National Strategy for the Poor and Vulnerable 2011-2015 ENG

7/27/2019 National Strategy for the Poor and Vulnerable 2011-2015 ENG

1/80

KingdomofCambodia

Nation Religion KingY~Z

RoyalGovernmentofCambodia

National

Social

Protection

Strategy

forthePoorandVulnerable


2/80

2

MESSAGE

SamdachAkkaMohaSenaPadeiTechoHunSen

PrimeMinisterofKingdomofCambodia

Cambodian peoplehavevoyagedona longway in the history indefending for life, integrity,

nationalunity, independency,nationalterritoryandpride.Since1979,Cambodianpeoplehad

put very strong efforts under numerous constraints and had taken opportunities from

challengingissuestodevelopthenationandtransformKingdomofCambodiaintoacountryof

hope and dignity in SouthEast Asia. Royal Government of Cambodia had a focusing vision

towardthelongtermfutureinthereformagendasbyadaptingintoalleventualsituationsand

graduallyimprovingtoachievetheplannedobjectivesofsocioeconomicdevelopment.

Since the first election of the Royal Government of Cambodia in 1993, RGC has faced and

overcomemany

formidable

challenges

before

to

maintain

the

political

stability,

develop

and

rehabilitate the social, physical and institutional infrastructure, and identify the longterm

vision. After 1998, Royal Government of Cambodia had achieved and ensured the peaceful

situation and eliminated all of the civil conflicts happened in the past. The efforts of RGC in

maintaining the social and political stability, peace, and internal security and the economic

development had made the achievement of high economic growth and poverty reduction

continuously in the last decades. The main objectives of the Rectangular Strategy are to

improvetheeconomicgrowth,addresstheemploymentforCambodian labourforces,ensure

the social equity andjustice, and enhance the effectiveness of public sector by developing

action

plans,

governance,

and

comprehensive

reforms

in

all

sectors.

The overriding goal of the Royal Government of Cambodia is to firmly and steadily build a

Cambodian society which enjoys peace, political stability, security and social order, and

sustainableandequitabledevelopment,withstrictadherencetotheprinciplesofliberalmulti

partydemocracy,respectforhumanrightsanddignity;andasocietyinwhichsocialfabricwill

bestrengthenedtoensurethattheCambodianpeoplearewelleducated,culturallyadvanced,

engagedindignifiedlivelihoodandlivinginharmonybothwithinfamilyandsociety.

For the Royal Government the most formidable development challenge is the reduction of

povertyand

improving

the

livelihoods

and

quality

of

life

of

the

rapidly

growing

population.

The

RoyalGovernmentconsiderpovertytobeawasteofavaluableeconomicresourcewhichisno

onlymorallyunacceptablebutcanalsoresultinsocialpolarisationandinstability.

Tocontinuetoimplementsocialsafetypolicies,theRoyalGovernmentoftheFourthLegislature

will: give priority to improve working conditions for workers and employees through the

enforcementofSocialSecurityLawforthoseunderthosecoveredbytheLabourLawandthe

establishment of National Social Security Fund. The Royal Government will continue to


3/80

3

strengthensupporttodisabledpeopleandfamiliesofveteranswhosacrificedtheirlivesforthe

nation.Furthermore,theRoyalGovernmentwillcontinuetosupportretiredcivilservantsand

veterans through the development of Law on Protection and Promotion of Rights of People

with Disability and social benefit for people with disability and vulnerable households at

communitylevel.

Royal

Government

of

Cambodia

recognised

that

the

existing

social

safety

nets

in

Cambodia

werenotimplementedsystematicallyyet,thustheRectangularStrategyPhaseIIhadaddressed

the improving of good governance in social safety net delivery through the institutional

arrangement and collaboration with allstakeholders involved and including the expansion of

the coverage of social service and emergency response. The integration of social Protection

issue into the NSDP Update 20092013 underlined the high consideration of RGC on social

protectionpolicyanditisaresponsetothelongtermsocioeconomicdevelopmentandcrises.

Royal Government of Cambodia has a duty to provide the essential services to develop and

enhance the human capita (health, education and livelihood), which means to create an

environmentwhereevery individualscanfindandreachtheir fullpotentialandcontributeto

theirownwelfareimprovementandnationaldevelopment.Simultaneously,RoyalGovernment

of Cambodia will continue to provide the interventions in social sectors including 1) the

reduction of vulnerabilities of poor people, 2) the measurement to alleviate the impact of

naturalcatastrophe, 3) thesupport to thevictimsof thosecatastrophes, 4) the expansionof

rehabilitationand integrationprogrammesforpeoplewithdisability,victimsofdrugs,victims

ofhumantraffickingandexploitation,andlawviolatingchildren,aswellastheimprovementof

social welfare programmes for elderly, orphans, poor widowers, femaleheaded households,

femalevictims,homelesspeople,andveteransandtheirfamilies,and5)thepreventionoflaw

abusingand

protection

of

community

safeties

at

commune,

districts,

provincial,

and

national

levelswithpartnershipcollaboration.

Royal Government of Cambodia through the Council for Agricultural and Rural Development

together with line ministries, stakeholders involved, and development partners, had put a

strong effort to develop this National Social Protection Strategy by reflecting the strong

commitmentofthegovernment,theexperienceofCambodiaandbybasingontheappropriate

contextandfoundationofCambodiatocontributenotonlyintherehabilitationandstabilityof

economicsectorinthepresentdays,butalsotoenhancethehumancapitalindicatorsincluding

education, health and livelihood development toward the achievement of longterm

CambodianMillennium

Development

Goals

through

maintaining

the

high

economic

growth

and

sustainable development and the presenting of this strategy as the vision of comprehensive,

integrated, and sustainable social protection in Cambodia in particularly for the poor and

vulnerablepeople.

The main approaches of this strategy are to 1) protect the poorest and most disadvantaged

whocannothelpthemselves,2)preventtheimpactofrisksthatcouldleadtonegativecoping

strategies and further impoverishment, and 3) promote the poor to move out of poverty by


4/80

4

buildinghuman capital andexpanding opportunities including theaccess tohealth,nutrition,

andeducationserviceforpoorhouseholdssothattheycanmoveabovethepoverty lineand

transform the poor and vulnerable people and Cambodian communities into the productive

forceofthenationandactivelycontributedynamically inthesocioeconomicdevelopmentof

Cambodia.

Ihave

the

honour

to

request

to

all

line

ministries,

all

stakeholders

involved

both

at

national

and

subnationallevel,nationalandinternationaldevelopmentpartnerstoimplementthisstrategy

persistently,comprehensively,andrespectfullyasaddressing intheNationalSocialProtection

Strategyinthedesignandimplementationoftheprogrammes.

PhnomPenh,April,2011

PrimeMinister

SamdachAkkaMohaSenePadeiTechoHunSen


5/80

5

PREFACE

H.EYimChhayLy,DeputyPrimeMinister

ChairmanofCpuncilforAgriculturalandRuralDevelopment

SocialProtection

is

apriority

of

the

Royal

Government

of

Cambodia

of

which

the

initiative

of

developingthesocialprotectionsystem istheutmoststipulationof thegovernment toserve

for Cambodian people as stated in the Constitution, the Rectangular Strategy Phase II for

Growth, Employment, Equity and Efficiency in Cambodia, and explicitly presented in the

National Strategic Development Plan Update 20092013 as well as the legal documents and

internationalconventionswhereRoyalGovernmentofCambodiaisthesignatory.

IntheRectangularStrategyPhaseI,theRoyalGovernmentofCambodiawaswillingtoenhance

thesocial interventionbypromotingemploymentopportunities,reducingvulnerabilityofthe

poor, increasing relief support during natural disaster and calamities, and enlarging the

rehabilitation

programme

for

people

with

disability,

elderly,

orphans,

homeless

people,

veterans and their families. The Rectangular Strategy Phase II pointed out the promotion of

good governance in delivering social safety net programmes by institutional strengthening,

collaboration with development partners, and improving social services and emergency

relieves.

Thenecessityofdevelopinganationalsocialprotectionstrategyforthepoorandvulnerableis

to promote the livelihood of people and the effectiveness of achieving the Cambodian

MillenniumDevelopmentGoal.Ruraleconomicdevelopmentisachievednotonlythroughthe

rehabilitation

and

development

of

rural

infrastructure,

the

address

to

seasonal

unemployment,

vocationaltraining,orthesupportofmicrocredit,butalsothroughtheinterventiontoensure

thequalityoflifewiththecomplementationofsocialdevelopment.

The development of this National Social Protection Strategy began at the 2nd Cambodia

Development Cooperation Forum (CDCF) on 34 December 2008. Royal Government of

Cambodiaanddevelopmentpartnershadnoticedthesignificantprogressthathasbeenmade

in reducing overall poverty levels, parts of the population remain vulnerable to various

economic and social shocks, pushing them into poverty. Responding to this issue, RGC and

developmentpartnershadagreedtoundertakescopingandmappingexercisetodeterminethe

natureof

existing

social

safety

nets

in

Cambodia

in

addressing

risks

resulted

from

instability

of

foodpriceandeconomiccrisesthatmayhavenegativeimpactonthelivelihoodofthepoorand

vulnerablepeople.

The development of this strategy is at the same time with the postglobal financial and

economiccrisesandthefoodandfuelpricesoarwhichhadnegativeimpactsonthepoorand

vulnerable people and had delay the achievement of Cambodian Millennium Development

Goals. The first step of this strategy development is the exercise to generally examine and


6/80

6

analysetodeterminethescopeofexistingsocialsafetynetsandto identifythestrategicand

political options for the development of an integrated and systematic social safety net

programmesuitableforthesocioeconomiccontextofCambodia.

CouncilforAgriculturalandRuralDevelopmenthadbeenentrustedtoensuretheefficiencyof

coordination mechanism among interministerial agencies with the participation of all

stakeholdersinvolved

with

the

activities

focusing

on

social

safety

net

service

delivery

to

the

poor and vulnerable people. In the firsthalf of 2009, Council for Agricultural and Rural

Development, with the support from line ministries and development partners, had worked

together to build the consensus on key concepts and comprehensive direction toward the

development of social safety net policy. The results of findings and recommendations were

presentedduringtheNationalForumonFoodSecurityandNutritionunderthethemeofSocial

SafetyNets in Cambodiaon 67 July,2009. SamdachAkkaMoha SenaPadei Techo Hun Sen,

PrimeMinisterofCambodia,intheclosingremarks,hademphasisedthattheimprovementof

social safety nets for the vulnerable people is a principle strategy of RGC in mitigating the

negative impacts and other risks resulted from the global economic crises. The core role of

socialsafetynet istoprotectthevulnerablegroupandpreventthemfromnegativeimpactof

crisesaswellastopromotethehumancapitaandexpandtheeconomicopportunities.Inthe

secondhalf of 2009, RGC and development partners had worked together to develop the

NationalSocialProtectionStrategyforCambodiafocusingondeterminingthepriorityforsocial

safetynetin20112015.

TheexperienceofasocialsafetynetisnotnewtoCambodia,butthetermandunderstanding

mightbeconceptuallydifferent.Cambodiahadimplementedtheseprojectsandprogrammesin

rehabilitating, integrating and improving food security that address both to emergency

situationand

livelihood

development

for

the

poor

people.

SocialsafetynetprogrammeisamaincomponentoftheNSPSwhichweredevelopedbasedon

the context of Cambodia with a systematic and integrated manner to allow the RGC to

response immediatelyandontime to theemergencysituationandwiththecomprehensive,

effective and efficient manner among all stakeholders involved for the short, medium, and

longterm responses. The National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS) complements to other

sectoralpolicy,plansandstrategyinvolveddirectlyorindirectlyinsocialprotectiontowardthe

building of comprehensive, integrated and systematic social protection for the poor and

vulnerablepeople.Moreover,fortheeffectivenessofimplementation,theframeworkofNSPS

had

been

developed

with

balancing

of

addressing

chronic

poverty,

supporting

the

poor

to

developthecapacitytoaddresstheenvironmental,economicandsocialcauses,andpromoting

thehumancapitatomovefrompovertybythemselvesinthefuture.

This strategic document is organised accordingly by beginning with the definition, scope of

strategy, conceptual understanding on of social protection and social safety net, and the

inventoryandexperienceofexistingsocialprotectionactivitiesinCambodia.Legalframeworks,

internal conventions, and various strategic papers in Cambodia related to social protection


7/80

7

wereusingasreferencetoconsideronthe legalaspects indevelopingthisstrategyaimingat

maintainingcomplementaryactivitieseffectivelyonlimitedbudgetandavoidingtheoverlapof

institutionalmandates.Thisstrategyalsopresentstheanalysisonprofileandsourceofpoverty

andvulnerabilities inorder to issue thepolicy, instruments,and frameworksofeffectiveand

efficientresponses.Moreover,thisstrategypresentstheexistingsocialprotectionactivitiesfor

thepoorandvulnerablepeople inCambodiaand theexperienceof implementationofsocial

protectionat

national

and

international

level.

TheNSPSenvisionsthatallCambodians,especiallythepoorandvulnerable,willbenefitfrom

improvedsocialsafetynetsandsocialsecurityasan integralpartofasustainable,affordable

and effective national social protection system. The main goal of the NSPS is that poor and

vulnerable Cambodians will be increasingly protected against chronic poverty and hunger,

shocks, destitutionand socialexclusionandbenefit from investments in their human capital.

Underthisgoal,theNSPShasthefollowingobjectives:

1. The poorandvulnerable receivesupport including food,sanitation,waterandshelteretc,tomeettheirbasicneedsintimesofemergencyandcrisis.

2. Poor and vulnerable children and mothers benefit from social safety nets to reducepoverty and food insecurity and enhance the development of human capital by

improving nutrition, maternal and child health, promoting education and eliminating

childlabour,especiallyitsworstforms.

3. The workingage poor and vulnerable benefit from work opportunities to secureincome,foodandlivelihoods,whilecontributingtothecreationofsustainablephysical

andsocialinfrastructureassets.

4. The poor and vulnerable have effective access to affordable quality health care andfinancial

protection

in

case

of

illness.

5. Specialvulnerablegroups, includingorphans, the elderly,singlewomenwithchildren,people livingwithdisabilities,people livingwithHIV,patientsofTBandotherchronic

illness,etcreceiveincome,inkindandpsychosocialsupportandadequatesocialcare.

Achieving these objectives require the scalingup and harmonisation of the existing social

protection programmes and the piloting of new interventions to fill the gaps of social

protection. As a priority, the Public Work Programmes to provide job opportunities and

incomesforthepoorandvulnerablepeoplewillbescaledup.TheCashTransferProgrammes

forhouseholdwithmanychildrenfocusingonnutritionalandeducationalimprovementwillbe

implementedto

provide

the

protection

for

children

from

short

term

impact

of

the

crises

at

the

presenttimeandtheimprovementofhumancapitadevelopmentinlongterm.

Implementation is the responsibility of line ministries and decentralised government

institutions. The NSPS thus complements the efforts of line ministries in achieving sector

targets by developing the Framework of sustainable, effective and efficient implementation.

Most programmes in the NSPS are by nature intersectoral and require coordination across

ministries and government agencies, to avoid thematic and geographical overlaps, to


8/80

8

harmonise implementation procedures and to coordinate the effective and efficient use of

available funds from the national budget and development partners. It also entails active

dialoguewithsupportivedevelopmentpartnersandcivilsocietyorganisations

Toimplementthisstrategy,RoyalGovernmentofCambodiawillconsideronthestructureand

mechanism of coordination to provide the policy support, monitoring and evaluation,

information

and

knowledge

management,

and

capacity

building.

The

priority

ahead

is

the

institutional arrangement, capacity building for coordination agencies at national and sub

national level,andthefunctionalisedcoordinationtogetherwiththemonitoringstructurefor

the medium and longterm implementation of the strategy. The ongoing social protection

activitiesandthenewpilotsonsocialservicewillbeharmonisedandassessedtointegrateinto

amorecomprehensivenationalprogramme inthemediumand longterm implementationof

NSPS in order to bring various schemes under one integrated programme, at least per

objective.

OnbehalfofCouncilforAgriculturalandRuralDevelopment,Iwouldliketoextendmycordial

appreciation to Your Excellencies, Ladies, representatives from all line ministries and

developmentpartnersinthedevelopmentprocessofthisstrategyfromthebeginninguntilthis

final stage and I would like to further request the support and collaboration during the

implementationphaseofthisstrategyinordertoachievethesocioeconomicdevelopmentand

CambodianMillenniumDevelopmentGoals.

PhnomPenh,April,2011

DeputyPrimeMinister,

ChairmanofCouncilforAgriculturalandRuralDevelopment

YimChhayLy


9/80

9

CONTENT

Foreword..............................................................................................................................................2

Preface...................................................................................................Error!Bookmarknotdefined.

Listoffigures,tablesandboxes.........................................................................................................10

Acronyms............................................................................................................................................11

Overview...............................................................................................Error!Bookmarknotdefined.

1. Introduction...................................................................................Error!Bookmarknotdefined.

2. SocialProtectionasaPriorityfortheRGC.................................................................................24

3. PovertyandVulnerabilityProfile................................................................................................28

4. ExistingSocialProtectionforthePoorandVulnerable..............................................................41

5. NationalSocialProtectionStrategyforthePoorandVulnerable..............................................51

5.1 Vision..................................................................................................................................51

5.2 Goal....................................................................................................................................51

5.3 Objectives...........................................................................................................................52

5.4

Coordinationon

NSPS

Implementation

.............................................................................

64

5.5 BeneficiarySelection/Targeting.........................................................................................68

5.6 ResourceRequirements.....................................................................................................70

5.7 PriorityOptionsfortheNearFuture..................................................................................71

References.............................................................................................Error!Bookmarknotdefined.

Glossary.................................................................................................Error!Bookmarknotdefined.

Appendix1:InventoryofExistingInterventionsforCambodia............Error!Bookmarknotdefined.


10/80

10

LISTOFFIGURES,TABLESANDBOXES

Figure1:Socialprotectionanditscontributiontoeconomicandsocialdevelopmentand

disasterresponse..................................................................................Error!Bookmarknotdefined.

Figure2:ScopeoftheNSPS,focusingonthepoorandvulnerable...................................................20

Figure3:Gradualprogressiontowardscomprehensivesocialprotection,aspertheNSPSlong

termvision..........................................................................................................................................21

Figure4:Povertyheadcount19942007............................................................................................28

Figure5:Geographicvariationsinpovertyrates...............................................................................29

Figure6:Povertyandvulnerability.......................................................Error!Bookmarknotdefined.

Figure7:Bridgingsocialprotectionforchildren:Alifecycleapproach............................................57

Table1:SummaryoftheNSPSconsultationprocess........................................................................21

Table2:Risks,shocks,determinantsofvulnerabilityandvulnerablegroups...................................38

Table3:Snapshotofcurrentgovernmentsocialprotectioninterventions......................................44

Table4:

Gaps

and

challenges

in

existing

interventions

.....................................................................

48

Table5:ObjectivesoftheNSPS.........................................................................................................53

Table6:TargetingmechanismforNSPS............................................................................................70

Table7:NSPSshorttermpriorityactionsandcostestimates..........................................................73

Table8:NSPSresultsmatrix...............................................................................................................78

Box1:Articlesfromthe1993Constitutionregardingsocialprotectionprovision...........................24

Box2:StatementofPrimeMinisterSamdachAkkaMohaSenaPadeiTechoHunSen....................26


11/80

11

ACRONYMS

ADB : AsianDevelopmentBank

AusAID : AustralianAgencyforInternationalDevelopment

BETT : BasicEducationandTeacherTraining

BTC : BelgischeTechnischeCoperatie(BelgianDevelopmentAgency)

CARD : CouncilforAgriculturalandRuralDevelopment

CBHI : CommunityBasedHealthInsurance

CCWC : ConsultativeCommitteeforWomenandChildren

CDC : CouncilfortheDevelopmentofCambodia

CDCF : CambodianDevelopmentCooperationForum

CDHS : CambodiaDemographicandHealthSurvey

CESSP : CambodiaEducationSectorSupportProject

CMDG : CambodianMillenniumDevelopmentGoal

CRC : CambodianRedCross

CSES

:

CambodianSocio

Economic

Survey

DAC : DevelopmentAssistanceCommittee(OECD)

DFID : UKDepartmentforInternationalDevelopment

DP : DevelopmentPartner

ECD : EarlyChildhoodDevelopment

EEQP : EnhancingEducationQualityProject

EFA : EducationForAll

FTI : FastTrackInitiative

GDCC : GovernmentDonorCoordinationCommittee

GTZ : Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Technische Zusammenarbeit (German Technical

Cooperation)

HAR : Harmonisation,AlignmentandResult

HEF : HealthEquityFund

HFC : HealthFinancingCharter

HIV/AIDS : HumanImmunodeficiencyVirus/AcquiredImmuneDeficiencySyndrome

IDPoor : IdentificationofPoorHouseholds

IFPRI : InternationalFoodPolicyResearchInstitute

ILO : InternationalLabourOrganization

IWGSSN : InterimWorkingGrouponSocialSafetyNets

JFPR

:

Japan

Fund

for

Poverty

Reduction

M&E : MonitoringandEvaluation

MAFF : MinistryofAgricultureForestryandFishery

MDG : MillenniumDevelopmentGoal

MEF : MinistryofEconomyandFinance

MoEYS : MinistryofEducation,YouthandSports

MoH : MinistryofHealth

MoI : MinistryofInterior


12/80

12

MoLVT : MinistryofLabourandVocationalTraining

MoP : MinistryofPlanning

MoSVY : MinistryofSocialAffairs,VeteransandYouthRehabilitation

MoWA : MinistryofWomenAffairs

MoWRAM : MinistryofWaterResourceandMeteorology

MPWT : MinistryofPublicWorksandTransport

MRD

:

Ministryof

Rural

Development

NCDM : NationalCommitteeforDisasterManagement

NPAWFCL : NationalPlanofActionontheEliminationoftheWorstFormsofChildLabour

NPSNDD : NationalProgrammeonSubNationalDemocraticDevelopment

NPRS : NationalPovertyReductionStrategy

NSDP : NationalStrategicDevelopmentPlan

NSPSPV : CambodiaNationalSocialProtectionStrategyforthePoorandVulnerable

NSSF : NationalSocialSecurityFund

OD : OperationalDistrict

ODA : OfficialDevelopmentAssistance

OECD : OrganisationforEconomicCooperationandDevelopment

PWP : PublicWorksProgramme

RGC : RoyalGovernmentofCambodia

SPF : SocialProtectionFloor

SPFI : SocialProtectionFloorInitiative

SSM : SocialServiceMapping

TB : Tuberculosis

TVET : TechnicalandVocationalEducationandTraining

TWG : TechnicalWorkingGroup

UNAIDS

:

JointUnited

Nations

Programme

on

HIV/AIDS

UNDAF : UnitedNationsDevelopmentAssistanceFramework

UNESCO : UnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganization

UNICEF : UnitedNationsChildren'sFund

USAID : UnitedStatesAgencyforInternationalDevelopment

WB : WorldBank

WFCL : WorstFormsofChildLabour

WFP : WorldFoodProgramme

WHO : WorldHealthOrganization


13/80

13

EXECUTIVESUMMARY

NationalSocialProtectionStrategyfor

thePoorandVulnerable

TheNationalSocialProtectionStrategy(NSPS)complementstoothersectoralpolicy,plansand

strategyof lineministriesandstakeholders involveddirectlyor indirectly insocialprotection.

This strategy is aligned with and makes operational the priority actions laid out in the

RectangularStrategyPhaseIIandtheNSDPUpdate20092013.

NSPS is developed based on the consultative process with active participation from line

ministries both at national and subnational level, development partners, and civil societies.

DuringtheCambodiaDevelopmentCooperationForum(CDCF)on34December2008,theRGC

and development partners agreed to undertake a scoping and mapping exercise and gap

analysis

on

existing

social

safety

nets

and

to

identify

the

policy

direction

toward

the

development of a more integrated social safetynet system and commensurate to the socio

economicsituationofCambodia.CARDwastaskedtoensuretheeffectivecoordinationamong

stakeholdersinvolved.inFebruary,2009,CARDhadsetupaninterimworkinggroup(IWGSSN)

forthistaskinvolvingrepresentativesfromlineministriesanddevelopmentpartnerstodevelop

the concept note and inventory list on existing social safety net programmes. In July, 2009,

CARD had organised theNationalForum on Food SecurityandNutrition under the theme of

Social Safety Net in Cambodia and was reassigned to undertake the coordination task on

developmentofaNationalSocialProtectionStrategyforthePoorandVulnerable.Anumberof

technicalconsultationsandfieldstudieswereorganisedtoreviewthesocialprotectionpolicy

by focusing on several aspects of social interventions including cash transfer to address

maternal and child nutrition, public work programmes1, education and child labour. In the

beginningofJune,2010,NSPSwaspresentedto3rd

CDCFforendorsementandcollaboration.

The comprehensive analysis and detail costing exercise will be the upcoming tasks for the

designofspecificactivitiesinthestrategy.

NSPSisorganisedinto6chapters.ThefirstchapteronIntroductiondescribetheconceptand

definition of social protection, social safety net, and other related terms, and determine the

scopeofpolicy,activities,andthedevelopmentprocessofthisstrategy.Socialprotectionhelps

people

cope

with

major

sources

of

poverty

and

vulnerability

while

at

the

same

time

promoting

humandevelopment. Itconsistsofabroadsetofarrangementsand instrumentsdesignedto

protect individuals, households and communities against the financial, economic and social

consequences of various risks, shocks and impoverishing situations and bring them out of

1 Publicworkprogrammesrefertoallactivitiesrelatedtotheconstruction,repair,andmaintainingthephysical

infrastructureandjobcreations


14/80

14

poverty.Socialprotectioninterventionsinclude,ataminimum,socialinsurance,labourmarket

policies,socialsafetynetsandsocialwelfareservices.

The second chapter on Social Protection as a Priority of Royal Government of Cambodia

presents the necessity and importance of the development of this strategy based on the

Constitution,RectangularStrategyPhase II forGrowth,Employment,Equity,andEfficiency in

Cambodia,

NSDP

Update

20092013

and

national

legislation,

as

well

as

in

international

conventionstowhichCambodiaisasignatory.

PovertyandVulnerabilityProfileispresentedinthethirdchapterofthestrategydrawingon

theanalysis,typeandsituationofpovertyandvulnerabilityinCambodiaincludingtheanalysis

on type of existing and unseen risks, shock, and crises based on research papers and data

obtainedfrom20082009CambodianSocioEconomicSurvey.Thischapteralsoraisestheissue

ofnegative impact of economic and financial crises andclimate changes on the livelihood of

people.

ThefourthofchapteronExistingSocialProtectionProgrammesforthePoorandVulnerable

presentsthe institutionalstructure,mandate,sectoralpoliciesandstrategiesandtheexisting

intervention of line ministries in providing the social protection services to the people.

Informal/traditionalsocialsafetynetandthe interventionofcivilsocietiesarealsopresented.

Thischapterplaysaroleasabridgelinkedexistingsocialprotectionactivitiesandinterventions

to the profile of poverty and vulnerability of the people to identify the gaps in the

implementationthatrequiredfurthercomplementation.

Cambodia had implemented successfully a numbers of social safety net projects and

programmes,

which

mostly

funded

by

external

sources,

in

the

period

of

integration

and

rehabilitationto improvethe livelihoodandfoodsecurityforpoorpeopleandtoresponseto

theemergencyneedsoverthelast20years.Manysuccesses,especiallyindeliveringserviceto

largernumbersofbeneficiariesandinenhancingtheaccessibilitytoservices,food,andincome

securityincluding:

Food distribution to the foodinsecure areas, school feeding, take home ration, andfoodforworks,hadprovidedthebasisofrespondingtofoodinsecurity issues,chronic

poverty,andmalnutritioninsomecases

Scholarshipprovidedthebasisofaddressingpovertyofschoolagechildren Public work programmes provide the basis to address the issue of food insecurity,

underemployment,

and

chronic

poverty

of

the

working

age

population

Health equity fund and Communitybased health insurance provide the basis toaddressthehealthprotectionforthepoor

Social welfare service for special vulnerable groups including people with disability,elderly,orphanchildren...

Someotherprogrammes rooted totraditionandcultureofresourceredistribution forhumanitarianpurpose


15/80

15

YetCambodiadoesnothaveaneffectiveandaffordablesocialsafetynetinplace.Manyofthe

interventions have been patchy and adhoc,and highly dependent on specific donor funding

sources.Thecoverageofexistingsocialprotectionprogramsforthepoorandvulnerableisstill

very limited;theydonotnecessarilyfocusonthepoorestareasandeffortshavebeen largely

fragmentedwithweakcoordinationbetweenthemanyministriesandinstitutionsinvolved.

Based on the analysis on the aspect of legal framework of social protection in Cambodia

presentedin

the

second

chapter

and

the

aspect

of

poverty

and

vulnerability

profile

in

the

third

chapter,togetherwiththehighlightofexistingsocialprotectionprogrammesandgaps inthe

implementationinthefourthchapter,thefifthchapterofNSPSonNationalSocialProtection

Strategy for the Poor and Vulnerable describe in details the approaches, vision, goal, and

objectivesofNSPS.TheeffectiveNSPSrequiresthebalanceof3approaches:

Protectingthepoorestandmostdisadvantagedwhocannothelpthemselves Preventingtheimpactofrisksthatcould leadtonegativecopingstrategiesandfurther

impoverishment

Promoting the poor tomoveout ofpoverty by buildinghumancapital andexpandingopportunities.

ThebroadvisionofNSPSincludesthecontributorysocialsecurity(social insurance)forformal

sector and civil servants and toward the high level of human development as well as the

appropriate options and opportunities for all Cambodia. The NSPS envisions that all

Cambodians,especiallythepoorandvulnerable,willbenefitfromimprovedsocialsafetynets

andsocialsecurityasanintegralpartofasustainable,affordableandeffectivenationalsocial

protectionsystem.

The main goal of the NSPS is that poor and vulnerable Cambodians will be increasingly

protectedagainst

chronic

poverty

and

hunger,

shocks,

destitution

and

social

exclusion

and

benefitfrominvestmentsintheirhumancapital.

Withintheframeworktoward2015,NSPSwillbridgethecurrentexistingprogrammeswiththe

establishment of systematic and integrated objectives into the delivery for the poor and

vulnerable people with a more protection from poverty and promotion of investment on

humancapital.Toreachthislinkage,severalstrategicstepsaredevelopedwithinNSPS.

Promotethedevelopmentofmixofprogrammesthatcoverbothchronicandtransientpovertyaswellashungerandalsohelppromotehumancapital

Strengthenthecoordination,scalingup,andharmonisationmechanismfortheexistingprogrammetomatchtherootofmainvulnerabilitytotheexistingprogrammes

Evaluateandimprove,incaseneeded,thecurrentIDPoorprogramme,amechanismtoidentifythepoorhousehold

Scaleupthecoverageoftheongoing intervention for improvementofefficiencyandeffectiveness

Pilot, evaluate, and scaleup the new programmes based on the effectiveness andsustainabilitytofillthegapsofexistingsocialprotectionprogramme.


16/80

16

Underthisgoal,theNSPShasthefollowingobjectives:

6. The poorandvulnerable receivesupport including food,sanitation,waterandshelteretc,tomeettheirbasicneedsintimesofemergencyandcrisis.

7. Poor and vulnerable children and mothers benefit from social safety nets to reducepoverty

and

food

insecurity

and

enhance

the

development

of

human

capital

by

improving nutrition, maternal and child health, promoting education and eliminating

childlabour,especiallyitsworstforms.

8. The workingage poor and vulnerable benefit from work opportunities to secureincome,foodandlivelihoods,whilecontributingtothecreationofsustainablephysical

andsocialinfrastructureassets.

9. The poor and vulnerable have effective access to affordable quality health care andfinancialprotectionincaseofillness.

10.Specialvulnerablegroups, includingorphans, the elderly,singlewomenwithchildren,people livingwithdisabilities,people livingwithHIV,patientsofTBandotherchronic

illness,etcreceiveincome,inkindandpsychosocialsupportandadequatesocialcare.

ThesixthchapterofthisdocumenthighlighttheCoordinationonimplementation,Monitoring

and Evaluation of NSPS. This chapter emphasis the arrangement of the mechanism for

coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of NSPS through the active

participationsamongallstakeholders involvedandthebudgetrequirement formediumterm

implementation of NSPS. Implementation is the responsibility of line ministries and

decentralised government institutions. The NSPS thus complements the efforts of line

ministries in achieving sector targets by developing the Framework of sustainable, effective

andefficient

implementation.

Most

programmes

in

the

NSPS

are

by

nature

inter

sectoral

and

require coordination across ministries and government agencies, to avoid thematic and

geographical overlaps, to harmonise implementation procedures and to coordinate the

effective and efficient use of available funds from the national budget and development

partners.Italsoentailsactivedialoguewithsupportivedevelopmentpartnersandcivilsociety

organisations and the management on information sharing. Capacity development at the

nationalcoordinationunitandstakeholders involvedatnationalandsubnational level is the

immediate priority including the institutional arrangement, functionalised coordination, and

theM&EstructureinmediumandlongtermimplementationofNSPS.


17/80

17

Chapter1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Definitions

Socialprotection helpspeoplecope withmajor sourcesofpoverty andvulnerability while atthesametimepromotinghumandevelopment.Itconsistsofabroadsetofarrangementsand

instruments designed to 1) protect individuals, households and communities against the

financial, economic and social consequences of various risks, shocks and impoverishing

situations and 2) bring them out of poverty. Social protection interventions include, at a

minimum, social insurance, labour market policies, social safety nets and social welfare

services.

Social insurance programmes are designed to help households insure themselves againstsudden reductions in work income as a result of sickness, maternity, employment injury,

unemployment, invalidity, old age (i.e. pensions) or death of a breadwinner. They include

publiclyprovidedormandated insurance,suchassocialhealth insuranceschemestoprovide

access to health care. Social insurance programmes are contributory, meaning that

beneficiariesreceivebenefitsorservicesinrecognitionoftheirpaymentofcontributionstoan

insurance scheme. The terms social insurance and social security are often used

interchangeably.Socialsecurityiscloselyrelatedtotheconceptofsocialprotectionandcanbedefinedastheprotectionthatasocietyprovidestoindividualsandhouseholdstoensureaccess

tohealthcareandtoguaranteeincomesecurity,particularlyinthecaseofsickness,maternity,

employmentinjury,unemployment,invalidity,oldageorlossofabreadwinner.

Labour market policies include interventions to address direct employment generation,employmentservicesandskillsdevelopmentaswellas incomesupportfortheworkingpoor.

Alsocoveredisthesettingofappropriatelegislationonminimumwages,socialsecurity/social

insurance contributions, child labour and other labour standards, to ensure decent earnings

andlivingstandards.

Socialsafetynetprogrammesconsistoftargeted interventionsdesignedforthepoorestandmost vulnerable and financed out of general revenues taxation or official development

assistance (ODA). This is in contrast with social insurance schemes, which rely on prior

contributionsfromtheirrecipients.Safetynetinterventionsincludepublicworksprogrammes

(cash forworkand food forwork);unconditionalandconditional transfers (incashorkind);

and targeted subsidies designed to ensure access to health, education, housing or public

utilities,suchaswaterorelectricity(CARD,2009).

Socialwelfareservicescoverthecaresforchildcare,elderlycare,peoplewithdisabilitycare,homebased careand referralsupport forpeople living with HIV, return and reintegration of


18/80

18

refugee, family preservation, family and community support services, alternative care,

rehabilitationsupportforoutofschool,drugusersandchildlabourers,aswellaspsychosocial

services,includinginsituationsofemergencyanddistress.Theyarecomplementarytocashor

inkind benefits and help reinforce outcomes generated by the former. Identifying points of

contact between cash and inkind transfers and social welfare services is essential in a

coordinatedandintegratedapproachtosocialprotection.

The Social Protection Floor (SPF) is a basic guarantee of social protection for the entirepopulation through a package of benefits and complementary social services to address key

vulnerabilitiesalongthelifecycle,forchildren,pregnantwomenandmothers,theworkingage

population and the elderly. Insteadof focusing only on demand (forhealth, education, food,

minimumincomesecurity,etc),theSPFtakesaholisticapproachbyensuringtheavailabilityof

socialservices.

Figure 1. Social protection and its contribution to economic and social development and

disasterresponse

The broader social protection framework, which includes formal sector and contributory

programmes, is in turn part of a broader poverty reduction strategy. Social safety nets

complement social insurance schemes, as their target groups are usually different: health,


19/80

19

educationandfinancialservices;provisionofutilitiesandlocalinfrastructure;andotherpolicies

aimed at reducing poverty and managing overall risk and vulnerability. Social protection is

closely related to other development fields. In particular, social protection, employment and

agriculturalandruraldevelopmentareinterlinkedandmutuallyreinforcing.Figure1showsthe

linkages betweensocialprotection andsocialsafetynets,and between socialprotectionand

economicdevelopment,socialdevelopmentanddisasterresponse.

TheRoyalGovernmentofCambodia(RGC)promotesinvestment insocialprotectionasbotha

contributiontolongtermpovertyreductiongoalsandashorttermemergency/shockresponse

measure to address the consequences of crises confronting Cambodia and its citizens.

Specifically,thepovertyandvulnerabilitysituationofmanypeoplehasbeenexacerbatedsince

2007byhighfoodpriceinflation,aswellastheglobalfinancialandeconomiccrisis.Thislatter

hasaffectedthefastestgrowingsectorsoftheeconomy(especiallygarments,constructionand

tourism)andresulted indeteriorationswithregardtoemployment, incomes,remittancesand

access to essential services for the population. Social protection is an investment in poverty

reduction, human development and inclusive growth which can close the gap towards

achieving the poverty target, which the economic crisis has further widened. The National

SocialProtectionStrategyforthePoorandVulnerable(NSPS)isthusexpectedtoplayacritical

roleinreducingpovertyandinequality.

1.2 ScopeoftheStrategy

Followingthepolicydirectionsoutlined in theRectangularStrategy forGrowth,Employment,

EquityandEfficiencyPhaseII,theRGCisadvancingsocialprotectionfortheformalsectorwhile

prioritisingexpandinginterventionsaimedspeciallyatreducingpoverty,vulnerabilityandrisks

forthepoorandvulnerable.

With regard to the medium term, the NSPS focuses on social protection for the poor and

vulnerable.Thepoorandvulnerablearedefinedas:

Peoplelivingbelowthenationalpovertyline;and Peoplewhocannotcopewithshocksand/orhaveahighlevelofexposuretoshocks(of

these,peoplelivingunderornearthepovertylinetendtobemostvulnerable)

TheNSPSprioritisesthedevelopmentofeffectiveandsustainablesocialsafetynetstargetedto

the poor and vulnerable, with complementary social welfare services for special vulnerable

groups,suchaspeoplelivingwithHIVandorphansmadevulnerableoraffectedbyHIV2,3.The

contributoryinterventionofcommunitybasedhealth insurance(CBHI)isalso included,asit is

targetedatthenearpoorwhoarevulnerabletofallingintopovertyasaresultofhealthshocks.

Figure2illustratesthescopeoftheNSPS.

2TheLawonPreventionandCombatingagainstthePrevailingofHIV/AIDS(Article26)alsoenshrinestherightof

peoplelivingwithHIVtoprimaryhealthcareservices,freeofcharge,inthepublichealthsectornetwork.3 Foralistofspecialvulnerablegroups,seeChapter3.2.


20/80

20

Figure2.ScopeoftheNSPS,focusingonthepoorandvulnerable

At the same time, the NSPS sets the framework for sustainable and comprehensive social

protection for all Cambodians over the long term. This includes both contributory and non

contributory

schemes.

Figure

3

illustrates

the

relationship

between

coverage

of

basic

non

contributory social protection for all and that of contributorysocial insurance for those with

higherincomes,inparticularformalsectorworkers.

The development of comprehensive social protection implies ensuring that the relevant

components (noncontributory and contributory) are developed in parallel towards a

sustainablesystem,wherebythosewhocanaffordsocialprotectionwillaccessitbasedontheir

formalcontributionsand thosewhocannotaffordthecontributionswillrelyonthestate for

supportuntiltheydevelopsuchcapacityovertime.Thereare linkagesandcomplementarities

betweenthetwomajorcomponentsofacomprehensivesystemofsocialprotection4.

4 Including complementary coverage of benefits and services for population groups of different ability; and

complementary financing mechanisms towards fiscal sustainability, whereby the contributory system to a large

extent funds the development of the noncontributory system through its crosssubsidising function and direct

contribution to public revenues, as well as through stronger societal support to the system, including through

taxation. The ultimate aim of the dual gradual system is ensuring universal coverage to protect the population

againstrisks,shocksandchronicsituationsandvulnerabilities.

Otherinsuranceschemes

CommunitybasedHealth

Insurance

PublicWorkPrograms(Cashorfoodfor

work)

ConditionalorNon

conditional CashorIn

KindTransfer

SocialSubsidy(to

facilitateaccesses to

publicutilities,health,

education,housing)

Labourmarketpolicy

SocialInsurance

(Contributory)

SocialSafetyNet

(NonContributory)

Complementary

SocialWelfare

Services

SocialProtection

SocialProtectionforthePoorandVulnerable


21/80

21

Figure3.Gradualprogressiontowardscomprehensivesocialprotection,aspertheNSPSlong

termvision

1.3Process

of

Strategy

Development

InpreparingtheNSPS,theCouncilforAgriculturalandRuralDevelopment(CARD)in2009and

2010 convened meetings and held technical consultations with a broad set of national

stakeholders, giving government representatives (national and subnational), development

partners,civilsocietyrepresentativesandotherdevelopmentpractitionerstheopportunityto

exploretheoptionsandprioritiesindepth.Thistransparentandrigorousconsultationprocess

has ensured that the analytical and policy inputs have gone through several rounds of

discussionandaretheresultofacombinedeffortbyallstakeholders.

Table1:

Summary

of

the

NSPS

consultation

process

Timeline Activity/event Outcomes

34Dec

2008

CambodiaDevelopment

CooperationForum

RGC commitmenttodevelopandimplementanintegratednational

strategyforsocialsafetynets.

JanJun

2009

InterimWorkingGroupon

SocialSafetyNets(underthe

TechnicalWorkingGroupon

FoodSecurityandNutrition

Sharedknowledgeandconsensus buildingonthekeyconceptsand

broaddirectionforpolicydevelopmentandinventoryofongoing

socialprotectioninterventions.

67Jul NationalForumonFood Duringthetwodayforum,400participants(government,

Social Safety Net (Noncontributory)

Public Work Programmes (Cash or f ood for work)

Cashor inkind transfers (Conditional or nonconditional)

Social Subsidy (to facilitate accesses to public utilities, health, education, housing)

Complimentary Social Welfare Services

SocialProtectionforthePoorandVulnerable

2.ExpandedSocialProtection

1.BasicSocialProtection

Civilservants

Workers

Nearpoor

Poor

Social Insurance (Contributory) Pension

Health insurance

NSSF, NSSFC

Communitybased health insurance

(Social Health Protection)


22/80

22

2009 SecurityandNutritionunder

theThemeofSocialSafety

NetsinCambodia

developmentpartners,civilsociety)discussed,withSamdachAkka

MohaSenaPadeiTechoHunSen,PrimeMinisterofKingdomof

Cambodia,providingtheclosingaddress.

1922

Oct

2009

TechnicalConsultationon

CashTransferswithafocus

onaddressingchildand

maternalmalnutrition

Participantsfromgovernment,developmentpartnersandcivil

societyconsultedduringaworkshopinPhnomPenh.Agroupof

participantsalsovisitedhealthandeducationalservicesandheld

discussionswithcommunecouncilsandtheprovincialofficein

KampongSpeu.

The

consultation

culminated

in

abrainstorming

by

keystakeholders toproduceaNoteonCashTransfers.

1214

Jan

2010


PublicWorks

80+participants(government, developmentpartners,civilsociety)

consultedduringaworkshopinPhnomPenh.Thecoregroup(circa

30participants)alsovisitedsitesofcashforworkandfoodforwork

projects,oneofwhichistheprojectsiteoftheEmergencyFood

AssistanceProject(ADB andWFPsupportedinterventions)in

KampongChhnang,includingaconsultationwithrepresentativesof

acommunecouncilandbeneficiariesoftheprojects.The

consultationculminatedinaNextStepsMeetingbyCARDandacore

groupofdevelopmentpartnersandtheproductionofaNoteon

PublicWorks.

34Feb

2010


theRoleofaNationalSocial

ProtectionStrategyin

AugmentingHumanCapital

throughPromoting

Education,ReducingChild

LabourandEliminatingits

WorstForms

100+participants(government,developmentpartners,civilsociety)

consultedduringatwodayworkshopinPhnomPenh.The

consultationbuiltconsensusonintegratingeducationandchild

labourissuesintotheNSPS,particularlyininstrumentssuchascash

transfers,aswellastheneedtoexploregreateraccesstosafetynet

schemestopreventchildlabourandwithdrawvulnerablechildren

fromit,especiallyitsworstforms.ANoteonChildLabourand

Educationwaspreparedbyacoregroupofdevelopmentpartners

asacontributiontotheNSPS.

MarApr

2010

ConsultationsondraftNSPS Anexecutivedraftingteamwassetuptoprepareandconsolidate

inputsintothedraftNSPS.SeveralconsecutivedraftsoftheNSPS

weresharedanddiscussedintheextendedformatoftheInterim

WorkingGrouponSocialSafetyNets.Severalroundsof

consultationsonthecontentoftheNSPSandtheproposed

objectivestookplace,towardsshapingacoherentstrategy.

TheresultsofthisconsultativeprocesshavebeencapturedinNSPSBackgroundPapers:

SafetyNetsinCambodia:ConceptandInventory,June2009(CARD,WFPandWB).Thispaperpresents themainfeatures,achievements,gapsand challengesfacedby safety

netprogrammesinCambodia.Itprovidesareviewofbasicconcepts,asummaryofrisks

andvulnerabilities,

an

inventory

of

existing

safety

nets

and

an

analysis

of

the

gaps

betweenrisksandvulnerabilitiesandexistingsafetynets.

BackgroundNote:CambodiaTowardsaSocialProtectionStrategyforthePoorandVulnerable, forthcoming (CARD and development partners). This background note

presents the outcomes of the consultation process. It gives a detailed overview of

poverty and vulnerability in Cambodia, of safety nets already inplace and ofpolicy

challenges,inordertogeneratesomeconclusionsonasocialprotectionstrategyforthe

poorandvulnerable,itsobjectivesandoptionsforthenearfuture.


23/80

23

CashTransferProgrammetoSupportthePoorWhileAddressingMaternalandChildMalnutrition: A Discussion Note, March 2010 (World Bank, with contributions from

UNICEF,WFP,GTZ,WHOand CARD).Thisoutputof the technicalconsultationprofiles

maternalandchildmalnutritioninCambodiatoassesstherationalebehindinvestingin

nutritionprogrammes. Itgivesadescriptionofapossiblecashtransferprogramme,as

wellas

discussing

and

evaluation

and

costing

and

fiscal

implications.

ABackgroundNoteonaPublicWorksProgrammeasPartofSocialProtectionforthePoor and Vulnerable, March 2010 (ILO). This output of the technical consultation

presentsavulnerabilityandneedsanalysisfollowedbyanassessmentoftherationale

forinvestinginaPWP,aswellasanoverviewofapproachanddesignissues.

InputonTacklingChildLabourandIncreasingEducationalAccess,March2010(ILO,inconsultation with UNICEF and UNESCO). This output of the technical consultation

assesses socialprotection and its role inprotecting vulnerable children, inparticular

lookingateducationandchild labourand the linkagesbetween them.With regard to

theNSPS,itdetailsincentivesforfamiliestoensurethatchildrenattendschool,services

for vulnerable children (including those in theworstformsof child labour)andpublic

works.

1.4 Roadmap

The NSPS is to be presented for endorsement by the Council of Ministers in 2010. The

immediatenextstepswillbetofurtherdevelopand implementthepriorityactionplan upto

2013. Implementation will be monitored regularly, with a midterm review in 2013 that will

inform

an

update

of

the

implementation

plan

for

20142015.

In

2015,

there

will

be

an

evaluation of implementation and the NSPS will subsequently be updated and revised as

needed.

20092011 : StrategyformulationandadoptionbytheCouncilofMinisters

20112013 : Implementationofshorttermpriorityactionplan

2013 : Midtermreviewandadjustment/updateofimplementationplan

20142015 : Implementationofupdatedimplementationplan

2015 : Evaluateandupdate/reviseNSPS


24/80

24

Chapter2

SOCIALPROTECTIONASAPRIORITYOF

ROYALGOVERNMENTOFCAMBODIA

SocialprotectionisapriorityoftheRGC.TheformulationoftheNSPSdrawsoncommitments

expressed in the Constitution, the Rectangular Strategy, the National Strategic Development

Plan(NSDP)andnationallegislation,aswellasininternationalconventionstowhichCambodia

isasignatory.

2.1 Lawsandlegaldocuments

TheConstitutionofKingdomofCambodiaistheframeworkforthescopeofsocialprotection

provisiontocitizens.Itcoverstherightofallcitizenstoobtainsocialsecurityandothersocial

benefits, as well as making special provisions for social security in the formal sector. The

Constitutionalso identifiesparticulargroupsthatmayrequirespecialassistance,suchaspoor

womenandchildren,people livingwithdisabilitiesand the familiesofcombatantswhohave

diedservingtheircountry.

Box1.ArticlesfromtheConstitution5regardingsocialprotectionprovision

Article36: EveryKhmercitizenshallhavetherighttoobtainsocialsecurityandothersocialbenefitsas

determinedbylaw.

Article46: TheStateandsocietyshallprovideopportunities towomen,especiallytothoselivinginrural

areaswithout

adequate

social

support,

so

they

can

get

employment,

medical

care,

and

send

theirchildrentoschool,andtohavedecentlivingconditions

Article73: TheStateshallgivefullconsiderationtochildrenandmothers.TheStateshallestablish

nurseries,andhelpsupportwomenandchildrenwhohaveinadequatesupport

Article74: TheStateshallassistthedisabledandthefamiliesofcombatantswhosacrificedtheirlivesfor

thenation.

Article75: TheStateshallestablishasocialsecuritysystemforworkersandemployees.

National legislation for statutory social security provision includes the Labour Law, the

Insurance Law, and the Subdecree on the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) covering

employment

injury

insurance,

the

pension

scheme,

a

shortterm

benefit

system,

the

Royal

DecreeonNationalSocialSecurityFundforCivilServant(NSSFC)coveringthesocialsecurity

system for public civil servants as well as the Law on Pension and Invalidity Benefits for

Cambodian Royal Arm Forces. Other special vulnerabilities are also addressed including the

LawonProtectingandImprovingRightsofPeoplewithDisabilities,LawonthePreventionof

5TheConstitutionofKingdomofCambodiain1993


25/80

25

Domestic Violence and Protection of Victims, Law on InterCountries Adoption, Law on

SuppressionofTraffickinginHumansandSexualExploitation...

2.2 RectangularStrategyPhaseIIandNationalStrategicDevelopmentPlan

Update20092013

TheRGCsRectangularStrategysetsthebroadpolicydirectionsforimprovingsocialprotection

andidentifies

priorities

for

the

development

of

social

safety

nets.

It

promotes

sustainable

and

equitable development and prioritises improvements in social protection provision. Through

socialsafetynets,theRGCintendstoincreasesocialsectorinterventions,thereby:

Enhancingemergencyassistancetovictimsofnaturaldisastersandcalamities; Reducingvulnerabilitiesofthepoor; Reducing disparities in maternal and child health outcomes and inequities in health

serviceutilisationandaccesstocarebetweenrichestandpoorestquintiles;

Preventingandwithdrawingchildrenfromchildlabour,especiallyitsworstforms; Enhancingaccesstoandqualityofchildrenseducation; Improvingemploymentopportunities; Enhancingprovisionoffeeexemptions,healthequityfunds(HEFs)6andsubsidyschemes

toensureaffordableaccesstohealthservices;and

Expanding rehabilitationprogrammes for thedisabled,aswellaswelfareprogrammesfortheelderly,orphans,femalevictims,peoplelivingwithHIVandTB,thehomelessand

veteransandtheirfamilies.

The National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) Update (20092013) further specifies the

needtostreamlinesocialprotection.InguidingthedevelopmentoftheNSPSandthepriorities

overthe

short

to

medium

term,

it

highlights

the

need

to:

Give preference to social protection measures that not only provide immediate reliefbutalsocontributetobuildingthebeneficiarypopulationsability/capacitytocontribute

tothesocialandeconomicdevelopmentoftheircommunity;

EnsuregreatertransparencyandbettertargetinginthedeliveryofsocialprotectionforthepoorthroughtheuseoftheIdentificationofPoorHouseholdsprogramme(IDPoor)7,

andthroughanotherappropriatelyadaptedtargetingmechanismforurbanpoorwhile

IDPoorisbeingadjustedtourbanareas;

Minimise

the

planning

and

delivery

costs

(overheads)

of

social

safety

net

programmes

to

achieveamaximumnettransferofresourcestobeneficiarypopulations;and

6 TheHEF isamechanism toreimbursehealth facilities for treatingpatientswhoareclassifiedas toopoorto

pay. The aim is toprovide poor people withaccess to appropriate health services and protect them against

healthrelatedimpoverishment. HEFswereintroducedintothenationalframeworkdevelopedin2003andthe

HealthSectorSupportProject from20042008,and followedthrough into thesecondHealthSectorSupport

Projectfor20092013.7 IDPooristheRGCsstandardisedsystemforpreidentifyingpoorhouseholds,


26/80

26

Ensure crosssectoral coordination and integration of social protection measures withdecentraliseddevelopmentplanning.

2.3 Commitmentsatthe2008CambodiaDevelopmentCooperationForum

TheRGCscommitmenttosocialprotectionasakeyprioritywasreaffirmedattheDecember

2008 Cambodia Development Cooperation Forum (CDCF). Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Keat

Chhonnoted

that,

while

significant

progress

has

been

made

in

reducing

overall

poverty

levels,

partsofthepopulationremainvulnerabletovariouseconomicandsocialshocks,pushingthem

into poverty and denying them equal opportunities to participate in economic growth.

Improving social protection was selected as a priority intervention for the RGC and

development partners in response to the crisis and as a longterm goal to enhance the

capacitiesofthepopulationtowithstandtheeffectsoffuturesimilaroccurrences.

2.4 ReaffirmedCommitmentattheNationalForumonSocialSafetyNets

RGCcommitmentstosocialprotectionandtheestablishmentofasocialsafetynetsystem,an

importantpartofa longertermgrowthstrategy,werereinforcedbyPrimeMinisterSamdach

AkkaMohaSenaPadeiTechoHunSen,presidingovertheJuly2009NationalForumonFood

Security and Nutrition under the Theme of Social Safety Nets in Cambodia. Box 2 presents

highlightsofthePrimeMinistersstatement.

Box2:StatementofPrimeMinisterSamdachAkkaMohaSenaPadeiTechoHunSen

The RoyalGovernment takes the global economic andfinancial crisis as a lesson, an experience and an

opportunitybyfiguringoutstrategicmeansandselectingpoliciesandmechanismstoacceleratesocioeconomic

development. In this purpose, the Royal Government has been actively strengthening and expanding its

collaboration with developmentpartners, theprivate sector, and the civil society to improvepeoples living

standard,speeduppovertyreductionandensurefoodsecurityasstipulatedinthenationaldevelopmentstrategy

ofthe

Royal

Government

of

the

4th

Legislature

of

the

National

Assembly.

In

this

context,

the

strengthening

of

SocialSafetySystemforrescuingandsupportingvulnerablegroupsistheRoyalGovernmentsmajorstrategyto

tacklethenegativeimpactandrisksarisingfromtheglobaleconomiccrisis

TheForumconcludedbyissuingarecommendationstatement,whichoutlined:

Theneedtodevelopanationalpolicy/strategy,andworkingactivitiesforanintegratedandsystematicsocialsafetynet,aswellastheexpansionandstrengtheningofexisting

Cambodiansafetynets;

The importanceofrespondingtotheeffectsofthecrisesandaddressingtheneedsofvulnerable

people

in

rural

areas

who

are

facing

food

shortages

caused

by

the

global

economiccrisisandfoodpriceincreases;

Theestablishmentofmeasures forpreventing,respondingtoand facilitatingresponsetocrisesinthefuture;

Thestrengtheningoftheprocessofimplementationofsafetynetprogrammesthroughthe subnational level to enable provision of efficient and transparent assistance to

vulnerablegroups;


27/80

27

The strengthening of the mechanism for the identification of poor households andvulnerablepeople;

The development of capacity at all levels to implement safety nets in an effective,accountableandtransparentmanneraccordingtopolicyandtheRectangularStrategy

PhaseII;

ThedelegationtoCARDoftheresponsibility forcoordinationand facilitationwith lineministries,

institutions

and

development

partners,

in

the

development

and

implementationofsafetynetprogrammes.

2.5 InternationalCommitments

The RGC is signatory to a number of international conventions which provide the legal

framework for the realisation of the right to social protection and the reinforcement of the

scopeofsocialprotectionprovisiontocitizens.Theseinclude,amongothers:

TheUniversalDeclarationofHumanRights;

The

United

Nations

Convention

on

the

Rights

of

the

Child;

TheConventiononEliminationofAllFormsofDiscriminationagainstWomen; TheInternationalCovenantonEconomic,SocialandCulturalRights; TheConventionontheRightsofPersonswithDisabilities;and TheMadridInternationalPlanofActiononAgeing.

The RGC has also ratified all International Labour Organization core labour standards and

conventions,includingConventionNo.138ontheMinimumAgeforAdmissiontoEmployment,

ConventionNo.182ontheEliminationoftheWorstFormsofChildLabour,andConventionNo.

122onEmploymentPolicy.


28/80

28

Chapter3

POVERTYANDVULNERABILITYPROFILE8

Cambodiahasenjoyedsignificanteconomicgrowthoverthepastdecade.Thenationaldatain

2004and2007showedthatthenationalpovertyratehaddroppedfrom34.7%in2004to30.1

in2007 indicatingthearateofpovertyreductionof1.2%peryear. In2010,thepovertyrate

haddroppedto25.8% (NSDP,20092013andCommuneDatabase,2009).However,thegaps

between the rich and the poor and the inequality between rural and urban areas are still

challengingissues.

Figure4:Povertyheadcount19942007

Source:CSES2004,NSDP20092013.

Thereareregionalvariationsinpovertylevels.Themostrecentregionaldatain2010usingthe

CommuneDatabaseshow thattheTonlSapzoneandthePlateau/Mountainzonehave the

highestpovertyheadcounts(36.6%forplateauandmountainousareas,30.8%fortheTonlSap

areas, 22.1% for the central plain areas, and 21.3% for the coastal areas where the national

averageis25.8%in2010)9.

8 ReferencesforthepovertyandvulnerabilityprofileareprovidedintheBackgroundNotetotheNSPS.

9 Data and information using in this chapter were excerpted from the most available updated documents.

However, given the fact that some surveys had been conducted since 2005 or 2008, the statement and

descriptionusingthisdatamightnotreflectthecurrentprogressiveness.


29/80

29

Figure5:Geographicvariationsinpovertyrates(in%)

Source:CommuneDatabase(2009).

Since

these

snapshots

of

poverty

were

taken,

Cambodia

has

been

hit

by

consecutive

macroeconomicshocksthefood,fuelandfinancialcriseswhichhavefurthercompromised

theabilityofthepoorandvulnerabletocope.Theimpactsofthesecriseshavebeencomplex,

andhaveaccentuateddifficultiesandcompromisedthe livelihoodsandwellbeingofmany, in

particularthosenearorbelowthepovertyline.

3.1 Risks,ShocksandVulnerabilities

Householdsfaceseveralrisksthatincreasetheirvulnerabilityandcanpushthemintopoverty.

Whentheserisksmanifestthemselves,householdsfaceshocksthatcandrasticallychangetheir

socioeconomic situation. The degree to which this change can happen depends on how

vulnerablehouseholds

are

to

shocks.

The

vulnerability

of

an

individual

or

household

depends

ontheirlevelofexposureandabilitytocopewithashock.

Povertyandvulnerabilityareintrinsicallyrelated.Vulnerabilityisacauseofpoverty,aswellasa

perpetuatinganddefiningelementofit.Poorhouseholdstendtohavefewercopingstrategies

toprotectthemagainstshocks,andvulnerablehouseholdsaresusceptibletobeingpushedinto

ordeeperintopovertyasaresultofshocks.


30/80

30

Figure6:Povertyandvulnerability

The key risks and shocks can be grouped into four categories: 1) emergencies and crises; 2)

human development constraints; 3) seasonal unemployment and income insecurity; and 4)

healthshocks.

3.1.1 EmergenciesandCrises

Cambodiaseconomyandhouseholdsweresignificantlyexposedtotherecentfood,fueland

financialcrises.AsCambodiabecomesmoreintegratedintotheglobaleconomy,theimpactof

externaleconomic

shocks

is

likely

to

become

more

frequent.

The impact of price fluctuations is complex, and the aggregate poverty impacts of the 2007

2008 price rises (the price of rice, the staple food crop of Cambodia, increased by

approximately 100% between 2007and 2008) areyet to be determined (pendinganalysis of

theCSES2008).Thepoorarenetfoodbuyers,whichmeantheywere leastabletocopewith

thesteeprise inprices.Thereweresomewinners (forexamplemilled ricesellers,oilsellers,

andagriculturaldaylabourers).

Poorandvulnerablehouseholdshavebeenhithardbytheimpactoftheeconomiccrisis,witha

significant

social

and

poverty

impact

in

constrained

circumstances.

There

are

concerns

that

women may have been disproportionately affected by the crisis, with significant loss of

employment in the garment industry (which predominantly employs female workers),

increased riskofdomesticviolenceandgreatervulnerabilityto traffickingandexploitation in

thecommercialsexindustry.Lowskilledmaleworkershavealsobeenvulnerable,inparticular

in the maledominated construction industry. The effects of the current economic crisis for

childrenofpoorandvulnerablehouseholdsarealso likelytohavebeensignificant,witharisk


31/80

31

of increasing child labour and poor families switching to less nutritious food and deferring

healthtreatment.

Cambodiaisalsovulnerabletonaturaldisasters,giventheuniquehydrologicalregimeandlow

coverageofwatercontrolinfrastructure.Theseaffectlivelihoodsandfoodsecurityandtakea

heavy toll on peoples living standards, pushing many further into poverty. Most rural

households

rely

heavily

on

subsistence

agriculture:

an

estimated

72%

of

Cambodians

are

dependent on fishing and agriculture for their livelihoods. Fishing and agriculture (and thus

households food security) are heavily dependent on weather conditions and can fluctuate

significantlyfromyeartoyear.

In the past decade, unusual floods and droughts have severely affected large parts of the

countryside,resultinginthreeyearsofnegativeagriculturalgrowth(2000,2002,and2004).In

2009,TyphoonKetsana left43peopledeadand67severelyinjuredanddestroyedthehomes

and livelihoods of some 49,000 families or 180,000 people (equivalent to 1.4% of the

population). Most of the districts affected were among the poorest in the country, and the

widespread damage to property and public infrastructure will have a longterm impact on

communitieslivelihoods(CambodiaNationalCommitteeforDisasterManagement,2010)

Floodsanddroughtsareamongthemostdamagingshocks for ruralhouseholds,andclimate

changewillheightentheirseverity.AlthoughmanyregionsinCambodiaarerelativelyshielded

fromclimatehazards,almostallprovincesareconsideredvulnerabletotheimpactsofclimate

change owing to low adaptive capacity resulting from financial, technological, infrastructural

andinstitutionalconstraints.Climatechangeimpactswillhavesignificantimplicationsforfood

security.

Somegroupsinthepopulationneedspecialassistanceduringcrisesbecausetheyhavelimited

capacitytohelpthemselves.Inparticular,iftheyarenot integrated intosocialnetworks,they

will find it more difficult to recover and may require immediate response to ensure

uninterruptedaccesstoservicestheydependonforsurvival(e.g.accesstoantiretroviraldrugs,

physicalrehabilitation,etc).

3.1.2 HumanDevelopmentConstraints

Individual crises along the lifecycle can also have negative impacts on human development.

Malnutrition iscausedby inadequateinfantandyoungchildfeedingpractices,high levelsof

infectiousdisease

and

inability

to

access

and

afford

nutritious

food.

Despite

efforts

to

address

the underlying causes of malnutrition, the proportions of thin (8.9%), short (39.5%) and

underweight(28.8%)childrenremainhigh(CambodiaAnthropometricSurvey2008).

BecauseIlliteracyisoneofthesourcesofvulnerability,improvingaccesstoqualityeducation

iscontinuedtobeapriorityofMoEYSincludingbasicschoolfacilities,textbooksandsupplyof

(trained) teachers. According to the data of MoEYS in the 20092010 schoolyear, the net

enrolmentrateatthethreeeducation levels(primary,secondaryandhighschool)were94.8,


32/80

32

31.9,and19.4%respectively.Therepetitionanddropoutrateatprimaryschoollevelisstilla

concernofMoEYSaimingtoreducethisratetolowerthan10%.Inaverage,thesurvivalrateto

primary, secondary and highschool level are 83, 48.7, and 26% respectively. The ratio of

teachingstafftopupilsatthethreeeducationlevelswere49,24,and29respectively.Children

inruralareasaremorethantwotimeslesslikelytocontinuetolowersecondarythanchildren

inPhnomPenh(25%oftheformervs.61%ofthelatter).

3.1.3 SeasonalUnemploymentandIncomeInsecurity

Labour force underwent dramatically changes in the last decade. In 2010, the proportion of

populationbelow15yearoldwas61.8%.Youth labour forcehadbeendroppedslightly from

60.7% in 1998 to 60.1% in 2008 reflecting the positive trend of longer retention of youth in

educationsystem.

According to the analysis in the Labour and Social Trend in Cambodia 2010 by MoP,

unemployment rate is low in Cambodia. However, 82.5% of workers remain in vulnerable

employmentreferringtounpaidfamilyworkersandselfemployedworkers.Theoutofschool

rate among children was about 15% in 2010 even though this rate had been dropped from

18.7% in 2005. This issue raises a serious concern since those outofschool children will

participate in labourmarketsandreceive lowpaid incomeandjobs. Inthecontextrelatedto

education, youth will have to challenge to 2 types of risks: the difficulties to find job

opportunities for those who dropped out and outofschool system, and the mismatch

betweenfieldofstudyandlabourmarketdemandforthosewhohadattainedschoolbuthad

low opportunities to get jobs. Although the proportion of the illiterate and no primary

education employed population over 15 yearolds had been dropped from 71.6% in 1998 to

58.8%in2008,thisrateisstillremarkablyhigh.Meanwhile,unskilledworkersareunderstrong

pressureto

find

ajob

and

are

more

likely

to

accept

precarious

and

poorly

remunerated

jobs.

ThefundamentalchallengesforlaboursectorinCambodiaarethedemandforincreasingwork

productivityandtoensurethatthisgrowthhastobeinlinewithbetterworkingconditionand

wage rate.The averageannualgrowth ofworkproductivity inagricultural sector, the largest

sectorprovidesjobopportunities,(72.1%ofemployedpopulation)wasonly1.7%(Labourand

SocialTrendReport,MoP,2010).

On the other hand, as stated in the Policy Document on the Promotion of Paddy Rice

Production and Export of Milled Rice developed by SNEC, with the production of 7.59M

tonnes,Cambodia

has

the

capacity

of

self

supply

and

export

about

3.51M

tonnes

in

2009.

This

figureconfirmsthatCambodiahasthecapacitytoensurefoodsecurityatnationallevel.

Food insecurityathouseholdandcommunity level isaconcernrooted fromchronicpoverty.

The numbers of foodinsecure households occur during the lean season, natural disasters,

calamities and shocks. Among the rural poor, the main causes of food insecurity are lack of

access to land, livestock, credit, markets and agricultural inputs. Poor rural households are


33/80

33

dependentpredominantlyontheirown limitedfoodproductionand irregular,lowpaidcasual

wagelabour.

The vast majority of the poor people live in rural areas. Poverty is associated with low

agricultural productivity and limited alternative livelihood opportunities. The seasonality of

labourrequirementsinfarmingmeansthathouseholds,especiallythosewithlittleorno land,

areobliged

to

find

off

farm

employment

in

the

slack

agricultural

season

to

supplement

family

income. Given the limited availability of nonfarm employment, households, especially those

withlittleorno land,increasinglyneedtorelyon incomefromunskilledwageemployment in

urbanareasor inneighbouringcountries.Seasonallabourmigration isparticularlycommon in

provincesnearThailandandVietNam.

3.1.4 HealthShocks

Healthshocksaffectthepoordisproportionatelythroughthreechannels.Firstly,thepoormay

havehigherprevalenceofinjuriesandillnessesastheyareoften involvedinphysicaljobsand

facegreaterriskofaccidentsand injury;havepoornutrition;have lessaccesstocleanwater

and sanitation10; live in poorer housing conditions; and have less access to health and social

services. Secondly, thepoorare affected through forgone income by not being able to work

which,becauseofa lackofsavings,hasagreaterimpactonthepoor.Lastly,poorhouseholds

gettrapped inaviciouscycleof1)highhealthcarecosts;2)highoutofpocketexpenditures

involved inseekinghealthcare;3) indebtednessatoverwhelminglyhigh interestrates11when

householdresourcesare insufficient;and4)sellingassets (usually land)whenallother funds

aredepleted.Oncethecyclestartsitisverydifficulttobreakoutofit;assuch,itisimportantto

preventitbystartingbytacklinghighhealthcarecostsandoutofpocketexpenditures.

Progressin

enhancing

the

delivery

of

health

services

has

been

significant.

From

early

on,

the

RGC had adopted a health sectorwide management (SWiM) approach to guide the

developmentofthissector.Upto2008,thenumbersofHealthCentresandhealthposts,the

front linefacilitiesprovidingMinimumPackageofActivity located inremoteareas,hasbeen

increasedto967and108respectively.ThetotalnumberofReferralHospitals is84.However,

theNSDPUpdate200920013alsorecogniseissuesoccurringinpublichealthservicedeliveries.

Healthoutcomesandhealthserviceutilisationratesindifferentsocioeconomicgroupspoint

toequityissuesthatneedstrongerattention.Criticalconcernsabouttheunevendistributionof

Emergency Obstetric Neonatal Care services across the country indicate the need for

increasing quality of continuum of care for Reproductive, Maternal, New Born and Child

Health

Programmes.

Because

the

Maternal

mortality

remains

unacceptably

high

(461

casualties per 100,000 born), substantial investments in delivery services and fast track

10 Halfofhouseholdsinthepoorestquintiledonothaveaccesstoimprovedsourcesofdrinkingwaterand87.2%

livewithoutsanitation.11

The2007CSESfoundthattheaverage interestrateofhealthrelateddebtrangedbetween50%and60%per

year.


34/80

34

interventionsarerequired12.Only63%ofbirthswereattendedbytrainedbirthattendants in

2009,eventhoughthisrepresentedasignificantincreasefrom22%percentin2003(Ministryof

Health,2010a).Underfivemortality isestimatedtobeat83outof1,000children inthisage

range,withchildren inthepoorestquintileatalmostthreetimestheriskofdyingbeforethe

ageoffivethanthoseinthehighestwealthquintile.

Goodfinancing

system

is

an

essential

mean

to

ensure

the

quality

of

service

for

all

people.

Over

the past 20 years, the health sector has had a substantial increase not only in RGCs budget

allocations but also in funding provided by external development partners. In 2008, the

contributions of both RGC and the external development partners to the health sector were

aboutthesame,ataround8US$percapita.However,Cambodiansexperiencehighcostsof

access and utilisation of essential health care services. Total annual health expenditure is

aboutUS$40percapita,ofwhicharound60%isindividualsoutofpocketspending.TheHealth

Financing Charter (HFC), introduced in 1996, regulates the application of user fees at

governmenthealthfacilitiesandsanctionedafeeexemptionsystemforthosetoopoortopay

forhealthcare,toenablethemtoreceivecareatgovernmentfacilitiesforfreewhenneeded.

Currently,theHealthEquityFundandFeeExemptionhasbeenimplementedin50operational

districts(covered51referralhospitalsand120healthposts).TwelveCommunitybasedhealth

insurance schemes have been implemented in 11 operational districts (in 7 provinces and

PhnomPenh)coveredon11referralhospitaland81healthposts. Inpractice,theexemption

systemcovers fewer thanhalfofthoseconsidered toopoor topay forservices (68%ofpoor

peoplehadbeenprotectedunderHEFandfeeexemptionsystemequalto2,832,844persons

wheretheCBHIschemescoveredon73,828beneficiaries).

3.2 VulnerableGroups

Infantsand

children,

girls

and

women

of

reproductive

age

and

food

insecure

households

are

particularly vulnerable to the shocks described and therefore should be the target of social

protectioninterventions.

3.2.1 Infantsandchildren

Infants and children constitute over a third of the population. In the last recent years, the

situation of child mortality have been improved substantially where infant mortality had

decreasedfrom95to60deathsper1,000 livebirthsfrom2000to2008,(alreadyreaching its

2010CMDGtarget)andunderfivemortalityhaddecreased from124to83deathsper1,000

livebirthsfrom2000to2005(witha2010CMDGtargetof75).However,therearestillwide

regionalvariations

that

need

to

be

addressed:

infant

and

under

five

mortality

are

still

almost

doublethenationalaverage inKampongSpeu,PreahVihear,StungTreng,PreyVeng,Mondol

KiriandRatanakKiri(MoP,2010).

12 NSDP Update 20092013 recognized that maternal mortality is a crosssectoral problem, influenced by

womens education and literacy levels, infrastructure development, and levelsof womens participation and

genderequity.


35/80

35

Poverty creates a barrier to access to and completion of school. Indirect costs related to

uniforms, materials, food at school, transportation and informal school fees, along with

parentsneedtomigrateforworkandtheopportunitycostofhavingchildreninschoolrather

thancontributingtothefamilyincome,placeaburdenonparents.

Infants and children are at risk of detrimental coping strategies that can have lifetime

consequences,

including

being

fed

National Strategy for the Poor and Vulnerable 2011-2015 ENG

Documents

Transcript of National Strategy for the Poor and Vulnerable 2011-2015 ENG