Blogs
Cambodia’s path to a Personal Data Protection Law: Highlights from Cambodia’s first National Conference on Personal Data Protection 2025
Panel discussion during the Consultative Workshop on Draft Law on Personal Data ProtectionOn October 7, 2025, Open Development Cambodia (ODC) had the opportunity to attend the first National Conference on Personal Data Protection in Phnom Penh. The event was organized by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (MPTC) with support from the European Union and GIZ Cambodia (GIZ) and brought together over 150 experts and professionals. It was especially encouraging to see the German Ambassador and the EU Ambassador deliver welcome remarks and show strong support for this initiative. It truly felt like ODC was witnessing a significant moment for Cambodia’s digital future.The conference comes at the right moment: Cambodia is drafting its own Personal Data Protection Law, planned to be finished by late 2025 or early 2026. The mood was very collaborative, and people discussed how to use global best practices in ways that fit Cambodia.The discussions at the conference build on an ongoing consultation process. Earlier this year, ...
Organizing the translathon: Engaging youth in translating the Unboxing the Internet Infrastructure Toolkit
Participants receiving their certificates at the end of the TranslathonOn 11 November 2025, Open Development Cambodia (ODC) organized a collaborative translation event, bringing together community members, students, and recent graduates. The session engaged 9 participants in person, including 5 women, selected from a diverse pool ...
Co-designing community-friendly forest monitoring tool: Highlights from stakeholder consultation
Open Development Cambodia Organization (ODC) conducted a Stakeholder Consultation on Co-Designing Community-Friendly Forest Monitoring Tool on 18 December 2025 with a total of 25 participants. This consultation aims to gather insights on the Forest Dis from civil society organizations (CSOs), community-based organization (CBOs), and community ...
Strengthening the Forest Disturbance Platform through community engagement
The Open Development Cambodia (ODC) team conducted field visits to three communities in Mondulkiri, Ratanakiri, and Kratie provinces to hold community meetings and gather local input. These engagements helped deepen understanding of community needs, challenges, and local geographic contexts, and informed improvements to the forest ...
Building Cambodia’s Inclusive Digital Society
As Cambodia implements its Digital Economy and Society Policy Framework 2021-2025 and its Digital Government Policy 2022-2035, adopting a multi-stakeholder perspective is essential to promote broad digital adoption and drive transformation across all sectors, ensuring the development of an inclusive digital society.It is against this ...
Technical mapping meet-up: Enhancing conservation efforts through geospatial technology
Open Development Cambodia (ODC) hosted a half-day Technical Mapping Meet-up on December 9, 2025. The event brought together technical experts, conservation practitioners, and local stakeholders to exchange insights on how geospatial technologies can strengthen forest monitoring and conservation efforts across Cambodia.With 17 participants, including researchers, ...
The imperative of gender inclusivity in AI: bridging the digital divide
Delivered by Mr. Dixon Siu, our first presentation focused on the foundational concepts of AI and the paramount importance of gender inclusivity in its development and deployment. The presentation served as both a technical primer on modern AI capabilities and a stark warning about the ...
AI ethics: the imperative for data inclusion and human-centric design
Delivered by Mr. Dixon Siu, the presentation on the importance of AI governance commenced by highlighting the immense potential of AI, demonstrating its innovative applications across multiple critical domains, including health care, education, and agriculture. However, he immediately tempered this optimism with a critical warning: ...
Panel discussion on empowering futures: driving women’s participation in AI development and policy in Cambodia through education
The National AI Strategy (2025-2030) and Readiness Report prioritize educational reform to close the gender gap by mandating the creation of targeted AI courses and specific institutional protocols. Crucially, they emphasize building a supportive environment through mentorship programs and increasing the visibility of female lecturers ...
Panel discussion on AI and gender-based violence: protecting dignity in digital spaces
Cambodia’s National AI Strategy (2025-2030) addresses Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) indirectly but fundamentally by setting Ethical and Responsible AI as a core priority. This commitment, informed by the UNESCO AI Readiness Assessment, requires the Strategy to focus on data protection, digital literacy, and inclusive development. ...
Panel discussion on impact of AI on the future of work for women: breaking cultural barriers
UNESCO Cambodia’s AI Readiness Assessment demonstrated that the deeply ingrained societal beliefs are a major driver of a significant gender gap in the STEM industry in the country. As STEM fields are widely seen as male-dominated, many girls internalise these expectations, which lowers their confidence ...
Panel Discussion on ethical AI governance: it’s more than just code
Cambodia’s AI Readiness Assessment Report, finalized in July 2025, directly addresses gender inclusion by identifying a significant gender gap in STEM fields and the AI workforce as a major national challenge, with only 16.68% of women graduating from STEM, compared to 83.32% of men. Closing ...
ODC boosts CMAA’s analytical skills in Battambang
On 20–21 November 2025, Open Development Cambodia (ODC) conducted a two-day Advanced Data Analysis training program for the Database Unit (DBU) of the Cambodian Mine Action Authority (CMAA). The training held at Classy Hotel in Battambang was supported by the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) and ...
Technical mapping meet-up: strengthening forest mapping through geospatial technology
Open Development Cambodia (ODC), with support from Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), hosted a half-day “Technical Mapping Meet-Up” on 17 November 2025. The event created an open space for technical experts and local stakeholders to exchange ideas and explore how geospatial tools can advance forest conservation ...
ODC team member attended YSEALI Summit 2025 in Malaysia
Mr. Loch Kalyan, a Data Research and GIS Specialist at Open Development Cambodia Organization (ODC), was officially selected to participate in the YSEALI Summit 2025, held from September 8–11, 2025, in Penang, Malaysia.Hosted by the U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur in partnership with Biji-biji Initiative and ...
Strengthening community fisheries through data literacy
On September 3rd and 4th, 2025, Open Development Cambodia (ODC) conducted a two-day training on data literacy for community fisheries members in Kampot province. The training brought together 20 participants, including 10 women from community fisheries groups in Kampot and Kep. The main goal was ...
Empowering community fisheries with digital mapping skills in Kampot and Kep
On September 1 and 2, 2025, Open Development Cambodia (ODC) organized a two-day training in the Tropang Sangke Community Fisheries, Kampot Province. The training focused on community-based digital mapping and was attended by 19 members from community fisheries (CFis) in Kampot and Kep provinces.This activity ...
Empowering communities through digital mapping: Highlights from our community-based mapping training
From July 7–8, 2025, Open Development Cambodia (ODC) hosted a two-day Community-Based Mapping Training Workshop at the ODC office. Supported by the European Union under the Strengthening CSOs to Take Action on Economic Governance (SCAEG) 2023–2026 program, this training brought together 21 passionate community members ...
Inception workshop on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) phase II: ODC shares experiences on SEA
On 17 June 2025, Open Development Cambodia (ODC) participated and served as speakers at the Inception Workshop on Phase II of Strengthening the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Process through Capacity Development, a collaboration between the Ministry of Environment (MoE) and The Asia Foundation (TAF). The ...
Empowering coastal communities through digital skills
On 2 May 2025, Open Development Cambodia (ODC) organized a training workshop aimed at equipping coastal community representatives and youth leaders with essential social media skills. This training empowered participants to harness digital platforms to amplify their voices and promote sustainable development efforts within their ...
Media Information and Digital Literacy (MIDL) Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop to strengthen transparency and accountability in local governance through civic engagement
UNDP Cambodia has supported the Open Development Cambodia Organization (ODC) to provide the Media Information and Digital Literacy (MIDL) Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop for 24 representatives (5 females) from Sub-National Democratic Development Secretariat (NCDD-S), municipality administrations, the National School of Local Administration (NASLA), and ...
Exploring AI regulation: Insights from a panel discussion at Cambodia ICT Camp 2024
The growing influence of AI on industries and societies raises critical questions about its regulation. This was one of the key points discussed during the Cambodia ICT Camp 2024 in Siem Reap province. The camp aimed to raise awareness about the opportunities and challenges of ...
Chin Sivmoy: Internship at Open Development Cambodia Organization is an incredible learning experience
As I approach the end of my internship with Open Development Cambodia Organization (ODC), I am filled with a deep sense of gratitude and accomplishment. This opportunity has been an incredible learning experience, not just professionally but personally as well. Over the past months, I ...
Climate Change Art Exhibition 2024 at Lifelong Learning Center Pal Hal
On 09th December 2024, Open Development Cambodia (ODC) hosted the Annual Climate Change Art Exhibition at the Lifelong Learning Center in Pal Hal, Preah Vihear province. With over 200 participants, including local authorities, teachers, and students, this event was a platform for raising awareness of ...
Building climate resilience with indigenous peoples: Highlights from the Cambodia Climate Change Forum 2024
Cambodia Climate Change Forum 2024 (CCCF24) commenced on 24 October 2024, in Preah Sihanouk province, Cambodia. The event brought together a diverse audience with more than 300 students, community members, indigenous community representatives, environmental activists, civil society organizations and governmental agency representatives, and international representatives ...
