Momentum gathers in Cambodia towards inclusive, smart and sustainable cities for all

Urbanization stands as a significant driving force in recent global development.  As of 2022, about 25 per cent of Cambodia’s population lives in urban areas. The growth and development of cities are expected to continue playing an indispensable role in the country’s efforts to graduate from the Least Developed Country status.

In support of the national and sub-national governments’ initiatives to meet the needs of urban citizens, UNOPS and UN-Habitat launched the “Cities for all” project in partnership with the Ministry of Interior and the Smart Cities Steering Committee. In line with Sustainable Development Goal 11 of the 2030 Agenda which emphasizes the need to create inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities and communities, the project aims to address the needs and challenges faced by urban citizens by integrating a human security dimension into Cambodia’s urbanization process. The approach entails a people-centric, comprehensive, context-specific, and prevention-oriented strategy to identify common urban challenges and devise sustainable solutions.

In his remarks, H.E Ngy Chanphal, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Interior and Chair of the Smart Cities Steering Committee, said, “By 2030, the vision of the sub-national administration reform is to empower the sub-national administrations with strengthened resources and capacities to provide better services to citizens. The smart cities initiative is an approach to accelerate the realization of the reform vision. In the meantime, implementation of smart cities initiatives will bolster the sub-national administrations to better address the urban issues in their constituencies.”

Urbanization is also one of the strategic priorities outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Cambodia. UNOPS, as a central resource for the United Nations system in fund management and infrastructure development, brings its expertise to implement projects in changing contexts. UN-Habitat, with its focus on reducing inequality and improving living standards, shows a proven record of work in synergy with Cambodia's urban development efforts.

Representing Mr. Jo Scheuer, the UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Eda Kraja, UNOPS Country Manager a.i. for Cambodia, affirmed, “With our complementary expertise in resilient infrastructure and sustainable urban planning, I am confident this collaborative endeavour will exemplify UN Cambodia’s vision to deliver as one and to be fit for purpose in line with Cambodia’s urban development agenda.”

The “Cities for all” project is funded by the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security. During the workshop, experts from the Ministry of Interior and the UNOPS/UN-Habitat joint programme presented the project overview and a roadmap to define smart city development concepts for sub-national administrations. The outcome of this project will contribute to the development of a National Policy Framework for Smart and Sustainable Cities by 2025.