Cambodia’s Online Reform Initiative Inventory

After two decades of steady gains at the ballot box under Prime Minister Hun Sen’s rule, in 2013 his Cambodian People’s Party lost 22 seats to a newly formed coalition, the Cambodian National Rescue Party. Many interpreted this unexpected result as a popular call for change. Since then, some have wondered whether these calls for change have translated into real reforms, and the extent to which the electorate’s expectations have been met.

To help answer these questions, The Asia Foundation supported a comprehensive review of reform initiatives across government ministries in Cambodia. Working with 17 ministries and an advisory group consisting of experts from civil society organizations, academia, donor agencies, and the private sector, we established the first online public information portal to track reforms in Cambodia. The “Reform Inventory Initiative” (RII) wiki page invites key stakeholders in the reforms to provide updates and information to educate the general public and encourage government transparency and accountability. Information on reform efforts in all the participating ministries can now be found on RII’s portal in both Khmer and English. Through the RII platforms and media outreach, information on reforms is being made available to the public in a way and on a scale that has never before occurred in Cambodia.