Phnom Penh, 21 February 2013

Heng Sambath (left) was diagnosed with HIV in 1999. At the time, he knew very little about the disease, but knew that AIDS was a death sentence.

“The day that I found out [about my diagnosis],” he recalls, “I was so frightened, I ran away to the pagoda and sat there until the next morning.”

At the time, Sambath was not able to find reliable information, nor access to treatment. He received inadequate medical advice, and spent large amounts on herbal medicine that only made his condition worse.

About a year after his diagnosis, while in hospital and gravely ill, he found out about a support group that met monthly at the Khmer-Soviet Hospital in Phnom Penh. This group, the Cambodia People Living with HIV Network (CPN+) offered Sambath a new lease on life – and Sambath is now on the Board of Directors.

This Op-Ed was published in the Phnom Penh Post on Tuesday 22 May 2012, marking the end of the two-day 4th National Seminar on Food Security and Nutrition.

In recent years, Cambodia has seen impressive growth in its economy and agricultural productivity, reduction in poverty rates, and successes in the social health sectors as a result of focused interventions that have seen maternal, infant and under-5 mortality falling by more than 50 per cent during the decade from 2000 to 2010.

While these are good accomplishments, more needs to be done to improve the nutritional status of children and women.

This has been the focus for government officials, national and international experts, development partners and civil society who gathered Monday and today for the 4th National Seminar on Food Security and Nutrition, with a particular emphasis on maternal and child nutrition. As UN country representatives we are encouraged to see this issue prioritized and led by the highest-level of government, with Prime Minister Hun Sen opening the seminar yesterday.

This Op-Ed was published in the Phnom Penh Post on Thursday 17 May 2012.

In March this year, the UN Human Rights Council held the first ever meeting to discuss discrimination and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. At the meeting, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on all countries around the world to decriminalize same-sex relationships and end discrimination against LGBT people. This was an important step for the United Nations in efforts to end discrimination and violence against LGBT in all member state countries, including Cambodia.

Addressing the Human Rights Council, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon said: “To those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, let me say — you are not alone. Your struggle for an end to violence and discrimination is a shared struggle. Any attack on you is an attack on the universal values the United Nations and I have sworn to defend and uphold. We must tackle the violence, decriminalize consensual same-sex relationships, end discrimination and educate the public.”  The UN family in Cambodia stands 100% behind this statement. We want this message to resonate in Cambodia, not only this week but throughout the year.

This Op-Ed was published in the Phnom Penh Post on 3 May 2012.

Every year, 3 May is a day to reflect on the importance of the media in our increasingly globalized world. The day is an opportunity to evaluate press freedom and advance its cause, to defend the media from threats, political pressure and other forms of unlawful attacks undermining their independence, and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives or were illegally detained in the exercise of their profession. The day also serves as a reminder to Member States of their obligations to protect and promote freedom of expression under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

The theme chosen this year for the celebration of the World Press Freedom Day in Cambodia is Promoting Responsible Journalism. As of 2011, in Cambodia, there are over seventy radio broadcasters, almost four hundred registered Khmer language newspapers and ten national broadcast channels according to the Ministry of Information. In such a burgeoning media scene, discussions surrounding the establishment of an independent self-regulation mechanism and journalist code of ethics must be at the forefront of media development in Cambodia. Since the signing of the Paris Peace Agreement in 1991 which ended years of civil war and brought about a young democracy and free press to Cambodia, there have been significant improvements in professional standards of journalists. However, it is still not a rarity to see biased news without credible sources, or to spot a shocking and violent image in the papers. Often, sensationalized stories are presented with potential risks and damage to the dignity and safety of individuals.

Boy drawing picture of children learning in Cambodia. (Photo: Plan Asia)

Srey Snam, Siem Reap Province, 26 April 2012 - By Brigitte Leoni
 
Nineteen year old Ien Sophorn heads a children's council in Cambodia that works with the Srey Snam District Disaster Management Committee to raise awareness on climate change adaptation.

"Since the beginning of the programme we have been planting trees, acting out scenarios to alert our communities about disaster risks and requesting more wells to get clean water when our villages are flooded. We have a complete plan of action and we actively participate in disaster management processes," she said.