Evaluation of Cambodians for resource revenue transparency (CRRT)

Background:
CRRT stakeholders have identified the need for an independent, external evaluation as a critical activity in light of recent developments in Cambodia with respect to the development of the extractive industries (EI) sector.    CRRT needs to be in as strong a position as possible to be able to participate in the process of promoting the transparent, equitable and efficient use of these revenue streams. 

Purpose/objective:
CRRT tasked the consultant with address the following:
 . . . to determine CRRT’s program and organizational effectiveness in its initial two and a half years of existence. In addition, the evaluator shall look and recommend for CRRT's future direction: What the future character of CRRT should be: is it rather a network of members, consequently with a lean secretariat, which mainly performs a service role while on the other hand board members play a more visible or even operational role, or does CRRT should be an advocacy NGO with a strong office being operational itself, where board members only play a supervisory role. 
The evaluation takes into consideration five areas of inquiry, analysis and recommendations: structure and oversight; programs; staff effectiveness; vision/focus; and mandate.

Methodology:
•Review existing strategic plan and other existing documents from CRRT’s inception (both secretariat and its members).  These documents included CRRT meeting meetings, operational plans, position papers, reports to funders, annual reports of coalition members, etc.

•Interview founding members and member (DPA, YRDP, NGO Forum and API) as well as original founding member EIC about CRRT effectiveness, value, mission and goals for the future.  In addition, the consultant interviewed key informants. These are people who have no formal affiliation with CRRT but are in a position to comment on how the organization is perceived in the external environment.

•Interview CRRT staff as to program effectiveness, shared vision, secretariat structure and effectiveness

•Examine other similar operating entities in other countries with similar EI development profiles as a means to provide comparisons for future organizational changes.

Key findings:
- CRRT is a unique civil society organization that is desperately needed. 
- CRRT has established a brand identity within Cambodian society, particularly with the Royal Government of Cambodia, the media, a range of civil society organizations, and increasingly international civil society organizations.
- CRRT’s individual coalition partners (YRDP, DPA, API and NGO Forum) are strong civil society groups whose work is well-regarded in Cambodia and whose Executive Directors are well-known, respected men of influence. 
- CRRT has achieved success in mobilizing funding partners. 
- CRRT has begun to establish relationships with the Royal Government of Cambodia, in particular with the Ministry of Economics, the Supreme National Economics Council.
- CRRT has invested resources in building the capacity of the Coordinator to gain subject area expertise in the area of petroleum and gas.  This technical knowledge is central to the advancing the Coalition’s work.
Key conclusion
- CRRT has excellent vision and mission statements, objectives, strategies, workplans and partners.  However, the organization fails to execute its strategies and plan to a degree that is concerning.  This is the prevailing view from the overwhelming majority of the interviews.  The interviews and review of documents suggest that the organization’s structure is a significant limiting factor.  Some of the problem is due to blurred lines of responsibility between the Board and the Secretariat and to lack of full commitment from Coalition members, both of which limit the Coalition’s ability to execute its high-quality strategy. 

Recommendations:
- Revise the by-laws and internal Rules and Regulations to decrease the powers vested in the Board Chair and to ensure independent functioning of the secretariat and leading role in coordinating advocacy with the members
- Clarify the roles and responsibilities of the Coordinator and Board and develop mechanisms for dealing with grey areas. The Coordinator needs to be empowered to lead in areas that are in his domain.  This means making decisions and acting on them.
- Vision and Mission to be maintened
- The objectives, as they currently stand, should be maintained.  Perhaps however, they should be broken down into yearly objectives and mapped onto the status of EI development in Cambodia.

 Comments from the organisation, if any:
Many and well received and integrated by the evaluator.

The report can be ordered from Norwegian People's Aid