Caption: Sustainable rural livelihoods is a key priority for NZAID's Cambodia programme.

Note: Click for enlargement of map.

Cambodia

2008/2009 Allocation | $4.4 million

Snapshot

Cambodia is a small country in South East Asia, bordering Thailand, Lao PDR and Viet Nam. Cambodia has a land area of 182,000 square kilometers 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 2004, the Human Development Index ranked Cambodia 129 out of 177 nations. Over 35 % of the population live below the poverty line and 20% below the food poverty line

NZAID priorities

Sustainable rural livelihoods is the key priority area for Cambodia. NZAID country strategy for Cambodia focuses on pro-poor tourism; natural resource management; and human resource development. Other focus areas include governance, human resource development, donor partnership and harmonisation and aid effectiveness processes.

NZAID on the ground

Partnership & Harmonisation and Aid Effectiveness Process

NZAID is working in partnership with 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 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 APSARA Authority which is responsible for Angkor Heritage Park. The preparation of the Angkor Management and Community Development Plans are currently underway. The aim of this project is to develop a co-management plan that would allow the local communities living in and around the Angkor Park to participate and benefit from the sustainable management of the Park. The project also aims to build the capacity of the of both the Authourity’s staff and the local communities to be better engaged in the park's management/development processes.

Natural Resource Management

NZAID is co-funding with the Danida and 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

NZAID provides ongoing support to human resource development in Cambodia through the English Language Training for Officials (ELTO) Programme. The ELTO programme brings Cambodian officials to New Zealand to undertake English language training.

Further HR support is provided to Cambodia through the New Zealand Development Scholarship (NZDS) Programme. The NZDS programme brings selected Cambodian candidates to undertake postgraduate study in New Zealand. We currently have 10 students in New Zealand.

NZAID provides support to Cambodia Trust for the Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (CSPO). NZAID funds will allow six Cambodian teaching staff at CSPO to obtain the qualifications necessary for eventual localisation of the school. A distance-learning course with La Trobe University, Australia, has been established.

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 the Trade and Development programme.

Community Development

NZAID also provides small scale rural livelihood development projects through the Head of Mission Funds and the Small Project Funds. These funds are managed by the Post. They aim to enhance living standards and human resource development of the poor and in particular vulnerable groups through equitable and sustainable social and economic development.

Further support is also provided through NGOs such as Community Legal Education Centre (CLEC) for the development of national framework to assist ethnic minority groups with land rights.