Pelosi in Kingdom to discuss rights, trade #USA + Lawmakers to sit down with UK rep

[geovalin]

Sarah Taguiam

US House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi arrived with a congressional delegation in Cambodia on Saturday to commence discussions of Washington’s relations with the Kingdom regarding issues like human rights, trade and security.

The stop is part of a five-nation trip to Asian countries including Vietnam, Myanmar, Korea and Japan.

“We arrive at an important moment for the United States’ relationship with these countries, and find ourselves presented with fresh opportunities and familiar challenges in the region,” Pelosi, a Democrat, said in a statement. “Our delegation will discuss ways we can strengthen security cooperation; advance human rights with an emphasis on women, workers and religious minorities; and increase fair trade.”

Pelosi and her bipartisan delegation, which consists of nine other members of Congress, will meet with stakeholders in Cambodia but will not be holding public events, according to the US Embassy.

“If she meets with the government, the topic that would have the most impact if discussed is Cambodia upholding its labour laws,” said Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division.

According to a recent HRW report, many garment workers experience abuse in the workplace due to a lack of enforcement of the labour law. Given the law’s huge impact on the quality of life of women in the garment sector, the law is a “critical issue”, Robertson added.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/pelosi-kingdom-discuss-rights-trade

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Lawmakers to sit down with UK rep

Mon, 30 March 2015

Charles Parkinson

Members of Cambodia’s National Assembly will today sit down with a senior clerk from the UK Houses of Parliament as a two-day consultative meeting gets underway in Phnom Penh.

Today will see a discussion of political party groups, while women in parliament is on the agenda for tomorrow.

Senior clerk Gosia McBride, who arrived in Cambodia last week, will share experiences from the UK, such as how multi-party political groups are organised, as well as methods on how to increase female lawmakers’ participation in parliament.

Since her March 25 arrival, McBride has been working on a UK-Cambodia capacity building project, as well as meeting with senior Cambodian parliamentarians and organisations that work with the National Assembly, according to a press release from the British Embassy.

The discussion of improving women’s participation in politics is set to a backdrop of minimal gains over the past 12 years. In 2003, one of Cambodia’s UN Millennium Developments Goals was for an increase in female lawmakers. At that time, 19 per cent of National Assembly members were women. Today, women represent just 20 per cent.