By Marie Zázvorková, Capacity building coordinator of FoRS – Czech Forum for Development Cooperation, Forus member in Czech Republic 

FoRS – Czech Forum for Development Cooperation was supported by Forus through a capacity development project in a consortium with the Cambodian NGO platform Cooperation Committee for Cambodia (CCC). It aimed at strengthening evidence-based advocacy related to Czech development cooperation in one of its priority countries, as well as an enabling environment for CSOs. 

An almost two-year-long endeavour of FoRS, the Czech development NGO platform from a small donor country, to explore and positively influence Czech development cooperation in Cambodia through direct collaboration with CCC and more in-depth cooperation with several FoRS member organizations active in Cambodia, brought valuable learnings. We tried to give a sense of the main milestones and learning points from the first year here. The second part of the project was hugely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, which for example hampered a key activity - CCC representatives' study visit to Czechia. Nevertheless, we managed to achieve to a significant extent the three broader objectives set for the project: 

• Increased engagement of FoRS members (5 NGOs and 1 university) with development and humanitarian projects in Cambodia (members of FoRS that are active in Cambodia, 3 of them are also members of CCC), as well as CCC, in key processes of Czech development cooperation in this country, namely the mid-term revision of the programme of cooperation 2018 – 2023.  
• Increased knowledge of the needs and challenges faced by FoRS members in Cambodia (e.g., the registration process of international NGOs in this country) and discussion of possible solutions with CCC, as well as of needs and challenges of FoRS members related to the enabling environment in Czechia (e.g., necessity for a considerable flexibility in the implementation of projects affected by the Covid-19 pandemic). We also gained an understanding of the local conditions (in terms of politics, logistics, enabling environment for CSOs) and of the role and work of CCC as a large CSO platform from the recipient country that will be further considered in FoRS strategical thinking and acting.  
• Strengthened capacities of FoRS through the completion of the process of preparation of a new FoRS strategy 2021 – 2025 (reflecting an adequate engagement of local partners, incl. from Cambodia, in shaping Czech development cooperation); reflection on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on FoRS, its members and Czech bilateral development cooperation and on ways forward; and planning of a key FoRS process in 2021 - preparation for the CZ EU Presidency in 2022. 

The force majeure of Covid-19 pandemic also made us learn about the need to react to difficulties that to big extent re-shaped the project focus, as not only activities in Cambodia, but working methods in Czechia, that was and still is hardly hit by the pandemic, changed significantly.  

We will build on this experience and will keep engaging FoRS members working in Cambodia and CCC in shaping the Czech development cooperation in this country. 

Photo: Czech and Cambodian CSOs, members of FoRS and CCC, in a joint meeting hosted by CCC in Phnom Penh in October 2019. Credit: Chhouk Phal Puthiridh, CCC