UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has expressed deep concern over the escalating conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, warning that civilian areas and cultural sites are increasingly being targeted by fighter jets, drones, and artillery. He emphasized that under international humanitarian law, protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure is of paramount importance. Since fighting… [Read More]
Cambodia
Advancing ASEAN Workforce: ILO and China Renew Partnership on Skills and Decent Work
The Government of China and the International Labour Organization (ILO) signed an amendment to a long-standing South–South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) agreement on 9 December in Beijing. Originally established in 2008 with a total contribution of $5 million from China, the partnership highlights China’s leadership in advancing SSTC and its ongoing support for promoting decent… [Read More]
Cambodia Strengthens Public Employment Services to Improve Skills Matching and Decent Work
Nearly 100 public employment services (PES) officials in Cambodia have received training to strengthen their competencies in delivering high-quality, efficient employment services. The initiative aims to create a more responsive and inclusive labor market, ensuring that vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, are not left behind. The training is a collaboration between the International Labour… [Read More]
Cambodia Secures $763 Million ADB Investment for Water Security and Urban Development
The Asian Development Bank has approved a $763 million investment program, including a $20 million grant from the Asian Development Fund, to expand safe water supply and sanitation in Cambodia while strengthening water security and building more resilient, livable cities. The initiative aims to upgrade essential services and support climate resilience in rapidly growing urban… [Read More]
Enhancing Learning in Cambodia: How Full-Day Primary School Schedules Can Improve Student Performance
Cambodia’s primary education curriculum allocates a relatively high proportion of time to literacy and numeracy, indicating that curriculum design itself is not the main barrier to student learning. However, actual instruction time is significantly lower than the prescribed 728 hours due to instruction time loss, which some studies estimate could be as high as a… [Read More]
Improving Teaching Quality and Instruction Time to Boost Primary Education in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, November 25, 2025 — Cambodia has made significant progress in enrolling children in school, but urgent improvements are needed in classroom teaching, according to two new World Bank reports. The studies examine both the quality and quantity of instruction in primary schools and provide recommendations to strengthen basic literacy and numeracy, ensuring all… [Read More]
Cambodia’s Primary Education Reform: Enhancing Teaching Quality and Performance Incentives
Cambodia’s primary education sector has seen a significant rise in the attractiveness of the teaching profession, with a notable increase in high-caliber candidates applying for teaching positions. Between 2014 and 2024, half of the teacher trainees came from the top decile of Grade 12 examinees. Public primary school teacher salaries, adjusted for inflation, more than… [Read More]
MEPs Raise Alarm Over Increasing International Crackdown on Human Rights Defenders
The European Parliament has raised serious concerns over the growing threat of transnational repression, particularly targeting human rights defenders on EU soil. Parliamentarians emphasized that these attacks, carried out by authoritarian regimes, aim to coerce, control, or silence political opponents, journalists, activists, and members of the diaspora. In a recent report adopted by 512 votes… [Read More]
How Four Core Elements Are Shaping Adaptation Finance for a Changing Climate
As climate impacts intensify, the demand for stronger and smarter adaptation solutions is growing rapidly, raising a fundamental question: who will fund these efforts, and how? The cost of adapting to climate change in developing countries is projected to exceed US$310 billion per year by 2035—twelve times the current levels of international public adaptation finance…. [Read More]
New Grants Support Safer Commutes for Garment Workers in Cambodia and Viet Nam
The International Labour Organization (ILO), through its Vision Zero Fund and with support from Nike Inc., has awarded grants to four garment factories in Cambodia and Viet Nam under the Commuting Safety Challenge. This initiative seeks to improve commuting safety for garment workers by encouraging innovative and practical solutions to reduce accidents and promote safer… [Read More]
ASEAN Leaders Must Act on Myanmar’s Worsening Crisis and Regional Scam Compounds, Says Rights Group
Amnesty International has called on ASEAN member states to prioritize human rights in regional decision-making as leaders gather for the bloc’s 47th Summit in Malaysia. The organization urged ASEAN to take decisive action to address the worsening crisis in Myanmar, nearly five years after the military seized power. According to Amnesty, the human rights situation… [Read More]
Caribbean Schools Embrace Climate-Smart Education Initiatives
The 2024 Hurricane Beryl underscored the urgent need for climate-resilient planning in Caribbean education, particularly in Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where infrastructure losses were catastrophic. Loraine St. Louis Nedd, Permanent Secretary of Grenada’s Ministry of Education, highlighted that nearly all school structures on Union Island, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique were destroyed, disrupting… [Read More]
Disturbing Human Rights Conditions in Cambodia Highlighted by UN Expert
The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, Vitit Muntarbhorn, has voiced serious concerns over the increasingly restricted civic and political space in the country. He highlighted that opposition parties have been consistently undermined by elections that were neither free nor fair, allowing a single political clique to maintain monopolistic power despite intergenerational changes…. [Read More]
Cambodia to Accelerate Energy Transition with $82.5 Million ADB Reform Program
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved the second phase of Cambodia’s Energy Transition Sector Development Program (ETSDP), allocating $82.5 million to accelerate the country’s shift toward clean energy. The program is cofinanced by the ASEAN Infrastructure Fund, the Asia–Pacific Climate Finance Fund, the Green Climate Fund, and the United Kingdom through the ASEAN Catalytic… [Read More]
Cambodia Strengthens Workforce Skills and Productivity Through Public-Private Collaboration
The Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business Associations (CAMFEBA), with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO), hosted a high-level workshop on skills and productivity, emphasizing the critical role of public–private partnerships in building a competitive, future-ready workforce. The Validation Workshop on Skills and Productivity brought together industry leaders, employer associations, training institutions, trade unions,… [Read More]
How Digital Innovations Are Strengthening Social Protection in Laos
The Lao Social Security Office (LSSO) has shared progress on a new mobile application designed to expand social protection delivery, with the update presented during a technical workshop supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The app is intended to improve access to information and services for both LSSO members and the general public, with… [Read More]
ADB Commits $52 Million to Accelerate Cambodia’s Renewable Energy Transition
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $52.72 million loan for Cambodia’s Grid Expansion Project, aimed at strengthening the country’s transmission network to integrate more renewable energy into the national grid. The initiative seeks to meet rising electricity demand with cleaner, locally generated power while enhancing energy reliability and resilience. Cambodia has rapidly expanded… [Read More]
Cracking Down on Online Scam Centers in Southeast Asia: Sanctions and Enforcement
Criminal networks across Southeast Asia have increasingly exploited Americans online, resulting in significant financial losses. In 2024, U.S. citizens lost an estimated $10 billion to scam operations based in the region, highlighting the scale and severity of these fraudulent activities. In response, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed… [Read More]
ADB Approves $50 Million Reform Program to Strengthen Equitable and Resilient Public Services in Cambodia
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $50 million Subprogram 1 of the Strengthening Governance for Service Delivery policy-based loan, aimed at supporting Cambodia’s efforts to improve governance and public financial management systems, enabling equitable and resilient public service delivery. The initiative builds on the fourth phase of Cambodia’s Public Financial Management Reform Program,… [Read More]
Cambodia Prepares Next Generation of Skilled Workers for ASEAN Skills Competition
Cambodia’s next generation of construction professionals has gained international exposure and advanced technical skills ahead of the ASEAN Skills Competition, thanks to intensive training supported by the ILO/China Partnership Programme. Five trainees and students completed a two-week wall and floor tiling programme at China’s Zhejiang Construction Technician College (ZCTC) from 30 July to 9 August… [Read More]
GCF Hosts Learning Exchange in Korea to Boost Cambodia’s Climate Finance Access
Learning Exchange on Climate Finance in Korea The Green Climate Fund (GCF) recently held a significant Learning Exchange in Korea, aimed at enhancing access to climate finance for Cambodian partners. This event was part of the GCF's Readiness Programme, which focuses on building the capacities of developing countries to better engage with climate financing mechanisms…. [Read More]
GCF Invests $103.2M in Early Warnings for All Initiative Across Seven Countries
Introduction to the Early Warnings for All Initiative The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has made a significant commitment by investing USD 103.2 million in the Early Warnings for All initiative. This ambitious project aims to enhance multi-hazard early warning systems across seven countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Cambodia, Chad, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji, and Somalia. These investments… [Read More]
GCF Approves Project FP258 to Boost Climate Resilience with UNDP Partnership
Introduction The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board has recently taken significant steps towards strengthening climate resilience in various regions by approving adaptation project FP258. This initiative, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), focuses on enhancing multi-hazard early warning systems and impact-based forecasts across seven countries. The Importance of Early Warning Systems Early… [Read More]
