UN Resident Coordinator Jo Scheuer meets with social affairs minister Chea Somethy (out of frame) on March 18. Social Affairs Ministry
The Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation and the UN Resident Coordinator Office have agreed to bolster and broaden their collaborative efforts, particularly in social affairs, to attain the country’s sustainable development goals (SDGs).
The decision was reached during a meeting between minister Chea Somethy and UN Resident Coordinator to Cambodia Jo Scheuer on March 18 at the ministry headquarters in Phnom Penh.
According to Somethy, their discussion centred on an overview of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2024-28 and included an exchange of views on the ongoing partnership between the ministry and the UN.
“The [framework] primarily focuses on five programmes: social protection and assistance for poor and vulnerable households; disability and social inclusion; child protection and juvenile justice; migration and human trafficking prevention; and elderly well-being,” he explained.
Scheuer acknowledged that the ministry has made considerable strides in advancing human rights through the implementation of the national social assistance programme.
“In collaboration with the Cambodian government, the UN has prepared documents for the UNSDCF … aligning with the first phase of the Pentagonal Strategy to assist the government in fast-tracking the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, transitioning from a least developed to a developing country,” he added.
The ministry, via the National Social Assistance Fund (NSAF), has been administering the government’s programmes to sustain people’s livelihoods amid challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, inflation and flooding. It has disbursed over $1.4 billion for more than 70,000 households, impacting over 3 million individuals.
Back on December 5, 2023, the ministry officially inaugurated two cash assistance programmes: Family Package and Social Protection Framework for Emergency Responses.
For the family package programme, the government has set aside $165 million for 2024, targeting approximately 700,000 households holding IDPoor equity cards, encompassing around 2.8 million people and scheduled to commence from April this year.
