The transfer of funds from national to sub-national level administrations has increased almost tenfold, from $ 416 million in 2018 to $3,676 million in 2022.

Sub-national authorities have built small-scale infrastructure projects and currently implement more than 2,000 social service projects each year, said Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak.

He addressed an October 14 press conference, held to summarise the ministry’s achievements in the past five years.

He said that in the past five years, the ministry had implemented decentralisation reform programmes and focused mainly on good governance, which is at the core of the government's rectangular strategies.

Through the reforms, nearly 60 functions had been transferred to sub-national administrations. More than 800 types of service have been delegated to local One Window Service Offices.

He added said that the reform programmes had prioritised activities which strengthened the management of the reform work and streamlined the management structures sub-national administrations, in order to improve efficiency. In addition, they had increased the financial and human resources of the administrations to improve service provision and local development. Financing has also been decentralised.

Within the framework of their general mandates, the sub-national administrations in the capital, provinces, towns and communes are actively meeting the physical needs of the Kingdom’s people at the grassroots level, he said.

He added that this work has contributed to the reduction of poverty, improved people's livelihoods and boosted national economic development.