Australia has committed an additional AUD 2 million to continue its long-standing support to strengthen social protection in Cambodia.
The continued support was announced here yesterday by H.E. Pablo Kang, Australian Ambassador to Cambodia, at an event to close an Australia and Germany funded technical support programme for IDPoor.
According to the embassy, through the Mekong Australia Partnership, Australia is funding the GIZ Cambodia implemented Improving Social Protection and Health Programme from 2022-24.
“This support continues our close collaboration with Germany and the Royal Government of Cambodia and recognises the important role a strong social assistance system plays in improving the lives of poor and vulnerable Cambodians,” it said. “It’s vital that social protection schemes carefully target those who need them most and are allocated according to objective and transparent criteria, not on the basis of political affiliation or other factors.”
The IDPoor database enabled the Royal Government of Cambodia to roll out COVID-19 emergency cash transfers to almost 700,000 households, representing nearly three million people. Yesterday’s event also launched improvements to the IDPoor system, including its expansion to at-risk households which will enable more Cambodians to benefit from needed social assistance.
Australia has worked with the Ministry of Planning in partnership with GIZ for over ten years, contributing AUD 14 million to build and maintain the IDPoor system, a unique Cambodian system for identifying poor and vulnerable households.
Source: Agency Kampuchea Press