Social Protection in Cambodia: Toward Effective and Affordable Social Protection for the Poor and Vulnerable

Cambodians today still face many serious forms of vulnerability, notably regarding weather-dependent agriculture, idiosyncratic shocks and unemployment. Traditional social safety nets existed in the forms of sharing, mutual assistances, extended families and neighbor networks. However, these arrangements cannot be a substitute for a functioning government-provided safety net. Existing safety net interventions in Cambodia face several challenges related to implementation, institutional and financing issues. The coverage of existing social protection programs for the poor and vulnerable is very limited and the presence of important sources of vulnerability that remain poorly addressed leads poor households into further destitution. Several poverty-reduction related-strategies have been developed. Several organic laws have been passed to codify some of the social protection related tenets of the Constitution. During the Cambodian Development Cooperation Forum in December 2008, aimed at promoting equitable growth in the near-to-medium term, an effective and affordable social protection system was put forward to help develop support for the poor and vulnerable in coping with major sources of vulnerability, while at the same time promoting huma