Governments have increasingly recognized social protection as a key policy instrument to build a more productive, protected and healthy population in Asia and the Pacific. In 2020, ESCAP member States endorsed the regional Action Plan to Strengthen Regional Cooperation on Social Protection (Action Plan), which serves as a shared vision, strategy and platform for promoting partnership and peer learning and identifying needs for capacity development. The Action Plan sets out 12 national actions that underpin the achievement of more inclusive and comprehensive social protection systems, ranging from upholding the right to social protection in legislative and regulatory frameworks, to ensuring a more effective design, coordination and delivery of social protection schemes.

To support member States in the implementation of this first ever regional Action Plan, ESCAP has been mandated to develop a regional platform to facilitate peer learning as well as take stock of the readiness of countries to implement the Action Plan and achieve more inclusive and comprehensive social protection systems. Reports and consultations are being conducted in four countries across Asia and the Pacific, (Cambodia, the Maldives, Mongolia and the Philippines) to share national experiences and pathways towards this vision.
The social protection system in Cambodia is still in its infancy, with a limited number of schemes in place. For this reason, the Government has in recent years demonstrated leadership to strengthen its social protection coverage, which serves as a valuable experience to share with other countries that are also developing their social protection system.

This National Report on the Readiness of the Government of Cambodia to Implement the Action Plan to Strengthen Regional Cooperation on Social Protection aims to:

• present an overview of the social protection situation, policies and approaches in Cambodia
• identify the potential impact a broadening of coverage could have on poverty and other areas
• initiate discussion on ways for the Government to implement the Action Plan.