Authority discusses business permits, vending spots, and social protection

Coalition for Partnership in Democratic Development and Independent Democracy of Informal Economic Association prepared a series of four meetings between street vendors and municipality of Battambang, Kampot, Kep, and Sihaknouk Ville and related authorities to identify needs, challenges, and priorities of street vendors to influence the decisions on business permits, vending spots, and social protection. The meeting constituted lobby and negotiation sessions which establish strong representative system, and allowed street vendors to share common concerns, experience and give each other confidence, and more importantly have collective voices and actions to demand for their business permits and vendor spots.

Photo: Deputy governor of Battambang city council (middle) and relevant officials participate in the meeting

Street vendors brought their prioritize issues and concerns to municipality administrations and request for business permits, vending spots, and more meaningful social protection. The two sides, municipality and street vendors, could understand each other and find effective responses regarding public services for street vendors. 

Through support from Pact Cambodia under WE-Act project, CPDD provides capacity building for Young Women Entrepreneurs (YWEs), whom are in informal sectors such as street vendors, to increase the knowledge on social-economic rights, human rights and support them to address their challenges with policy maker, government department and ministries. The capacity building is about advocacy, mobilizing support and policy influencing. CPDD provides capacity to street vendors in coastal areas by supporting their self-empowerment and, correspondingly, empowerment of their organizations and networks. The project has contributed to enable young women entrepreneurs, especially street vendors to exercise social-economic rights to raise their issues and concerns demanding for equal access to financing, inclusive, socially equitable public services through strengthening the coordination between NCDD-S and CSOs in disseminating and taking action on policy implementation toward enabling business environment and social welfare for YWEs, especially street vendors.

Photo: A woman street vendor addresses her issue during the meeting

The street vendors are challenging in presenting their issues such as business permits and vendor spots to the national level. Based on the project activity conducted through reflection workshop, consultation meeting with CSOs and street vendors, online demand-based assessment that to support street vendors in Battambang, Kampot, Kep, and Sihanoukville and national level, street vendors had chance to brief their issues of common voices to the relevant line ministries and sub-national level to seek the intervention.

Photo: general view of the meeting in Battambang municipality

The meeting took place in late August and early September 2023 and participated by one-window-service officers, officials from the provincial office of planning, vocational training, social affairs, and commerce, and representatives of the above NGOs.