Government and UN Country Team Validate the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2024-2028

On 21 September, the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) and the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Cambodia co-organized a successful validation workshop on the new United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2024-2028. The workshop was attended by approximately 100 Secretaries of State, Undersecretaries of State, Technical Officials from across the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC), and representatives of the UNCT in Cambodia.

Co-chaired by His Excellency Chhieng Yanara, Senior Minister and Second Vice-Chairman of CDC, and Mr Jo Scheuer, the UN Resident Coordinator in Cambodia, the workshop endorsed the UNSDCF 2024-2028 and confirmed the full alignment of its priority areas with the Royal Government of Cambodia's priorities as articulated in the Pentagonal Strategy - Phase I.

The new UNSDCF has four priorities – Human Development, Economic Transformation, Environment, and Social Transformation, and aims to support the Royal Government of Cambodia in advancing its development priorities and accelerating progress towards achieving all Sustainable Development Goals in Cambodia. The Cooperation Framework (CF) have been designed through a consultative process with actors from the Royal Government of Cambodia, civil society organizations, academia, development partners and the private sector. The four strategic priority areas are built upon a commitment to inclusive, people-centred, and human rights-based development. They are driven by a firm resolve to enhance resilience, sustainability, and accountability while ensuring no one is left behind. In addition, the new UNSDCF has integrated the six Global High Impact Initiatives - transforming education, food systems, energy compacts, social protections & jobs, biodiversity & nature, and digital transformation, and data dividend and gender-based violence, to accelerate the SDGs in Cambodia.

"The UNSDCF 2024-2028 is a crucial document for the UN system, serving as a vital instrument for planning and executing development activities at the country level. It also plays an essential role in the UN's reform agenda by bringing together different UN entities, including specialized agencies, funds, and programs, to work in a coordinated manner, leveraging their respective expertise and resources in driving sustainable development and improving the lives of Cambodian people. As the representative of the UN Country Team in Cambodia, I would like to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to working alongside the Royal Government of Cambodia and other stakeholders, as we collectively identify and address the challenges faced by Cambodia," reiterated Mr Scheuer.

“The UNSDCF 2024-2028 represents the UN’s commitments to Cambodia in socio-economic recovery, realizing the SDGs, smooth graduation from Least Developed Country. We highly value the partnership and trust between the Royal Government of Cambodia and the United Nations” said His Excellency Senior Minister.

In addition, the workshop participants engaged in valuable discussions surrounding the significance of inter-sectoral coordination, financing and partnership strategies, investment in data and statistics to support the implementation of the UNSDCF, as well as the crucial role of the UN in convening multi-stakeholders to come together addressing complex social challenges and fostering collaboration towards common goals.

The official signing of this strategic document between the UN system and the Royal Government of Cambodia will be by the end of October.