Cambodia Indigenous Peoples Organization (CIPO) is an Indigenous Peoples (IP)-led and managed organization that combines the best knowledge of IPs and Cambodian society with the ability to creatively respond to the needs for support from the IPs in Cambodia. Since it established in 30 June 2014, CIPO has been playing unique roles in facilitate the Cambodian IPs to take charge on their culture and tradition and their customary rights to land and natural resources in their community. By December 2020, CIPO achieved a remarkable milestone of fruitfully completed its first five-year strategic plan’s implementation (2016-2020). The results of the evaluation of the its first SP confirmed that the CIPO programs were inter-connected and responded to the priority needs of the indigenous communities (ICs) for conserving identity, culture, customary and tradition; securing land territory; and improving living condition.
CIPO has a strong belief that the indigenous peoples (IP), who have an in-depth understanding of the local context, can work effectively (with relevant partners/stakeholders) to make real and sustainable changes to the IPs society. Co-founded by a woman who is Bunong’s ethnic1 from Mondulkiri province, CIPO is a totally IP-led and managed organization that combines the best knowledge of IPs (locally and internationally) and Cambodian society with the ability to creatively respond to the needs for support from the IPs in Cambodia.