The United Nations Development Programme and several development partners have embarked on a joint effort to identify local pilot projects with high potential for scaling-up and sustainability in what may be a timely exercise to accelerate progress to achieve Millennium Development Goals in Cambodia. The undertaking comes with the recognition that scattered local activities may not be sufficient to effectively address inequalities that still exist in Cambodia despite significant progress in lifting many people out of poverty in recent years.

Banteay Meanchey Province – Soy Pheap, a mother of seven children, recalled making a tough decision several years ago when one of her daughters began secondary school. Because her village in Banteay Meanchey province lacked classrooms, she had to send her daughter to live with her grandmother in Battambang province, 130 kilometres away, so that she can continue her study.

UNDP and Global Environment Facility on Monday launched a new project worth over US$3.8 million to help Cambodia preserve its forests to benefit the rural poor as well as to contribute to reducing emission of green house gases into atmosphere.

The Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC) organized workshop “Engineering for Development of Cambodia” on 26May to mark the Scientific Day, with support from UNDP. The event put the spotlight on the need to improve general education quality and engineering capacity to help diversify sectors for the country’s economic growth.

A vast majority of Cambodians know that the changing weather is affecting their livelihood but they do not quite understand why and how it is happening. There remains a huge information and knowledge gap among them, especially women, and thus require a more robust awareness-raising to help the Cambodian people ward off adverse impacts of climate change in the future, according to a recently released study.