ICSO
During this first initial phase, ICSO focused on building trust among the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) leaders and stakeholders. The organization made the significant strides in enhancing the IPs leadership and management capacity in the areas such as Community Organizing, Natural Resources Management, Women’s Empowerment, and Community Media Development marking a pivotal moment in the history of IPs in northeastern Cambodia.
ICSO
In this phase, ICSO concentrated on strengthening the IPs rights. Key initiatives included enhancing cultural identification, legal entity establishment and registration, communal land title (CLT) registration, and forming a coalition within IPs national networks to advocate for land and natural resource rights in Cambodia.
ICSO
This phase emphasized further strengthening the functioning of the Indigenous Peoples Organizations (IPOs) while integrating the community economic empowerment and welfare approaches. ICSO also supported the establishment of the independent IPOs and the Indigenous Peoples Association of Cambodia (IPAC), which was registered with the Ministry of Interior (MoI). It is in order to strengthen the community institutional and constituency.
ICSO
The strategic plan for this phase aimed to address the ongoing challenges, particularly in economic and rights empowerment. This framework focuses on improving the welfare of IPs across all target areas, including Ratanakiri and beyond, through active and participatory efforts by IPs.
ICSO
ICSO has been implementing its 2021-2025 Strategic Plan. This strategic framework focuses on improving the welfare of the IPs across all targeted areas and groups, including Ratanakiri province and beyond, through active and participatory efforts of the indigenous peoples. It is for the Indigenous Communal Land Title (ICLT) registration process to be land tenure security and promotiong the economic empowermnet to apdaptive the climate resilience. Policy dialogue platforms on land rights as well as strengthening the community based organizations' institutional and constituency. The Strategy will come to an end this year of 2025. The new strategic plan will be developed for 2026-2028.
ICSO
Phase Six (2026-2028) Strategic Plan Overview ICSO is moving forward to implement its 2026-2028 Strategic Plan. This strategic framework focuses on inclusive and innovative development aimed at promoting the economic, social, cultural, political, and environmental rights of these communities across all targeted areas and groups, including Ratanakiri province and beyond, through active participatory efforts of the indigenous peoples (IPs). A society where vulnerable communities, especially IPs, enjoy their rights to natural resources and live in dignity and social harmony. ICSO will empower indigenous communities to secure their rights to land and natural resources ensuring food security, preserving cultural identity, and enhancing overall well-being in order to enhance the capacity for IPs to claim rights and manage their land. Improved economic conditions, health, and quality of life. Strong institutional frameworks for governance and resource management with the following areas. (1) Indigenous Community Land and Natural Resource Rights: Ensure secure land tenure and promote rights related to communal land and resources. (2) Socio-Economic Rights Empowerment: Enhance the economic empowerment of indigenous communities to promote self-sustainability. (3) Climate Change Resilience, Adaptation, and Mitigation: Develop strategies to help communities adapt to climate change and mitigate its effects. (4) Indigenous Community-Led Communal Land Titling Registration: Facilitate a participatory approach to land titling that involves Indigenous leadership. (5) Indigenous Community-Led Institutional Development: Strengthen community-based organizations to enhance legitimacy and ownership. (6) Indigenous Community-Led Policy Dialogue: Create platforms for policy discussion that prioritizes Indigenous voices and rights.
Key Message from ICSO’s Governance Board
The Governance Board of ICSO is proud to share our mission and achievements with the public regarding our work for Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in Cambodia. Since 2007, we have played a vital role in shaping the organization's strategies and policies to ensure effective implementation of our strategic and programmatic directives, promoting good governance, and maintaining accountable, transparent, and professional leadership and management. We want to take this opportunity to acknowledge and commend the ICSO staff and management for their dedication and commitment to serving Indigenous Communities (ICs) since the organization’s inception. As a result, ICSO has successfully completed five phases of its strategic plan;
• Phase 1 (2007-2009): Focused on building trust among stakeholders and providing capacity development for community leaders.
• Phase 2 (2010-2012): Strengthened IPs’ rights, emphasized cultural identification, communal land title registration, and advocacy for their rights to land and natural resources.
• Phase 3 (2013-2015): Continued support for grassroots organizations (IPOs), communal land title (CLT) registration, and economic empowerment.
• Phase 4 (2016-2020): Addressed challenges related to economic and rights empowerment, using an integrated approach to improve the welfare of IPs.
• Phase 5 (2021-2025): Completed the existing programs despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic within the difficult times and fund constrain.
Looking ahead, ICSO’s sixth strategic plan for 2026-2028 incorporates lessons learned and best practices, building on past successes while addressing gaps and challenges identified in previous phases. This plan focuses on furthering inclusive development for vulnerable and poor communities, particularly IPs. Throughout its history, ICSO has enhanced its staff's capacity to navigate various political, social, economic, and technological contexts. The Governance Board will continue to advise the management team in developing optimal solutions to mitigate risks and leverage innovative technologies for development to assist IPs in overcoming challenges.
ICSO is committed to innovating and finding effective solutions to the challenges faced by vulnerable and poor individuals in Cambodia during the strategic period of 2026-2028. The Governance Board is dedicated to promoting social, cultural, and environmental equity and justice, thoughtfully considering the future and aspirations of the communities. We are confident that ICSO will make significant strides toward achieving its mission during this complex period, despite funding gaps.
We extend our gratitude to all ICSO management teams and staff for their years of dedicated service to IPs in Cambodia. A special thank you goes to Mr. Sao Vansey, the Executive Director of ICSO, for his effective leadership and consistent management of the organization.
We look forward to progress in achieving our vision, mission, core values, strategic goals, objectives, and actions over the next three years. We stand ready to support the management team in this important work for the benefit of vulnerable, poor people, and IPs in Cambodia.
On behalf of the ICSO Governance Board,
RUN Saray
Chairman of the ICSO Governance Board