Cambodia

2009/2010 Allocation | $5.0 million

Snapshot

Cambodia is a small country in South East Asia, bordering Thailand, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic and Viet Nam. Cambodia has a land area of 182,000 square kilometres and the country is home to more than 13 million people.

More than 30 years of internal conflict has left the country with little infrastructure. In the last 10 years, the Cambodian Government has been working to rebuild the country. Despite this effort, Cambodia remains one of the poorest countries in the region. In 2007 the Human Development Index ranked Cambodia 131 out of 177 nations. The general election in July 2008 reinstated the incumbent government led by the Cambodia People's Party (CPP).

NZAID priorities

Priority areas for Cambodia are guided by the NZAID Asia Strategy and Cambodia Country Strategy with a focus on sustainable rural livelihoods, pro-poor tourism, natural resource management, and human resource development. Other focus areas include governance, human resource development, donor partnership, harmonisation and aid effectiveness.

NZAID on the ground

Partnership and harmonisation and aid effectiveness process

NZAID is working in partnership with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Cambodia on the Multi-Donor Support programme. The programme aims to implement the government's strategic framework for development cooperation management in Cambodia through capacity building of the public sector and more particularly the Common Development Corporation (CDC), the agency responsible for ODA. NZAID, together with some other partners signed the Declaration on Enhancing Aid Effectiveness with the Government of Cambodia in October 2006.

Pro-poor tourism

NZAID is providing support to the Authority for Protection and Management of Ankor and the Region of Siem Reap (APSARA) which is responsible for Angkor Heritage Park. NZAID is assisting the APSARA Authority with the implementation of its Participatory Natural Resource Management project with the goal to assist the Angkor park community to increase their livelihood opportunities from natural resources and tourism in a sustainable manner.

Natural resource management

NZAID is co-funding with the Danida and Department for International Development (DFID) the Natural Resource Management and Livelihoods Multi-Donor Facility. The facility focuses on the sustainable management and equitable use of natural resources to secure rural poor livelihood improvements. The total project costs over the five-year period are US$60 million. NZAID will be contributing some NZ$7 million in total.

Human resource development

Support for human resources in Cambodia is provided through the New Zealand Development Scholarship (NZDS) Programme. The NZDS programme allows up to 10 selected Cambodian candidates every year to undertake postgraduate study in New Zealand.

Cambodia also benefits from other regional training programmes supported by NZAID such as training programmes for middle management at the Mekong Institute and the Phnom Penh Plan for Development Management. Training is also provided for specialist areas such as agribusiness, metrology, arbitration and the silk industry through NZAID's Trade and Development programme.

Community development

NZAID also provides small scale rural livelihood development projects through the Head of Mission Funds. This fund is managed by the New Zealand Embassy in Bangkok. It aims to enhance living standards and human resource development of the poor, particularly for vulnerable groups, through equitable and sustainable social and economic

development.

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