Extractive industries policy and administration
Cambodia’s extractive industries have traditionally operated on a small scale, mostly mining construction materials, gold or gemstones. While commercial production of minerals or oil has yet to begin on a large scale – these products made up just 0.1% of the country’s exports in 20161 – ...
Landmines UXO and demining
Cambodia is one of the countries most affected by land mines and explosive remnants of war as a result of its tumultuous history. The country is working with a variety of partners to demine the country by 2019. ...
Micro-finance
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit global and Cambodia’s economies hard, having a spillover on the stability of the banking system. Banks and financial institutions have continued to provide services to customers, which can be seen through the rise in the number of depositors’ accounts to ...
Private land
Rights to private land ownership were guaranteed in the 1993 Constitution and formally established by the 2001 Land Law. Despite an established legal framework to protect private property rights, those rights are often insecure for many. ...
Plants
Although there are often new discoveries,46 a global lack of up to date data on botanical research makes plants biodiversity hard to assess in Cambodia. Compared to neighboring countries, the number of plant species is low, mostly due to the relative country’s flat landscape.47 Botanical knowledge ...
Forest cover
Cambodian forest cover has reduced dramatically in recent decades. In 1973 there were 13.1 million hectares of total forest, but by 2014 the total cover had fallen to 8.7 million hectares. ...
SDG 4 Quality education
Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all – focuses on education as a fundamental human right that is necessary for the achievement of all the SDGs.70 Education supports the achievement of gender equality by empowering women and is crucial to creating ...
Environment and natural resources
Around three quarters of Cambodia’s population depend on agriculture, forest products and fisheries for their livelihoods, so the management of the environment and natural resources is of great importance. Deforestation has occurred on a large scale. Cambodia lost six percent of its remaining primary forest ...
Artisanal mining
Artisanal mining is small-scale mining that typically involves individuals, family groups or small communities, often working with limited technology. The mining may be seasonal, fitted around other work such as farming. There is a large overlap between this type of activity and gemstone mining. Artisanal ...
Tourism
The Royal Government of Cambodia has acknowledged the potential of the tourism industry as a source of Cambodia’s socio-economy growth, including job creation and poverty reduction. Tourism has been considered one of Cambodia’s key economic pillars, both international and domestic. In the early 2000s, the ...
United States aid
The United States of America (the US) is one of the biggest donors to Cambodia.192 193 The history of cooperation and relations between the two countries can be traced back to the early 1950s after Cambodia received full independence from France. In 1955, the first ...
SDG 9 Industry, innovation and infrastructure
SDG 9 focuses on the development of sustainable and resilient infrastructure and industries, including small-scale enterprises. It encourages scientific research and the upgrade of the technological capabilities of industries. Access to information and communications technology and affordable Internet access are included. The goal has 5 ...
National government
Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy. According to the 1993 Constitution, although he is the head of state, the king has very limited powers compared to the prime minister, the head of the government. Unlike the 1947 Constitution, power does not come from the king but ...
Protected forest
Protected Forests are generally established under individual sub-decrees, specifically for the purpose of protecting biodiversity and conservation. They are home to many endangered or threatened species. ...
Red Cross
The Cambodia Red Cross (CRC) is the principal humanitarian society in Cambodia. The government has designated it as an auxiliary to public bodies offering humanitarian assistance. In addition to the national headquarters, the CRC has 25 branches.316 CRC was founded in 1955 and has worked ...
Fisheries production
Local workers loading fresh catch to be transported to the city market at Chhnoc Trou pier, Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia. Photo by Sylyvann Borei/World Fish, taken on 7 April 2014. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.Cambodia has abundant and productive fisheries. Fish is a traditional staple in the Cambodian ...
Protected areas
As Cambodia emerged from years of conflict, pressures grew on natural resources and sensitive areas. In response, a number of protected areas were created by royal decree in 1993 to protect ecologically and culturally important places. More detailed guidelines on managing the country’s protected areas ...
SDG 2 Zero hunger
Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2) seeks to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”, ensuring universal access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food for everyone at all times. Likewise, it provides a much more comprehensive approach to the issue ...
Water policy and administration
In Cambodia, alternate periods of drought and heavy rains bring challenges for water management. The current trends show increasing annual rainfall and temperature throughout Cambodia, with a likelihood that both flooding and droughts will increase in frequency, severity and duration424. Water management involves issues of ...