UN and Royal Government move forward with five year assistance plan Millions of Cambodians to benefit

The UN and the Royal Government of Cambodia signed a five-year development assistance plan for 2011-2015. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance H.E. Keat Chhon and UN Resident Coordinator Douglas Broderick, as well as the heads of the 23 UN agencies operating in Cambodia, signed the “UN Development Assistance Framework, 2011-2015”, providing a basis for the planning and coordination of all UN programme activities in Cambodia over the five years leading up to 2015.The UN Country Team in Cambodia is one of the largest UN country presences globally, with 23 specialised agencies, funds and programmes and just under 1,000 staff implementing projects in every province in the country. United Nations operations have annually contributed about USD100 million of development aid to Cambodia in recent years.“The UN in Cambodia looks forward to continuing to work with the Royal Government toward reaching that day when Cambodia announces that the Cambodia Millennium Development Goals have been met and that all people living in Cambodia have the same access to opportunities to lead a full and productive life, irrespective of their race, age, gender, health status, geographical location, socio-economic standing, or political influence,” Mr. Broderick stated.The UNDAF was developed through a year long, broad-based consultation process, which included Government, Development Partners and UN agencies working in Cambodia. It is anchored in and aligned with the Government’s Rectangular Strategy Phase II and the National Strategic Development Plan. It builds on the achievements and progress of the last decade, and on the UN's position as a trusted and neutral partner of the RGC and the people of Cambodia.The UN in Cambodia provides a wealth of technical capability in a wide range of areas including health, education, migration, HIV and AIDS, governance, fiscal policy, gender equality and women’s empowerment, human rights, agricultural production, avian and pandemic influenza, water and sanitation, labour, human trafficking, trade, cultural preservation, human settlements, refugees, youth, population, drug abuse prevention, and food security. # # # For further information, please contact:Margaret Lamb, UN Communications Officer, a.i.Phone: (855) 023 216 167 ext. 124Mobile: 012 707 457Email: margaret.lamb@one.un.org