About

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BACKGROUND

NECO was founded in 2016, composed of experienced and expert persons (10 staff with 3 non-IP) who are working at the grassroots to empower communities at the Northern and the Northeastern part of Cambodia. It is registered with MoI on December 27, 2022, #7370 Prakas. included the registration with Taxation Department of Government, Labor Automated Central Management System and National Security Social Fund and Accounting and Auditing Regulation in 2023. The NECO has a main office based in Preah Vihear and Sub-office in Ratanakiri and Battambang provinces. The provincial target areas are covered Ratanakiri, Stung Treng, Kratie, Preah Vihear, Bantey Meanchey and Battambang. Target groups: Tumpoun, Jarai, Brao, Kroeng, Bunong, Khonh, Kui and Poar Indigenous Peoples.

Vision: Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) are integrally vibrant participation in integrated community development.

Mission: Facilitates Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) to exercise rights to maintain, control, protect and develop​ their communities. 

Goal: Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) have diversified significant strengths-based to assert their rights in maintaining, controlling, protecting and develop-managing their own well-being.

Program Title ​

Promote the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) in the Projected Areas (PRIPA)

Core Value

• We respect multi-culture and customary rules of IPLCs
• We respect Human Rights
• We enhance the representativeness
• We promote collective activities
• We are willing to learn from and share the communities’ elaborations on effective changes and visions

Long-Term objectives:

1. To strengthen IPLCs led-exercising traditional activities to forest, land use and cultivation.
2. To empower the rights of IPLCs in the Protected Areas, to maintain traditional, culture, knowledge and natural resources.
3. To strengthen IPLCs led-exercising traditional activities to forest, land use and cultivation.
4. To improve the ancestral food system in enhancing climate change solutions.
5. To facilitate forest dependents for sustain-engaged formatively in their protection and development.
6. To improve organization’s productivity, promote better decision making, build better teams and future leaders conducive to a positive working atmosphere.

Country Context:

NECO understands that Cambodia’s Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities are facing major challenges in their lives to land, forest and customary tenure. They face discrimination and forced displacement from their lands, which is extinguishing them as distinct groups. These patterns are driven by ongoing State and transnational corporate ventures for resource extraction (mainly mining, fishing, timber and agribusiness) coupled with growing in-migration from other parts of the country.

The customary tenures are seen as pivotal in fields such as agroforestry, biodiversity conservation, natural resource management and traditional medicine, etc.  They have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions, as well as the manifestations of their sciences, technologies and cultures, including human and genetic resources, seeds, medicines, knowledge of the properties of fauna and flora, oral traditions, literatures, designs, sports and traditional games and visual and performing arts.