Remarks: High-Level Conference: Good Governance and Public Trust - Strengthening the Efficiency and Transparency of Social Protection in Cambodia | Social Protection Week 2023

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• Your Excellency Dr. Aun Pornmoniroth, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance,
• Esteemed Government Delegates,
• Distinguished Colleagues of Development Partners and UN System,
• Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am delighted to join you this morning for the opening of the 2nd Social Protection Week. At the outset, and on behalf of the UN system, I am pleased to convey our sincere appreciation to the Royal Government of Cambodia for promoting the social protection system and the continued efforts towards expanding this protection for all people in Cambodia. I would like to congratulate the General Secretariat of the National Social Protection Council and other partners who have contributed to the organization of this important multi-day event.

Since the launch of the National Social Protection Policy Framework in 2016, and particularly since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Royal Government has markedly expanded programmes, including social assistance and social security. This expansion is not only reaching people currently living in poverty, but also those who are at risk of falling back into poverty or facing other shocks. The Royal Government is implementing new social assistance programmes including cash transfer programmes for vulnerable households suffering from inflationary pressures, and for vulnerable households severely affected by floods.

Furthermore, as the preparation of the Universal Health Coverage Roadmap is underway, the Royal Government is committed to advancing the universal health coverage through the phased expansion of social health protection through the Health Equity Fund and National Social Security Fund. This is expected to expand coverage to an additional half a million people.

Since 2020, the Royal Government has gradually taken ownership of the national school meals programme and now manages nearly half of the schools benefiting from school meals.  This programme, which contributes towards human capital development, is one of the only two social assistance schemes under the national social protection framework that targets children, a share of the population under-covered by social protection.

The impressive pace and scale of the social protection expansion demonstrates the increasing capacity of the Royal Government as custodians of the duty to protect people’s lives and livelihoods and ensure that the fundamental rights to social protection can be enjoyed by all people in Cambodia.

An important mental shift that we must complete in this regard is recognizing that social protection is not a cost for government, but rather, a key investment in a thriving and prosperous society. It is an investment in people that prevents a spiral into poverty and deprivation. It is an investment that protects the larger economy and leads to significant returns. A joint assessment between the United Nations and the Ministry of Economy and Finance concluded that the investment in social protection programmes saved the economy 0.8 percentage points and reduced poverty by 3.4 percentage points.

The recent progress in Cambodia has undoubtedly provided protection for millions of people who would have otherwise been at risk. Such progress is underpinned by the adoption and effective implementation of legislation and policies. These aim at providing protection for all those that might be at risk and empowering the instruments of government to respond accordingly. For example, the adoption of the proposed ‘Child Protection Law’ can be the foundation upon which the Royal Government and partners can ensure that every child born in Cambodia is provided appropriate protection and can access all services, such as health and education.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen

Recent achievements have demonstrated what is possible when all stakeholders collaborate effectively. At the same time, our collective efforts to enhance the social protection framework still have some way to go to fulfill emerging opportunities. There remain areas in which the system can be both expanded and improved to ensure that the safety-net it provides can catch all those at risk to a variety of shocks. This forms an essential element in the national effort to ensure that truly no one living in Cambodia is left behind – which is fundamental for achieving the global goals, the SDGs, that we have all committed to.

One of the current priorities is to bridge the gap between existing legal protections and their effective implementation. For instance, there exist several social protection schemes aimed at the protection of workers, such as employment injury and healthcare schemes. However, many workers and enterprises seem not to be enrolled yet in these schemes, despite being legally required to do so.

And to genuinely close the coverage gap, there must be a concurrent focus on strengthening institutional mechanisms and capacity at both national and sub-national levels to ensure they can handle the delivery of social protection services and meet the increasing demand of expanding coverage. An important positive step in this regard is that various social assistance programmes are now gathered under one roof, the newly established National Social Assistance Fund.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen

The UN system is supporting the Royal Government in the expansion of social protection coverage to those populations that are not yet covered. Our support to the government in this area includes: development of a strategy for progressive formalization of informal employment; design and eventual introduction of the Family Package Scheme; graduation based social protection; and, the formulation and introduction of a shock-responsive social protection framework.

There is also a need to improve the accountability and transparency of the social protection system through the development of a monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. This is essential to deepen the public’s trust and enhance the social contract between the state and its people.

The recent establishment of the Social Security Regulator to supervise and oversee the operations of all social security schemes in the country is an important step in this regard. The Regulator plays a crucial role to ensure that social security schemes are executed in a transparent, accountable and financially sustainable manner.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen

Before closing, and on behalf of the UN system, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Royal Government and other partners for the positive collaboration and partnership that have resulted in remarkable achievements in protecting the most vulnerable from the unprecedented multifaceted COVID-19, fuel and food crises. As Cambodia has emerged out of these crises, these results highlight a great opportunity to realise our shared goal of a Cambodian society that is more resilient, prosperous, sustainable and where no one is left behind.

I am pleased to reaffirm our commitment to continue our support for an integrated, transparent and accountable social protection system including through the new UN Cooperation Framework for the period 2024-2028 that is currently being elaborated with you all.

I believe that the fundamental point is this: there must be collective efforts - by the Government, by the community, by partners, the UN to bring social protection not only into law, but also into practice. This Social Protection Week is an excellent opportunity to take stock and chart the way forward.

I wish you all very productive deliberations.

Thank you very much for your kind attention.