Cambodia

The joint programme focuses on enhancing human capital and social protection in Cambodia by improving service delivery through the Family Package and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). It evaluates the Family Package's impact on human capital while enhancing youth skills to meet labor market demands. The programme collaborates with various stakeholders, including government entities and international organizations, to reach approximately 2.8 million individuals, including vulnerable groups. Key achievements include increased responsiveness of TVET to industry needs and improved social assistance delivery. Overall, the initiative significantly contributes to advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by promoting inclusive economic growth and resilience.

The program transforms Cambodia's food systems to enhance sustainability, inclusivity, and resilience. It strengthens the enabling environment for food systems, facilitating financing for economic, nutritional, and environmental outcomes while building the capacities of decision-makers and stakeholders. The initiative updates the National Food Systems Roadmap, focusing on climate change and gender equity, and identifies key transformative interventions. With an anticipated reach of 250 people, the program aims to improve food security and nutrition, ultimately enhancing climate resilience and advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Brief Description

This project sets out an ambitious agenda to build a high quality, demand-driven financing framework for Cambodia (in line with the Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF) concept developed globally), enabling the expansion of development resources in order to accelerate achievement of the CSDGs. The underlying rationale being Cambodia’s need to grow fiscal space and non-traditional sources of finance.

Approach

The expected results of the JP are the delivery of a Cambodian Financing Framework (based on the INFF) and increased development resources, delivered via three facilities: (i) establishment of an evidence base on finance sources; (ii) policy and technical advisory; and (iii) data for performance-based budgeting (PBB) and CSDG resource tracking. These three facilities will drive the expansion of resources through what/ where/ why-type activities.

The programme brief description

Cambodia has made great strides in reducing poverty over the past two decades, falling from nearly half the population to just 13% in 2014. However, a large proportion of the population now sits just above the national poverty line, and are vulnerable to falling back into poverty. Cambodia’s Joint Programme (JP) will thus contribute to the nation-wide goal to lead to more people being covered by an effective, efficient, accountable, equitable, sustainable, and child- and gender-sensitive social protection system. This programme works towards benefitting 200,000 pregnant women and children from a cash transfer programme, with an additional 1.5 million people to be covered by pension schemes by the year 2020. In addition to increased coverage, the activities under this UNJP aim to increase cross-governmental collaboration on social protection, improved analysis of who is being left behind, and increased fiscal space for social protection. 

Approach

This JP adopts an innovative, holistic approach by supporting all government entities with a social protection remit. Participating agencies will provide consistent and coordinated support to the government to better implement and monitor social protection programmes. This will contribute towards accelerating the achievement of the SDGs in Cambodia and represents a new level of coordination support towards the promotion of integrated policy solutions.

Target groups

Women, children, girls, youth, persons with disabilities, older persons.