2024 marked the crucial first year of UNFPA Cambodia's VII Country Programme 2024-2028, driving significant progress towards our Three Transformative Results: ending preventable maternal deaths, ending unmet need for family planning, and ending gender-based violence and harmful practices. Through strong partnerships and donor support, UNFPA Cambodia achieved notable milestones in advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all Cambodians.

 

2024 KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

UNFPA is committed to advancing human rights-based family planning, ensuring individuals and couples can freely decide their reproductive choices. The Ministry of Health has integrated this approach into primary healthcare and universal health coverage schemes. The government’s continued investment in contraceptive procurement in 2024 demonstrates growing national ownership. Key results in 2024 included:

1. Enhancing rights-based family planning

UNFPA Cambodia continues to be committed to reducing the unmet need for family planning to contribute to improving sexual reproductive and maternal health for women and girls through:

• Supporting the development of the National Strategy for Reproductive Sexual Health and Rights 2025–2030, incorporating rights, choices, and emerging priorities like climate change. Draft strategy document completed with UNFPA technical support.
   
• Providing modern contraceptives to over 423,339 women, men, and girls in UNFPA priority provinces through supported health facilities.
   
• Providing training to 309 newly recruited healthcare providers for rights-based family planning, and 146 healthcare providers on long term method - Jadelle, and 76 women as Community Based Distribution agents to expand family planning services in remote areas.
   
• Delivering SRHR information and services to over 20,000 Female Entertainment Workers (FEWs), with 636 utilizing SRHR services and 2,082 accessing free services through the Health Equity Fund and ID-Poor cards.
   
• Enabling 115,503 adolescents and youth (including 74,879 females) in eight provinces to access Adolescent and Youth Friendly Health Services as a result of UNFPA- supported protocols, capacity building, community engagement, and expanded Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE).
   
• Leveraging Digital Health Solutions, including E-Learning (5,709 users) and Telemedicines (4,990 users) platforms, to significantly improve access to SRHR information and services for healthcare providers and most-at-risk populations.

 

2. Advancing maternal health

UNFPA Cambodia is committed to support the RGC’s ambition of reducing preventable maternal mortality to 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030. In 2024, UNFPA support actions towards improving maternal health outcomes through:

• Updating Cambodia's Maternal Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) protocol, aligning with global standards to strengthen the identification and response to maternal and newborn deaths, under the leadership of the MoH and collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
   
• Completing 100% of UNFPA-supported maternal death audits in priority provinces, investigating 15 cases and identifying key causes like postpartum haemorrhage and eclampsia for targeted interventions.
   
• Updating Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) curricula to global standards and training 173 healthcare professionals in emergency obstetric and newborn care.
   
• Strengthening midwifery education with the training of 76 trainers from 10 midwifery schools in critical life-saving skills and family planning, ensuring approximately 400 graduating midwives annually possess essential competencies.

 

3. Health sector response to Gender-Based Violence (GBV)

"The health sector response is not only a provider of medical care but also a vital ally in addressing gender-based violence, ensuring that survivors receive the comprehensive support necessary to reclaim their health, dignity, and rights."

In 2024, UNFPA strengthened the health sector’s GBV response in the target provinces through:

• Equipping 16 facilities, including four One-Stop Service Units, and providing essential services to 245 survivors.
   
• Conducting a training-of-trainers workshop for 21 provincial trainers from the health and women's affairs sectors, preparing them for cascade training in 2025.
   
• Training 26 members of Provincial Forensic Committees on forensic procedures.
   
• Conducting community sessions raising awareness about GBV services, reaching 129 participants.
   
• Monitoring highlighted needs for improved IEC materials and record-keeping of GBV cases. The Forensic Form will be updated to include all forms of GBV, including LGBTQI, in 2025.

 

Working Towards a Violence-Free Cambodia

UNFPA supports the RGC towards the elimination of GBV through:

• Strengthening policy frameworks, including technical assistance for the development of “Neary Ratanak VI (2024-2028)” and the National Action Plan on Violence Against Women and Girls 2025-2030 (NAPVAW IV).
   
• Enhancing GBV coordination mechanisms through leadership roles in UN and national working groups.
   
• Supporting the establishment and capacity building of five new District Working Groups on GBV (DWG-GBVs) and a Phnom Penh Capital Working Group on GBV.
   
• Establishing One-Stop Service Units (OSSUs) in 4 provinces and launching national guidelines guiding their set up.
   
• Improving GBV case management by conducting assessments on good practices and gaps and providing orientation workshops on key concepts and skills.
   
• Developing digital solutions to respond to GBV, including the official launch of the GBV Safe App which provides information on GBV and links those experiencing violence to services.
   
• Prevention of violence by addressing harmful gender and social norms that contribute to gender-based violence through the development of evidence-based key messages, campaigns and dialogues.

 

Investing for the Future Generation

"Empowering cambodia adolescents and youth"

UNFPA supports the RGC’s ambition towards ensuring that all young persons' potential are realized. In 2024, UNFPA did this through:

• Expanding Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) to over 900,000 adolescents and youth across Cambodia, with 2,679 schools providing HE/CSE.
   
• Improving adolescent SRHR information and services referral through eight school health rooms, with expansion to 130 school health rooms in UNFPA’s target provinces.
   
• Training 1,109 adolescents and youth in advocacy and leadership skills, supporting seven youth platforms and 122 youth-led projects.
   
• Doubling young people’s access to the Youth Health App to 312,000, including marginalized groups, and expanding content to include CEFM and teenage pregnancy information.
   
• Facilitating access to counselling services and referrals for over 7,300 individuals through helpline number 1280 operated by Child Helpline Cambodia (CHC).
   
• Strengthening the UN Youth Advisory Panel to represent youth voices.

 

Population Dynamics and Data

UNFPA supports the Government of Cambodia’s ambitions in ensuring that policy is based upon quality and timely population data. In 2024 UNFPA did this through:

• Supporting the Royal Government of Cambodia Special Committee on International Conference on Population and Development’s Plan of Action and Strategic Framework 2024-2030 which is a costed multi-ministerial plan that provides a “whole of population” approach.
   
• Providing technical assistance for the Cambodia Inter-Censual Population Survey 2024 (CIPS).
   
• Offering policy advice on Cambodia’s evolving population dynamics and population resilience.
   
• Leading data for development efforts through the Sub-Working Group on Data for Development (D4D).
   
• Developing an in-depth analysis of unmet need for family planning.
   
• Supporting an analysis of the Demographic and Socio-economic Situation of Indigenous Peoples.

 

2024 key events

"First national y0uth summit in advance of the summit of the future"

In 2024, Cambodian youth actively shaped the global agenda through the National Youth Summit, a collaborative initiative by the National Youth Development Council, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, the UN Youth Advisory Panel, and over 15 youth organizations. Held in August under the theme "From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development," the summit convened 282 young Cambodians, including a significant representation of young women and individuals with disabilities, to contribute to both national and international policy.

With pivotal support from UNFPA, the youth delegates formulated recommendations presented to the Deputy Prime Minister, influencing the shaping of SDGs and ICPD-related policies, particularly concerning sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender equality and addressing GBV. Furthermore, the summit facilitated youth-led contributions to the Declaration on Future Generations and the Pact for the Future, advocating for inclusive spaces and active involvement in decision-making, culminating in a summary of key feedback on the Summit documents that was presented to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and the United Nations in Cambodia to impact policy at all levels, including the Summit of the Future 2024.

 

"30 Years of Progress, 30 Years of Partnerships, 30 Years of Rights & Choices"

UNFPA Cambodia strategically amplified its impact by aligning World Population Day with a high-profile celebration marking 30 years of its presence and work in the country. The event, "30 Years of Partnerships and 30 Years of Progress," co-organized with the Ministry of Planning and attended by over 500 participants, including high-level government officials, also commemorated the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) under the theme "Rights and Choices." This landmark occasion successfully highlighted three decades of progress and partnerships, underscoring UNFPA's significant achievements and strong collaborative relationships with the Royal Government of Cambodia. To further extend its reach, a month-long social media campaign garnered nearly one million people and significant engagement through diverse content, effectively disseminating key messages on ICPD30, UNFPA's anniversary, and the "Rights and Choices" theme. A joint op-ed with the Ministry of Planning further bolstered advocacy efforts, demonstrating a powerful integrated communications strategy leveraging key events and anniversaries to raise awareness and promote UNFPA's vital mandate in Cambodia.

 

CPD57 Mekong side Event

UNFPA Cambodia took a leading role in coordinating and organizing a Mekong Side Event during the 57th session of the Commission on Population and Development at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on April 30, 2024. This event brought together Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam to showcase their progress in reducing maternal mortality, improving family planning access, and reaching those most in need. Supported by the Australian government, the event highlighted successful integration of the ICPD Program of Action into national development agendas, advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights across the Mekong region.

 

Joint Field Visit of the Executive Boards of Six United Nations Entities

The joint Executive Boards (EB) of UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS, UNICEF, UN-Women, and WFP undertook a five-day joint field visit (JFV) to Cambodia. UNFPA was the agency responsible for coordinating the Cambodia trip. The JFV aimed to provide the Boards with a deeper understanding of the United Nations' collective efforts in supporting Cambodia's national development priorities under a joint story theme based upon the life of a 10-year old girl Rasmi.

Divided into three teams, the EB delegates gained firsthand insights into the six entities' work across various provinces, observing initiatives focused on resilient health and education systems (Preah Vihear), demining, disaster risk management, and social protection (Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Pursat), as well as gender equality, inclusion, and youth empowerment (Phnom Penh). The delegation engaged with local communities, civil society organizations, development partners, and high-level government officials, including the Prime Minister, acknowledging Cambodia's progress and the UN's vital role. The Executive Board members reiterated their commitment to ensuring these six UN agencies further accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals for all people in Cambodia, upholding the principle of leaving no one behind.

 

South-to-South HIV Programme Learning Visit of Cambodia and Lao PDR

Guided by the principle of leaving no one behind, UNAIDS and UNFPA Cambodia and Lao PDR launched a South-to-South Learning Programme to strengthen HIV prevention frameworks in both countries. This initiative, reaffirming their commitment to support both governments, brought together 18 participants from Lao PDR, including government officials, civil society representatives, and UN agency staff, for a knowledge exchange with Cambodian counterparts. The programme focused on sharing lessons learned and best practices through site visits to the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology and STD, CSOs partners and community-led HIV prevention. It emphasized innovative strategies for reaching young key populations, including the national curriculum on comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), community-led services, virtual outreach, PrEP, and HIV self-testing.

This collaborative learning approach, which includes stakeholders such as civil society, media, communities of people living with HIV, and key populations, aims to improve access to HIV prevention, treatment, and care services. It also seeks to protect the rights of people living with HIV, eliminate stigma and discrimination, and ensure all young people can make healthy choices. Key outcomes included enhanced understanding of combination HIV prevention strategies, differentiated service delivery models, and community-led monitoring systems. This initiative is expected to inform national HIV programmes and improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations in both Cambodia and Lao PDR, ultimately contributing to the global goal of ending HIV.

 

Driving Change and Expanding Reach through Social Media Impact

In 2024, UNFPA Cambodia strategically leveraged social media to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights, reaching a total of 2,494,955 Cambodians through targeted social media campaigns aligned with the commitment in the Country Programme Document 2024-2028 to leaving no one behind. A key partnership with the Women’s Media Center (WMC) resulted in a powerful behavior change digital campaign encompassing educational and animated videos, alongside impactful posters addressing critical issues like early marriage, family planning, gender equality, and gender-based violence, collectively reaching over 1.3 million people and generating over 1.5 million views with over 55,000 engagements on Facebook. Simultaneously, UNFPA Cambodia significantly amplified its own online presence, with 338 Facebook posts reaching over 1.19 million people and garnering thousands of interactions and new followers, while 124 posts on X (formerly Twitter) generated over 21,000 impressions and increased followers, demonstrating a robust commitment to utilizing digital platforms for impactful communication and broader audience engagement.

 

Key Challenges and Priorities

key challenges

Health Sector: Cambodia has successfully ensured that health staff are available around the country. Quality of health services and care varies and improving the quality of care is a key priority for the government. Other challenges include, financing gaps, lack of qualitative data, government staff attrition, inadequate EmONC kit preparation, continued need for more trained providers, and stigmatization of Female Entertainment Workers.

GBV Response: The Royal Government of Cambodia has invested in enhancing the quality of sector response to GBV and coordination mechanisms on GBV, however efforts are still needed to ensure a coordinated case management approach to GBV. In addition, financial and human resources constraints persist. Based on available information, there is the need to improve coordinated ethical data collection and sharing on GBV. Finally, while different GBV prevention initiatives addressing harmful gender and social norms have been and are undertaken in the country, there is the need to build up long term prevention framework.

Adolescent and Youth Programmes: Resource constraints (textbooks, training budgets), teacher preparedness for sensitive topics, the digital divide in accessing materials, and the need for sustainable funding beyond project-based support.

Population Dynamics and Data: Implementation of data initiatives faced challenges related to organizational restructuring at the National Institute of Statistics, resource constraints, and the need for enhanced technical capacity in IT and data science.

 

To build upon 2024's progress, in 2025 UNFPA Cambodia will prioritize:

Health Sector:

• Conduct In-Depth Analyses to Eliminate Unmet Family Planning Needs and Prevent Maternal Deaths.
• Establish the Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) system, build capacity of the MPDSR members at all levels, and conduct Light EmONC assessment.
• Scale up Adolescent and youth-friendly health services and strengthen the health sector's response to Gender-Based Violence.
• Expanding outreach and support for Female Entertainment Workers (FEWs) is crucial to ensure their access to a comprehensive range of health services, including reproductive and maternal healthcare, family planning, the Health Equity Fund, and the National Social Security Fund.

GBV Response:

• Pilot the development of standardized operating procedures (SOP) for GBV case management, and continue to provide capacity building of service providers on GBV response.
• Enhance the use and features of innovative tools and technologies to address GBV, including the strengthening of the GBV Safe App.
• Implement social media and outreach campaigns to promote positive social norms and behaviors.

Adolescent and Youth Programmes: 

• Provide ongoing support to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MOEYS) for monitoring the effectiveness of Health Education and CSE delivery, ensuring alignment with school health promotion SOPs and model school standards.
• In collaboration with UNICEF and Plan International, UNFPA actively supports MOEYS, the Ministry of Women's Affairs (MOWA), and sub-national levels through the TUSIP-CEFM initiative to formulate a comprehensive National Action Plan to prevent Child, Early, and Forced Marriage (CEFM) and teenage pregnancy.
• Scaling up the Volunteer for My Community (VMC) programme, a youth-led initiative addressing CEFM at the community level. This programme promotes community engagement to prevent GBV and improves access to Adolescent and Youth-Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health (AYSRH) services.

Population Dynamics and Data:

• Support the government in amplifying their voice and showcasing their commitment to the ICPD PoA at CPD 58 and the Mekong Side Event.
• Organize Cambodia's Parliamentary Workshop Orientation for the Special Committee on the ICPD-PoA Strategic Framework and launch the Policy Brief on Fertility and Aging during this event.
• Collaborate with government, partners, and stakeholders to host a National Intergenerational Dialogue addressing the needs of youth and the elderly, especially women and girls. This dialogue will generate policy recommendations for sustainable human capital development and social inclusion, ensuring diverse voices inform national development and leave no one behind.