hav bn nin-

tn human cass, ny thr whm survivd.

In March 2005, mdst rsurcs bgan t trick int Cambdia t cmbat

HPAI; th Japans gvrnmnt dnatd 30 mtrbiks and abut $50,000 in cash

t assist Cambdias mrgncy HPAI prjcts (JeN 2005b). Th third and urth

Cambdian victims succumbd in Apri. In octbr, U.S. Hath and Human Sr-

vics scrtary Micha lavitt signd an agrmnt with Cambdia pdging $1.85

miin in assistanc r HPAI survianc and capacity buiding (U.S. Dpartmnt



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in putry and quarantining nw putry t prvnt transmissin. Apparing in

pubic srvic annuncmnts, n pstrs, and in bkts, h atr shwd up in

cstum at cmmunity thatr prrmancs thrughut th cuntry as w asin cartn rm in tvisin cmmrcias. Strngy assciatd with th Unitd

Stats bcaus USAID unding, Supr Man was simutanusy xprtd t

las as Supr Kai, bcming part th gba HPAI andscap.

Th rspns th Cambdian gvrnmnt t this pint had bn ar rm

systmatic. In at January 2004, whn it was daing with th natins rst ut-

brak HPAI amng chicks nar Phnm Pnh, a caitin Asian gvrnmnts,

th Unitd Stats, th eurpan Unin, and intrnatina rganizatins agrd t

crat an Asia-wid HPAI vtrinary survianc ntwrk (JeN 2004a). Narysimutanusy, th prim ministr Cambdia issud a prakas (ministria dc-

aratin) n th cratin a natina intrministria cmmitt n HPAI. 3 This

cmmitt wud dibrat n imprtant issus, such as cmpnsatin and vac-

cinatin. Th Ministry Agricutur, Frstry and Fishris stabishd mutisc-

tra cmmitts in vry prvinc r th cntr HPAI, but ths cmmitts

aid t dtct any HPAI utbrak unti atr a human victim had bn idntid

a aiur that d t cnict btwn th agricutur and hath ministris.

Whi th in ministris ught vr wh shud hav discvrd what rst,th issu pandmic prpardnss buit mmntum. Up unti this pint, Cam-

bdia did nt hav a crdinatd pan r avian and human inunza, athugh it

had sparat pans r anima hath and human hath. In Juy 2007, th Natina

Cmprhnsiv Avian and Human Inunza Pan was rasd. In a rwrd,

th prim ministr wrt, rathr aarmingy, that a human inunza pandmic

is invitab. H ndd, Strng adrship, rganisatin and c-rdinatin, and

car ins accuntabiity and cmmunicatin wi b ky in pandmic prpard-

nss and rspns, adding, Th Rya Gvrnmnt Cambdia [RGC] rspct-

uy cas upn a rvant natina and intrnatina partnrs t pay thir part in

tgthr vrcming th thrats th inunza pandmic (RGC 2007:1). Rad-

ing btwn th ins, n cannt hp but that pay[ing] thir part cud

as b rad as paying thir part whn it cms t intrnatina partnrs. At

this tim, thr task rcs wr cratd by th authritis t hand inrmatin,

invstigatin, cuing, and dispsa. Th rst ths, knwn as th Inrmatin,

educatin, and Cmmunicatin Cmmitt, had mt twic as May 2008, and it

nminay cntrd th mssag n HPAI that was bing transmittd t th Cam-

bdian pp.

In act, th Wrd Hath organizatin ( WHo), th Fd and Agricutur orga-

nizatin th Unitd Natins (FAo), and th Unitd Natins Chidrns Fund

(UNICeF) had hd an ad hc mting n March 1416, 2006, 16 mnths prir



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t th ras th gvrnmnts pan, t idntiy pririty bhavirs t cntr

HPAI. As this mv suggsts, intrnatina actrs wud b th prim mvrs. In

Juy 2007, th FAo hd a sris thr training curss in Phnm Pnh t tachviag hath anima wrkrs rm 24 prvincs in Cambdia hw t cnduct sur-

vianc r bird u and rspnd t utbraks (Xinhua 2007b). A tta 4,703

hath anima wrkrs wr traind by th nd that mnth; th tta had rachd

5,405 wrkrs and 578 viag chis by Fbruary 2008 (Crn 2008:1112). Br

th nd 2007, Austraia had pdgd t prvid up t $6 miin t cmbat HPAI

in Suthast Asia (Brnama 2007); MeDiCAM, with Fd and Agricutur orga-

nizatin supprt, rganizd th rst a sris cmmunity rums t ducat

isatd rura cmmunitis with itt r n accss t tvisin and radi abutHPAI (Xinhua 2007a); Cambdia and th Unitd Stats signd a biatra agr-

mnt whrby USAID wud prvid th Cambdian gvrnmnt with $5 miin

t ght HPAI vr th wing yar; and an additina $1.9 miin in U.S. unds

wr armarkd r Cambdia as part a USAID grant t th Fd and Agricu-

tur organizatin (FAo 2007a). In March 2008, th Wrd Bank apprvd anthr

$6 miin t supprt Cambdias natina avian and human inunza pan. In

additin, Japan and th AHI aciity, a mutidnr rganizatin cnsisting th

eurpan Cmmissin and ight thr natins, prvidd $3 miin and $5 mi-in, rspctivy, r th sam purps (Wrd Bank 2008a). A ths unds

aimd t hp th Cambdian gvrnmnt addrss th risk HPAI bth within

and bynd Cambdia. Th xtnt t which thy aid t d s rvas sm th

ways aid has distrtd imprtant aspcts Cambdias gvrnanc.

Failure o Governance

exprts idntid svra aspcts th Cambdian gvrnmnts rspns t

HPAI as prbmatic r thrwis ntwrthy. Prhaps th gratst aiur th

gvrnmnt in racting t HPAI was its unwiingnss t cmpnsat pr pu-

try kprs whs chickns had t b dstryd, r cud, by agnts th stat.

Thugh th picy prcss that d t this dcisin is paqu, it sms car that

gvrnmnt cias rid n prsna intrsts, misinrmatin, and a ruc-

tanc t spnd stat r vn dnr unds ut cncrn that this wud st a bad

prcdnt r accuntabiitynamy, that th authritis cud atr b xpctd

t cmpnsat pp whn causing harm t thm (i.., whn it xprpriats r

dstrys thir prprty, as in th cas ra stat, r whn it cus thir pu-

try). Buraucratic squabbing, particuary btwn th hath and agricutur



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ministris, highightd tur wars that had as much t d with rnt-sking and

patrnag struggs as thy did with diring vs cmptnc btwn th

ministris. Finay, th thrat that HPAI psd t turism, n which a numbr high gvrnmnt cias dpnd r rnts, sms t hav signicanty inuncd

th authritis handing th disas, which incudd agatins psitiv

rsuts supprssinat ast n th anima sid tsting. Ntaby, thr wr n

anima utbraks rprtd rm May 20, 2007, t th Juy 27, 2008, natina c-

tins, whras nighbring las, Vitnam, and Thaiand a had utbraks. each

ths aiurs gvrnanc is inkd t th ratinship btwn th gvrnmnt

and intrnatina dnrs.

Cuing Withut Cmpnsatin

Fwing th nst th rst HPAI utbrak in putry n January 23, 2004, a

2005 rprt by Vtrinairs Sans Frntirs r th Fd and Agricutur organi-

zatin ntd that nancia cmpnsatin t prducrs whs w wr -

ciay HPAI-inctd was urgnty ndd in rdr t cmpnsat r thir sss

and t ncurag disas rprting by prducrs in th utur (VSF 2005:2). Bymid-Juy that yar, hwvr, a dcisin had in act quity bn mad by th

Cambdian authritis nt t adpt a cmpnsatin picy. A shrt paragraph

in th tnth wky Butin n Avian Inunza in Cambdia pubishd by th

FAo and WHo rprsntativs indicats as much: H.e. Chan Sarun, Ministr

Agricutur, Frstry and Fishris, snt a ttr n Mnday 4 Juy [2005] t

H.e. lu lay Srng, Dputy Prim Ministr and Ministr Rura Dvpmnt, in

rspns t his rqust in xpring th pssibiity unding cmpnsatin r

putry cuing in Kampt Prvinc. H.e. Chan Sarun cary xpaind that MAFF/

RGCs picy ds nt aw t pay cmpnsatin t th armrs (FAo and WHo

2005:1). Th apparanc this paragraph in th butin cnrmd that discus-

sin rgarding cmpnsatin had rachd th highst vs gvrnmnt and

cm t nthing. N pubishd rcrd xists this dcisin r hw it cam abut,

but n gvrnmnt cia caimd that it cam rm th prim ministr (3-1). By

this pint, thr cnrmd daths had takn pac in Cambdia.

Intrnatina prssur n Cambdia t adpt a cmpnsatin picy xtndd

w bynd Vtrinairs Sans Frntirs. David Nabarr, th snir UN systm

crdinatr r avian and human inunza at UN hadquartrs in Nw Yrk;

Dugas Gardnr, th UN rsidnt crdinatr and UN Dvpmnt Prgramm

rsidnt rprsntativ t Cambdia; and Micha olary, th Wrd Hath

organizatin rprsntativ t Cambdia, amng thrs, a raisd th issu. Th



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minuts th scnd Partnrship Mting n Avian and Pandmic Inunza

n Fbruary 20, 2006, hstd by Gardnr, suggst that dnrs had vvd rm

mry rprting th RGCs intrna dibratins abut cmpnsatin t dmand-ing that th authritis prsnt at th mting cariy th gvrnmnts picy. In

rspns, Ka Pha, th dirctr MAFFs Dpartmnt Anima Hath and Pr-

ductin at th agricutur ministry, rprtd that th Ministry has n cmpn-

satin picy but is prviding incntivs t armrs with supprt rm FAo. H

istd ths incntiv rts as incuding tchnica supprt t armrs t imprv

bi-scurity in th arm, prvisin prtctiv gar and quipmnt r cuing,

dispsa actd putry and disinctin putry prmiss and ntd that

[t] strngthn survianc and ary rspns, MAFF buys ducks rm armrst b studid (UNRC 2006:3). o curs, a ths activitis ar dnr-nancd,

which th dirctr cnvninty ais t mntin whn h adds that [c]mmuni-

catin matrias hav bn distributd t armrs s thy undrstand mr abut

th disas. Training r viag anima hath wrkrs is cntinuing, prviding

sm 1,900 with prtctiv quipmnt, pump spray, disinctant, gvs, masks,

pstrs and sma candars with htin numbrs (UNRC 2006:3).

Why did th RGC chs nt t cmpnsat r cud birds (r t vaccinat iv

ns)? Basd n intrviws with xprts, it appars that th RGC did nt wish tspnd its wn rsurcsrsurcs it did nt in act hav. on dnr sta mm-

br rmarkd, Th gvrnmnt dsnt hav any budgt r that (3-2). Nr did th

RGC wish t brrw r us dnr rsurcs r this purps; th abus a guns-

r-cash prgram had taught gvrnmnt cias that paying handuts t citizns,

vn t incntiviz rspnsib bhavir, was a pr picy chic in Cambdia

(3-3). on gvrnmnt cia mad th pinta pint I hard rm svra dir-

nt surcsthat t gt cmpnsatin, putry wnrs wud chat, putting sick

chickns amng hathy ns: Thy mak a th chickn sick and thy wi gt th

mny. This is what happnd in Thaiand, h ntd, and h argud that cmpn-

satin prgrams in Japan, Vitnam, Thaiand, and Indnsia had as aid (3-1). His

viw suggsts that RGC adrs had cncudd, whthr crdiby r nt, that cm-

pnsatin picis wr inctiv swhr and thrr wud nt wrk in Cam-

bdia. Mrvr, thr wr th gistica dicutis impmntatin t cnsidr.

David Nabarr said that r Cambdia, Its a qustin nsuring that th gvrn-

mnt is cmrtab abut sm th changs administring a cash cmpn-

satin schm. Such schms ar nt asy t administr, and gvrnmnts nd t

cndnt thyv gt th right mchanisms t d s (AP 2006b).

Th dcisin nt t cmpnsat was an unppuar n, and th gvrnmnt

cia qutd prviusy rushd t xpain that sm rms cmpnsatin

wr bing rd:



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Fr xamp, in Kampng Trach, Kampt, a armr brrwd mny rm ACleDA

Bank2,000,000 Ri t rais ducks. Whn ths ducks gt sick, w askd him t

ki thm. H caimd 500,000 Ri r cmpnsatin. W had mny and w didntwant t risk sing it. An annymus rganizatin gav m mny t buy th ducks.

But I didnt d s. At that tim, i w gav mny t th armr, thr wr many thr

armrs narby wh wud hav askd r cmpnsatin whn thir ducks did. N,

w cant [buy as a way t cmpnsat]. I it happns whn w invstigat, w can d

that. But whn th cas is discsd, w cant. our sta t pity r that armr, but w

cud nt giv him mny. I tk his pictur crying. Whn I rturnd, I mt th min-

istr. Whn h saw th pictur, h said h wud wrk it ut. I hard that h askd th

chi dpartmnt agricutur in Kampt t visit th armr and giv him mnyquity. This is hw w cmpnsat.

(3-1; ditd by th authr r carity)

HPAI xprts in Cambdia tndd t sc at such stris ad hc cmpnsatin.

on rmarkd, I rad a dcumnt, Im nt sur wh said that, but thy said At

sm pints, sm pp ar cmpnsatd. Thr is n cmpnsatin schm at

a (3-4). Anthr ntd A thy want is hnsty rm th gvrnmnt that thr

wi b n cmpnsatin r cuing. Gvrnmnt was nt car and nt cia. Nvaccinatin has bn dn in Cambdia nr any cmpnsatin (3-5).

Indd, an FAo vauatin activitis in Cambdia rm 2002 t 2007 rcm-

mndd rstcking cud arms (FAo 2007b:31) in additin t cmpnsatin,

as did a gvrnmnt cia (3-6). ek (2006) suggsts that authritis wr in act

practicing sm rstcking, athugh this cary was nt systmaticay institutd.

H quts MAFF Dpartmnt Anima Hath and Prductin dirctr Ka Pha,

wh said: Cmpnsatin is nt thr, but w ar trying t rpac thir sick chick-

ns with hathy ns r nw brding. I w kp paying ut cmpnsatin, what

wi w d i big arms hav a thir putry di?

Buraucratic Pitics and Patrnag

Quarrs, rivaris, and cmptitin amng pitica partis, ministris, and

dpartmnts ar cmmnpac in any cuntry, and Cambdia is n xcptin. Th

Ministry Agricutur, Frstry and Fishris dat with th ivstck impica-

tins HPAI, whras th Ministry Hath was rspnsib r its human impi-

catins. Bcaus anima survianc was intndd t warn risks t humans,

th discvry th svnth human victimat a tim whn n anima utbraks

had bn dtctdcratd immdiat tnsin btwn th ministris (3-5, 3-1).



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Subsqunty, th ighth and ninth victims wr discvrd accidntay whn an

unratd hspita-basd study by th U.S. Nava Ara Rsarch Unit 2 und th

virus in thir bd. onc again, th agricutur ministry had nt discvrd thi birds br th Ministry Hath und th human victim. Sick putry wud

srv as canaris in a ca min d, warning impnding disastr. Agricutur -

cias ntd, hwvr, that th Ministry Hath had simiary aid t idntiy th

human victim.

Th rancr btwn th tw ministris xtndd t a cmptitin r HPAI

unding. Th mr xprincd Ministry Hath was sn by inrmants as a

sasnd impmntr dnr unds, whras th agricutur ministry was pr-

civd as having ss capacity in managing arg dnr rsurcs. Whn th cusshitd t pandmic prpardnss, th Natina Cmmitt r Disastr Manag-

mnt (NCDM) ntrd th pictur as a rativy nw institutin undd in 1994

that cud bridg varius natina and intrnatina payrs and crdinat th

Cambdian HPAI rspns. Th cmptitin r unds amng ths thr gvrn-

mnta units grw ut undrying patrnag struggs inkd t dnr rsurcs.

Th tur wars btwn ministris ar as much abut th abiity t xtract prt

rm discrtinary pwr (taxatin, icnsing s, tc.) as thy ar abut btain-

ing vhics and saary suppmnts.A prjct dirctrin gvrnmntbmand having t av n dnr r

anthr bcaus h wud nt b prmittd t rciv pay rm bth. H wighd

th prs and cns ach caruy. o curs, at th nd th day, this wud

nt b his ny rvnu stram. Sta in th ministry must pay up th pyramid, a

nrma atur wrking th systm. Pr dims r trips within th cuntry

r abrad ar taxd. Dcisins t xtnd cntracts ar taxd. But th stry is

a t cmmn in aid-dpndnt cuntris: withut its wn rsurcs (bcaus

an unwiingnss t rais icia rvnus), th stat and its unctinaris

ry n aid. In turn, th unctinaris rct particuar intrsts bth insid

and utsid th stat; thus, in th paranc van d Wa, a vntriquism

(2005:67) ccurs, with bnits accruing t bth sids (mny ws and prm-

tins happn).

Th cmptitin r rsurcs rst btwn th agricutur and hath min-

istris, and thn amng ths ministris and th NCDM, is apparnt ny i n

cnsidrs hw mny wd prir t HPAI. Bcaus th Ministry Agricutur,

Frstry and Fishris vrss gd gvrnanc th rsts (amng thr nat-

ura rsurcs), ng a cntstd ara btwn dnrs and th RGC, it has nt had

a particuary gd imag in th ys dnrs (3-7). Anima hath, mrvr, had

nt bn a high pririty r dnrs; givn that human hath was arady s wak,

th hath ministry had a ng-stabishd rcrd rciving and prcssing



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signicant dnr rsurcs. In act, accrding t th organisatin r ecnmic

C-pratin and Dvpmnt, th Gba Fund t Fight AIDS, Tubrcusis and

Maaria rankd urth amng Cambdias tp dnrs rm 2009 t 2010 and th

hath and ppuatin sctr accuntd r nary a quartr biatra rsurcs

rm 2009 t 2010 (s gur 3.2).

At th sam tim, gratr unding r anima hath has bcm avaiab: th

Wrd Banks HPAI prjct, which stwd r svra yars unti it was inay

disbursd in 2009, ntaby acatd $5.8 miin t anima hath, $3.5 miin

t human hath, and $1.7 miin t pandmic prpardnss (3-8). As with any

pnduum, thr wi b swings back and rth as dirnt intrsts casc and

divid th unding pi. Figur 3.3 shws th currnt brakdwn cmmittd

unds.

Th Ministry Haths track rcrd in managing unds gav it an dg vr

thr ntitis in th initia yars (prcis data r which is unrtunaty nt avai-

ab), whi th Ministry Agricutur, Frstry and Fishris arg shar, thanks

t th Wrd Bank prjct, has arady bn citd as a prtxt t rcus attntin

Other social sectors

Program assistance

Economic infrastructure

and services

Action relating to debt

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Education

Production

Humanitarian aid

Health and population

Multisector

Other and unallocated/unspecified

Receipts 2008 2009 2010

Top ten donors of gross

ODA (20092010 average)

USD

million

Net ODA (USD million) 743 721 737 1 Japan 139

Bilateral share (gross ODA) 61% 65% 68% 2 Asian Development

Bank special funds

79

Net ODA/GNI 7.6% 7.2% 6.8%

3 United States 78

4 Global Fund 54

5 Australia 51Net private flows (USD million) 450 244 253

6 International Development

Association

43

For reference 2008 2009 20107 Germany 40

Population (million) 13.8 14.0 14.18 EU institutions 35

9 United Kingdom 29GNI per capita (Atlas USD) 660 690 760

10 France 29

Figure 3.2 a id at aglance chartcambodia .

[Source: Basd n oeCD (2011.)]



13/23


n human hath nc again. on HPAI xprt pintd ut that th Wrd Bank

viwd th Ministry Hath as having capacity in managing nanc, whras

th agricutur ministry ackd that capacity; th hath ministry was as pr-

civd as bing way ahad th agricutur ministry in its HPAI prpardnss,

whi th attr ministry dsnt vn hav any budgt n that (3-8). Th histri-

ca strngth th hath sctr as a rcipint dnr unds gav hath pp

a ing wnrship HPAI, whi agricutur prssinas saw th situatin

quit dirnty (3-9).

A hath xprt ntd that th Ministry Hath has dn a bttr jb st-

ting up an ctiv rprting structur at th prvincia v with hp rm

NGos, whras th sub-natina v structur th agricutur ministry

was imitd and nt smth, with pr dgatin, making it ss rspn-

siv t any vnts rprtd n th htin. Thus, vn thugh th animas di

irst br th disas gts transmittd t pp, wrkrs in anima hath

ccasinay arnd utbraks rm human dctrs (3-10). Th tnsin

btwn th tw ministris was strng nugh that, accrding t n dnr sta

mmbr, thy cud bary cabrat, athugh HPAI rcd thm t wrk

tgthr (3-11).

Figure 3.3 cambodia s av ian influenzaand pandemic preparedness pie(20082009).

[Source: Cacuatd rm UNRC (2008).]

$2,077,861(9%)

$8,944,457(40%)

$5,031,076(23%)

$6,198,512(28%)

Animal health

Human health

Information, education,communication

Pandemic preparedness



14/23


Th tnsin btwn gvrnmnt units has mad it diicut r cprativ

prjcts t succd and has hamprd th picy-making prcss. A sris

wrkshps that tk pac in May 2008 n pandmic prpardnss rs a casin pint (UN Systm 2008:2). Th rganizrs did nt invit th agricutur min-

istry at th natina v but instad invvd prvincia-v participatin. on

icia psd th qustin why a prpardnss pan had bn dvpd withut

th agricutur ministrys participatin, and h prmisd t ca a mting t

cariy this. on th rganizrs rprtd that th natina-v agricutur

ministry had nt bn invitd t participat bcaus ny ight twnty-ur

sctrs invvd in this muti-sctra rspns prjct had bn invitd. H

ntd that th agricutur ministry wud b invitd atr w drat pratinagas and bjctivs r th prjct, and h addd, I w invitd th ministry

t participat a th tims, w wi nt ab t gt inrmatin rm th id.4

Th agricutur ministry had dvpd a rputatin r bing diicut t wrk

with n HPAI. A dnr sta mmbr rmarkd: MAFF agud that anima hath

is th mst imprtant issu, and MAFF is th ny institutin which has authr-

ity in this sctr. MAFF dinity russ t cprat with thr institutins i

th nxt utbrak cass ccur (3-2). As anthr dnr sta mmbr and dc-

tr argud, MAFF has t undrstand t, in th pandmic stag, anima hathdsnt mattr anymr, but [rathr] d scurity, human hath, prvntin,

bhaviur mdiicatin (3-11).

Th Wrd Banks $11 miin Avian and Human Inunza Cntr and Pr-

pardnss emrgncy Prjct ( which th bank undd $6 miin and thr

dnrs undd th rmaindr), invving th agricutur and hath ministris as

w as th NCDM and, rmuatd in 2006, tk tw yars t vntuay b signd.

In a Jun 2006 drat th prjct dcumnt, th rspnsibiity r impmnta-

tin was put n th gvrnmnt, but this shitd t th Fd and Agricutur orga-

nizatin, WHo, and UN Dvpmnt Prgramm in an Apri 20, 2007, drat br

th prjct grund t a hat bcaus a disagrmnt btwn th Wrd Bank

and th Unitd Natins vr wh wud hav th na say vr audits. Finay, a

Fbruary 14, 2008, vrsin th prjct rvrtd t gvrnmnt impmntatin.

Th struggs th prjct wing passag by th banks bard undrscr

th human rsurcs cnstraints and buraucratic pitics prjct cntr and

impmntatin. Tw rspndnts, a dnr sta mmbr and a gvrnmnt -

cia, mphasizd th dicuty acd by NCDM in its rt t crdinat th hath

and agricutur ministris and th varius intrnatina stakhdrs in th prj-

ct (3-12, 3-1). Th gvrnmnt cia said that NCDM wud ik t tak cntr

vr this prjct, whn its assignd jb was simpy crdinatin. H cmpaind

that it was vry dicut t idntiy wh is rspnsib r th prjct (3-1).



15/23


Th Thrat t Turism

on imprtant actr distrting th gvrnmnts rspns t HPAI was th thratthat th virus psd t th turism sctr. Turism accunts r arund 14 prcnt

Cambdias grss dmstic prduct (GDP) and has cary std ut in th past

dcad r its trmndus cntributin t grwth. Turism has bn th main

cntributr t grwth in th srvics sctr, which hd th argst sctra shar

GDP (41 prcnt) in 2007 and is incrasingy imprtant givn cncrns that gar-

mnts wi cntinu t dcin du t th Grat Rcssin. Cambdias Angkr

Wat, catd in th turist Mcca twn Sim Rap, was n 13 naists r th

Nw Svn Wndrs th Wrd ist, taking in mr than 100 miin vts.Th ar turists bing scard actd th picy prcss surrunding

HPAI rspns by disincntivizing th nd r activ survianc. Many Cam-

bdias snir adrship hav hug nancia staks in uxury hts and th tur-

ism industry thrugh jint vnturs in which thy hav invstd itt r nthing.

lwr rvnus hit thir pcktbks dircty. Cncrns vr HPAI and a pssib

pandmic cud b xpctd t scar turists away, givn Cambdias imitd md-

ica aciitis. (Asid rm SoS Intrnatina, which spciaizs in mdica vacua-

tins, thr ar n hspitas an intrnatina standard in Cambdia.) This madth cuntrys turism sctr particuary vunrab t HPAI.

Whi it is nt car wh spcicay supprssd th HPAI rspns in Cambdia,

it is knwn that n Cambdias mst pwru piticians did nt biv that

th thrat HPAI was svr but instad saw it as a dnr-drivn cncrn (3-13).

This cia wud hav bn dpy ngagd in any dcisin cncrning cmpn-

satin, survianc, and unding. luckiy r Cambdia, HPAI did nt jump rm

animas t humans n mass, and thr was n discrnib drp in visitr arrivas.

Donors Failures but Governments Responsibility

Th r dnrs and NGos in Cambdia cannt b vrstatd, as shwn in th

cas Supr Manvn i dnrs ar caru t nt that it was cratd in a wrk-

shp with gvrnmnt cias. Athugh dnrs ar a dius grup with as many

intrsts as rganizatins, thir numbrs ar simpy staggring. As Scns and

Frstr qut n inrmant: In Cambdia thr ar 22 dnrs activ in th hath

sctr. Thr ar vr 200 NGos as and 109 prjcts. Yu can imagin hw usu

it wud b i vryn cud wrk in a c-rdinatd way (2008:55). Indd, whi

unding r Cambdias natina HPAI pan std at $22 miin r 20082009, an

inrmant mntind in passing that a currnt hath prjct undd by th Wrd



16/23


Bank and thr dnrs wi tta $100 miin. Cambdia nw ranks as n th tp

tn rcipints wrdwid avian inunza unding cmmitmnts in absut and

rativ trms (i.., pr cas and pr utbrak) accrding t th mst rcnt avai-ab unding data, dspit its rativy sma numbr human cass. Cambdias

unding ar utwighs that thr cuntris. egypt, with 151 human cass, saw cm-

mitmnts ny $238,411 pr human cas. Vitnam and Indnsia, which had 119

and 178 human cass, rspctivy, saw pdgs apprximaty $1 miin pr cas.

Thaiand has surd twnty-v cass ( which svntn rsutd in daths) but

is nt amng th tp rcipints anima and human inunza unding (ear 2011a).

As th Wrd Banks inunza prjctn hd r tw yars as it swung back

and rth btwn UN and gvrnmnt impmntatinshws, th qustin what happns t arg amunts uncrdinatd dnr aid rmains pn. Hw

ds dnr intrvntin wrk whn th absrptiv capacity th stat is w (r

high in th wrng ways)? Th bank dcard misprcurmnt in 2003 n th dm-

biizatin prjct, and by Jun 2006 it had uncvrd nancia maasanc act-

ing svn additina bank prjcts. Indd, thr was vn tak rm thn-Wrd

Bank prsidnt Pau Wwitz cutting Cambdia cmpty. In August

2011, Wrd Bank prsidnt Rbrt Zick suspndd nw nding t Cambdia

vr victins Bung Kak ak rsidnts and th banks aiur t tit rsi-dnts and. As this writing (Jun 2012), th suspnsin was sti in ct but was

rumrd t b sn itd.

A numbr ths amiiar with th HPAI pictur in Cambdia wr critica

dnrs r using scar tactics withut making ctiv cntributins t th HPAI pr-

vntin rt. A vtrinarian cmpaind dnrs, Thy wrk n pps ars.

Arriving with mny dripping ut thir ars did nt mak ths actrs ctiv;

n th cntrary, h argud, W cudnt gt anything dn (3-13). on managr wh

wrkd r a dnr ntd: It was nt s much abut th cuntry. As a rsut, h

said, mst th tim w saw th gvrnmnt sta wnt busy with trainings sup-

prtd by dnrs and didnt hav tim t impmnt thir actua wrk (3-14).

Indd, dnrs aiur t targt thir intrvntins apprpriaty is a cmmn

caus r cmpaint. An HPAI xprt ntd that i th ga was t assist pr cun-

tris whi dvping ctiv HPAI cntr masurs, th picis that wud

bst achiv this wud cus nt n crating systms cntr in cuntris

whr, t th majrity wnrs, th disas is ny minr imprtanc but its

assciatd mvmnt cntrs ar a majr hindranc t thir ctiv pursuit

cnmic ivihds but instad n dvping chap ctiv vaccins with

which armrs . . . cud dpndaby prtct thir stck (3-15). Anthr xprt

argud that mny ny is nt nugh. Mr imprtant is rura dvpmnt,

which cannt b dn in a w yars. H argud: Sm partnrs dnt want t

admit this aspct, bcaus thy hav imitd unds and tim (3-16).



17/23


lss than v yars atr Cambdias rst cnrmd HPAI utbrak in putry in

January 2004, th gba HPAI unding pictur kd ss crtain. With n prdictd

human pandmic, thr was cncrn that u atigu may b th biggst thratthat w hav nw, accrding t Dr. Jui Ha, dputy rgina advisr n cmmuni-

cab disas survianc and rspns with th Wrd Hath organizatins Wst-

rn Pacic rgin (qtd. in Bnntt and Ga 2008). Indd, u atigu cud sp

disastr in mr ways than n t th cnstatin intrsts buit arund th $2.7

biin pdgd wrdwid t th anima and human inunza industria cmpx (

which $2 biin has bn cmmittd and $1.5 biin disbursd; Jnas 2008:6). Sv-

ra ths I intrviwd argud that such atigu is arady apparnt in Cambdia.

An HPAI xprt ntd that with th immdiat mrgncy . . . gn, it had bcmmr dicut t btain unding (3-3). Th gvrnmnt has usd th mdia t ampiy

HPAI prvntin mssags (3-2), with bth psitiv and ngativ cnsquncs. A

vtrinarian and cnsutant (3-13) rprtd watching a January 2008 satit brad-

cast in Cambdia and saw an xchang that Brnard Vaat, had th Wrd organ-

isatin r Anima Hath (knwn by its Frnch acrnym as oIe), had with rprtrs

in which h ntd: Th risk was vrstimatd. . . . W hav nvr sn such a stab

strain. . . . It was just nnscintic suppsitin (qtd. in MSNBC 2008). This mssag

was quicky carid with a prss ras rm th Wrd organisatin r AnimaHath mphasizing th nging nd r prpardnss (oIe 2008).

Th Cambdian cas rvas tw signicant ssns t b drawn rm th dnr

rspns t HPAI. First, prtcting ivihds cannt b assumd; it must b mad

xpicit in th rm pr-pr HPAI risk rductin. Dnrs vrkd ivi-

hd issus wing t thir wn s-intrst in cntaining a ptntia gba thrat.

Bcaus 90 prcnt putry is raisd in backyard viags, amst any psitiv

impact n putry (r ivstck) can b cnsidrd pr-pr. Th high cst tar-

gting th pr (t prvnt aks t th nnpr) is tn raisd as an issu in th

dvping wrd and swhr. Fcusing assistanc and dvpmnt prgrams

n ivstck wnrs (incuding putry) in Cambdia is a win-win prpsitin r

pvrty rductin and th prtctin ivihds.

Scnd, gratr gvrnmnt-dnr crdinatin and vrsight is ndd t

aign natina and intrnatina intrsts. Utimat rspnsibiity r th suc-

css r aiur picis in Cambdia must rst with th Rya Gvrnmnt

Cambdia, hwvr, sinc wnrship natina dvpmnt pans cannt b

in th hands dnrs. Pr gvrnanc and prvasiv institutina aiurs hav

hindrd disas cntr in Cambdia. ectiv rspnss and ctiv gvr-

nanc must g hand in hand. A rushd, mrgncy-rintd rspns t HPAI may

indd hav undrmind arady wak gvrnanc capacity in Cambdia, uing

patrnag ntwrks and ncuraging rnt-sking bhavirs.



18/23


Perceptions o Efectiveness

Gvrnmnt

A rmarkab numbr xtrna actrs bcam invvd in Cambdias HPAI

rspns. Mst bviusy, th intrnatina cmmunity prvidd miins in

dvpmnt aid. In additin, mr than 160 NGos dvpd HPAI-ratd activ-

itis in Cambdia.5 Th U.S. gvrnmnt tk n a vry activ r in unding HPAI

activitis thrugh USAID and th CDC. Th pitica cnmy HPAI in Camb-

dia as ncmpassd inrma arrangmnts and privat sctr actrs. Cnduct-

ing intrviws acrss this vast array actrs was impssib, but t incras thikihd that a argr numbr knwdgab individuas cud b rachd,

a cndntia it survy was aunchd n May 27, 2008, and snt t 308 -mai

addrsss6 individuas knwn t b invvd in HPAI wrk in Cambdia. 7 Th

rsuts r a gimps hw gvrnmnt and dnrs intrvnd against HPAI

acrss anima, human, ivihds, pandmic prparatin, r sm thr dimn-

sin th rspndnts chsing.8

Rspndnts wr thn askd t rat a sris statmnts and t add writtn

cmmnts t thir ratings. A majrity rspndnts agrd r strngy agrdthat, givn rsurc acatins, th RGC had intrvnd ctivy and apprpri-

aty amng humans, amng animas, and in pandmic prpardnss (56, 54, and

60 prcnt, rspctivy). Rgarding wrk with humans, n rspndnt ntd

Cambdias strng survianc tam at natina and prvincia vs, charac-

trizing it as vry activ (3-15). Anthr ntd th gvrnmnt cabratin

with UN agncis (3-4). Rgarding animas, n prsn rmarkd, th intrvn-

tins sm apprpriat (3-13).

Hwvr, ny 33 prcnt rspndnts agrd r msty agrd that th gv-

rnmnt had intrvnd ctivy and apprpriaty in prtcting ivihds.

Cary, this rt was undrstd t hav bn shaky at bst. Whi n rspn-

dnt t th damag t ivihds was imitd bcaus th shrt duratin

utbraks (3-13), thrs wr t ttay unimprssd: Nthing is dn t tak

car th ivihds th smahdrs, n prsn rmarkd, adding, In

act, thr is n rcrd any discussins n cmpnsatin r ss putry in

th vnt utbrak (3-8). This was nt th ny criticism. Rgarding rts t

prtct humans rm HPAI, n inrmant caimd that instancs suspctd

[cass wr] nt bing invstigatd (3-20). Indd, cmmnts in th ara pr-

tcting ivihds wr amng th harshst.

Rspndnts wr as askd abut which rganizatins, bth in gvrnmnt

and amng dnrs, wr succssu and which wr unsuccssu. Amng



19/23


succssu ntitis, th Ministry Hath and its Cmmunicab Disas Cntr

(CDC) Dpartmnt rcivd tw mntins ach r a tta ur mntins ut

sixtn succssu ntitis namd, twic as many as th nxt highst (USAID andth agricutur ministry). Rspndnts mntind th vry strng cmmitmnt

rm adrs CDC (3-21, 3-13).

Finay, rspndnts wr askd abut Cambdias prpardnss and survi-

anc (bth activ and passiv) r an inunza-ik disas tday. Rspndnts

wr in agrmnt that Cambdias prpardnss and survianc (bth activ

and passiv) had imprvd vr tim.

Dnrs

Dnrs rcivd bttr marks than th Cambdian gvrnmnt in trms c-

tivnss in HPAI intrvntins amng humans and animas: 77 prcnt agrd

r strngy agrd with dnr succss amng humans, and 67 prcnt agrd r

strngy agrd with dnr succss amng animas. on rspndnt wrt that

dnrs had strngy supprt[d] and rspndd quicky t human utbraks

(3-17). Anthr ntd that dnr unding human and anima initiativs had bngd (3-18).

lik th gvrnmnt, hwvr, dnrs wr dismay ratd n prtcting ivi-

hds, with ny 38 prcnt rspndnts agring, and nn strngy agring,

that dnrs had ctivy and apprpriaty intrvnd, givn rsurc aca-

tins. Mr surprisingy, ny 43 prcnt rspndnts agrd r strngy agrd

that dnrs wr ctiv in pandmic prpardnss intrvntins. Highighting

dnr cnstraints, n rspndnt wrt that Dnrs wish t hp th RGC t

cntr AI, but cant put any prs[s]ur n th RGC (3-19). ownrship is a sri-

us prbm nt just in Cambdia but in th dvping wrd, and a dnr-drivn

agnda can smtims rsut in wag-th-dg cts whr th gvrnmnt nmi-

nay ads by nminay chairing a cmmitt r thmatic wrking grup, but

dnrs ar in act caing th shts.

Utimaty, HPAI intrvntins ar ny a sma part a much biggr aid systm

that has nt srvd Cambdia particuary w in trms buiding ca capac-

ity r wnrship and sca indpndnc. Hav HPAI intrvntins bn mr

r ss succssu than thr activitis in Cambdia? In sm ways, unctining

in mrgncy md, xpctatins wi b wr than ths ngr-trm dv-

pmnt activitis, nt unik what Cambdia saw in th ary pstcnict prid

whn rcnstructin and rhabiitatin wr jb n. In thr ways, an ntir aid



20/23


systm has bn buit in Cambdia and ca capacity has imprvd cnsidraby

sinc 1993. It is uniky, hwvr, that th prrmanc mrgncy aid t cn-

tr HPAI wud b suprir t that nrma dvpmnt aid.Utimaty, th mrgncy rspns prvd t cusd n dnrs nakd s-

intrst in prvnting th sprad a ptntiay gba disas at th xpns

rura Cambdians. With authritis mr than happy t big in xchang r

additina aid, th srs wr pr putry prducrs. Traditina dvpmnt

aid, whi dpy awd whn tid t dnr cuntris, sti aims t rduc pvrty

and imprv ivihds. Th raity, hwvr, is that ar t w rsurcs nd up

ding s bcaus s much mny is usd r tchnica cpratin, which is spnt

n intrnatina cnsutant saaris.

Government, Donors, and Risk

In rdr t undrstand th trad-s picymakrs ac in wighing th risks

HPAI and hw ths impact pr pp, it is imprtant t xamin thir intr-

pay. Dvpd in an nin xchang amng xprts and cdid by ott andRand-Hst (2008), a typgy th risks HPAI r gvrnmnt and dnrs

is dscribd as ws:

1. th risk HPAI pss t pr pps putry,

2. th risk HPAI in pr pps putry pss t th pr thmsvs,

3. th risk HPAI in pr pps putry pss t nt-s-pr pps putry

and ratd businss intrsts, and

4. th risk HPAI-actd pr pp rprsnt t humanity as initiatrs a

gba pandmic.

(ott and Rand-Hst 2008)

This na risk, ott and Rand-Hst argu, is driving th intrnatina

rspns, whi th third risk drivs natina rspnss. Turning t th rst tw

risks, thy nt that nithr can b xpctd t b much cncrn t pr pp.

Th risk HPAI t putry is wr than th risk th putry dying rm a pth-

ra thr causs, and th risk t th pr rm HPAI is ikwis sma cmpard

t thr disas risks.

This anaysis hds tru r Cambdia, whr intrnatina dnrs hav prvn

t b cncrnd primariy with th risk that HPAI wi sprad rm Cambdia t



21/23


th rst th wrd. Dnrs inattntin t thr ata viruss aficting Cambdia

that d nt thratn th dvpd wrd hps t mak this cas. Swiss pdiatri-

cian Bat Richnr, th undr svra hspitas in Cambdia, bcam urius atth disparity btwn th ractin t HPAI and th ack attntin t a dngu

vr utbrak. Dngu caimd 407 ivs (Khun 2008) ut sm 4,000 dn-

gu vr cass in 2008, a dath rat 10 prcnt (Xinhua 2008b), in cmparisn

t HPAIs sing-digit mrtaity. Accrding t Richnr, th additina cst r his

Kantha Bpha Hspitas Fundatin causd by th dngu pidmic in 2006 was

$7 miin, yt Nithr a mmbr th Intrnatina Cmmunity, nr th WHo

rspnsib n th Dngu Prgram, nr th Cambdian Gvrnmnt hav mad

any gstur nancia cntributins (2007:15). Richnr argus that HPAI attractsmr attntin bcaus it is a thrat t th Wstrn wrd. Dngu, n th thr

hand, pss n thrat t th Unitd Stats r eurp, s nbdys intrstd.

It is as th cas that Cambdias rura pr hav nt rspndd t th risk

HPAI with th v cncrn that th intrnatina cmmunity thinks it mr-

its. Whi awarnss HPAI and prsna prtctin masurs is high, accrding

t ly t a., mst rura Cambdians sti tn practic at-risk putry handing,

and amiy mmbrs H5N1-inctd patints, wh knw abut HPAI risks, sti

prpard dad r sick putry r hushd cnsumptin during massiv di-s,bcaus thy bsrvd that nighburs with th sam bhaviur did nt bcm

sick (2007:131). This givs a nw spin t th cncpt nighbrhd cts,

dnd by Ditz as cmmunity inuncs n individua scia r cnmic ut-

cms (2002:539).

As th Cntr detud t d Dvppmnt Agric Cambdgin (CeDAC)

nts, Particuary with th xprincs partia cuing and invvmnt chi-

drn in th campaign, it is dubtd whthr HPAI is ray srius r nt. Thus, nt

many rura pp and putry prducrs biv abut th sriusnss HPAI,

adding, It sms that thy ar nt wiing t cabrat with th tchnica dpart-

mnts and authritis t prvnt HPAI utbraks (CeDAC 2007, para. 10). Nt sur-

prisingy, what ly t a. cncud is that Bhaviur chang invvs cmprhnsiv

and mutidiscipinary intrvntin, which cmbins risk prcptin cmmunicatin

and asib and practica rcmmndatins, incuding cnmic cnsidratins,

adding, W spcuat that it is hardy asib t sustain gd putry-handing

practics i accss t prsna prtctiv quipmnt is cst prhibitiv, particuary

whn disas ccurrnc putry di-s ar cmmn (2007:131).

Subsqunt rsarch by anthrpgist Bn Hickr rvad that th indig-

nus taxnmy putry disas in Cambdia nds urthr cnsidratin.

Cambdians hav ng bn awar dan kor kach, r Nwcast disas, a sa-

sna sicknss with havy mrtaity, gnray rgardd as natura and harmss



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t humans (thugh harmu t ivihd) (Dy 2008). Dan kor kach is sn as

impssib t prvnt and dicut t trat, and th trmpdash sai back sey (avian

inunza) is nw and rqunty cnusd with dan kor kach (Dy 2008). oninrmant rcad raising putry that wud prnniay sur rm dan kor kach

and was rsignd t havy sss but nvr thught much it (3-6). H attributs

currnt dicutis in cnvincing armrs th risk HPAI as inxtricaby inkd

t Nwcast disas. Hickrs rprt cncuds that in rdr t b ctiv in

trms bhavir chang, HPAI cmmunicatin stratgis must mnitr and

manag bth trms, vn i ths may nt b cncrdant with bi-scintic cat-

gris (2007:30).

ott and Rand-Hst bsrv that th prbm nn-aignd intrstsbtwn imprtant partis acts rts t manag th risks rm HPAI t

mr afunt putry prducrs and t intrnatina hath. This misaign-

mnt has cnsquncs r th ctivnss stratgis t cmbat HPAI. eary

attmpts by Cambdian natina authritis t cu inctd birdsand vn a

birds within tn mis inctd birdsstruck th pr as vrzaus, with

th rsut that th cur smd wrs than th disas. This gav ris t a th risk,

namy, that kping and markting putry is cnstraind and thrby, at ast

partiay, rmvd as an activity rm th ivihds and (mr minusy) sub-sistnc d prtis pr pp (2008).

Indd, otts and Rand-Hsts typgy risks at th natina and intr-

natina vs srvs t highight th dicutis und in Cambdia. Th risk that

HPAI in pr pps putry pss t nt-s-pr pps putry and ratd

businss intrsts is rativy sma givn th natur Cambdias putry indus-

try, which is vrwhmingy backyard-basd. But wh is making th cas r pr

pp? In th Cambdian cntxt, this wud typicay b th dnrs (whn

thy ar nt making thir wn cas), but with rspct t HPAI, dnrs had dua

mtivsnt simpy t cmbat pvrty but as, and mr imprtanty, t prtct

thir wn cuntris.

Conclusion

My anaysis Cambdias pitica cnmy avian inunza rvas ky cha-

ngs, bstacs, and pprtunitis r rspnding t bth HPAI and thr gba

pidmics. HPAI shwd that dnrs, nt surprisingy, ar mtivatd by s-

intrstat th xpns th pr. HPAI activitis hav bn vrty cusd n

dtcting and prvnting a pandmic that thratns th dnr cuntris thmsvs.



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Indd, cmpacncy and ack rsight by bth dnrs and th authritis

ar vidncd by thir aiur t cus n zntic disass such as Nwcast,

w px, and chra that ccur mr rqunty than HPAI. Hwvr, I argu thatutimat rspnsibiity r th succss r aiur picis in Cambdia must rst

with ths in chargth authritis thmsvsand th ack gd gvr-

nanc and pitica wi spak r thmsvs in th prvasiv institutina aiurs

that hav pagud Cambdias pitica cnmy. Ths aiurs ar by n mans

imitd t HPAI an. Actins spak udr than wrds, and authritis hav bn

unab r unwiing t cmmit stat rsurcs, athugh thy agry wcm

dnrs unds t kp HPAI and pandmic prpardnss prgrams ging int th

nar utur. o gratr cncrn is th prcipitus incras in cass in 2011. Prir t2011, Cambdia had ny tn cnrmd cass HPAI rm 2005 t 2010, whm

tw survivd. In 2011 an, thr wr ight cnrmd cass, nn whm sur-

vivd. In January 2012, thr was n cnrmd cas a tw-yar-d by. Atr

bing tratd withut succss by privat dctrs, h was admittd in critica cndi-

tin at th nnprt and cmpty r Angkr Hspita r Chidrn (nt ai-

atd with Bat Richnr) in Sim Rap prvinc. Th by survivd.

Finay, whthr righty r wrngy, I biv that Cambdians and thir gv-

rnmnt prciv th risks psd by HPAI t b w. Cambdias pidmic wavswr mid, and th numbrs human cass wr w cmpard t nighbring

cuntris, athugh 2011 cary shud srv as a wakup ca with a nar dubing

human cass and n survivrs. In cntrast, basd n data thrugh 2008 dnrs

hav cmmittd $35 miin t Cambdia, pacing it svnth amng th tp tn

rcipints HPAI unding, urth in trms pr cas and pr dath and scnd in

trms pr capita and pr utbrak unding (ear 2011b:71). As Jun 2012, Cam-

bdia rmains in th tp tn rcipints anima and human inunza unding.

on th wh, th gaps btwn intntins and impmntatin in th rspns

t HPAI in Cambdia suggst th prsistnt waknss th Cambdian stat and

th aiur th intrnatina cmmunity t addrss this prbm in a psitiv

way. Th nxt chaptr cnsidrs th prbm rm anthr ang, invstigating

th status civi scity in Cambdia thrugh a cas study 20052006 human

rights activism.


Aid Dependence in Cambodia: How Foreign Assistance Undermines Democracy

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