Policy paper

UK–Cambodia development partnership summary, March 2024

Published 27 March 2024

Introduction 

The International Development White Paper sets out a re-energised agenda for the UK working with partners to accelerate progress on eliminating extreme poverty, tackling climate change and biodiversity loss, and accelerating progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. In a contested world, where ODA alone will not be enough, achieving the vision as set out in the SDGs requires a radical rethink in our approach to international development. The White Paper sets out how our partnerships are central to this approach. These are founded on mutual respect, with an emphasis on country ownership, accountability, transparency and common values. This Country Development Partnership Summary details how the approach detailed in the White Paper will be put into practice with Cambodia.

Country context 

Cambodia is a least developed country (LDC), which is in the process of graduating to lower-middle income country (LMIC) status during the second half of this decade. Cambodia has had a high rate of growth since emerging from three decades of conflict, averaging above 7% over 20 years, dipping in 2020 due to COVID-19, but now recovering. This has largely resulted from Cambodia’s strong private sector, with external financing for manufacture of low-value-added garment exports, followed by tourism. Poverty fell sharply over the last two decades but with high geographical disparities, with significant gender inequity, with some examples of discrimination of the (small in total) ethnic minorities, and poor support for people with disabilities. 

Cambodia is constitutionally a multiparty parliamentary democracy and has held elections every five years since 1993. The ruling Cambodia People’s Party (CPP) has been dominant, winning all elections since 1998. Civil and political rights are restricted with opposition leaders and parties, trade unionists and activists frequently disbanded and harassed. Incidents of politically-motivated violence have fallen in recent years but the judiciary has been used to curtail freedoms.  

Why and how: the UK’s development offer with Cambodia  

The UK is working to offer a consistent partnership with Cambodia to support the next stage of Cambodia’s economic development, including its graduation from Least Developed Country Status. We support this transition through enhanced trade and investment building diversity and dynamism to the economy, collaboration on shared threats including climate change and enhancing Cambodia’s human developing most prominently in education. Cambodia’s designation as a British Investment Partnership priority country presents new opportunities to mobilise development finance and strengthen resilience.  

The UK-ASEAN Plan of Action is backed by a series of programmes that will support Cambodia’s social and environmental development, bringing equitable and sustainable developmental gains that promotes British values including on girls’ education, climate change, environmental protection, health and demining. 

UK development offers consistent partnership to Cambodia to increase its global impact and resilience. We use a range of centrally and regionally managed programmes, supplemented by a small amount of bilateral ODA funding, to enable Cambodia’s future economic development, enhancing trade and investment to mutual benefit and prioritising cooperation in areas that give Cambodia higher future growth potential. We project and celebrate our culture, values and freedoms and collaborate with Cambodia on shared threats and challenges, including climate change. These offers require a patient approach to unlock the power of people and institutions, and to tackle the causes of crises, to deliver lasting growth, stability and poverty reduction.  

Key programmes 

Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP)

The strategic objective for GMAP3 is to provide technical surveys and clearance of mines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW); and explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) and community liaison visits. This work is implemented in Cambodia by the HALO Trust and the Mines Advisory Group. 

British Investment Partnerships

Supporting Cambodia’s economic development and Sustainable Development Goal attainment by engaging the government and private sector to identify and accelerate opportunities for investment in renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure. 

Biodiverse Landscape Fund (BLF)

The (BLF) aims to reduce poverty and create sustainable economic development for communities living in, and dependent upon, environmentally precious landscapes. It will restore landscapes and will deliver their long-lasting protection through sustainable management practices, improving the quality of ecosystems and safeguarding biodiversity.  

Who we work with 

Cambodia benefits from a range of centrally managed cross-HMG programmes such as the Biodiverse Landscape Fund, British Investment Partnerships, Darwin Initiative, Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund and Climate Action for a Resilient Asia. The UK is also a major investor in the Global Partnership for Education, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Global Media Defence Fund and the Green Climate Fund, all of which are accessed by Cambodia through projects implemented by the Asian Development Bank, UNDP, UNESCO and the World Bank. The UK-ASEAN Plan of Action will be backed by five regional programmes focusing on Health Strengthening Partnerships; Economic Integration’ Green Transition; Women and Girls’ Education; and Women, Peace and Security. 

Links 

• Cambodia DevTracker page