United for Youth Employment in Cambodia

UN agencies join forces to promote youth employment in Cambodia

The Royal Government of Cambodia and five UN agencies and programmes (ILO, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF and UNV), with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, launched a new joint programme to promote youth employment and reduce inequalities in the country.

News | Phnom Penh | 05 September 2017
Ith Samheng, Minister of Labour and Vocational Training of Cambodia (center-left) with Maurizio Bussi, Director, ILO Country Office for Cambodia (Center-right)
PHNOM PENH (ILO News) – Key stakeholders from the Royal Government of Cambodia and the United Nations system signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a two-year cooperation, to start a new joint programme promoting better jobs for young women and men.

In Cambodia, 270,000 new workers enter the labour-force every year. Many are forced into jobs where informality and working poverty prevail. “United For Youth Employment in Cambodia” will promote decent and productive employment opportunities for Cambodian youth, with strong focus on the employability of young job seekers through quality education and skills training, including life skills, entrepreneurship and volunteerism.

The Joint Programme is based on a multilateral cooperation between the Royal Government of Cambodia and five UN agencies: the ILO as the administrative and convening agency, as well as UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF and UNV, with the support and strategic partnership of the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC). It translates into country-level action the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth launched in February 2016 by ILO Director General Guy Ryder, to create opportunities for youth everywhere.

The Joint Programme will facilitate young people’s entrance to the labour force while reducing inequalities in the country – particularly for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups - and ensuring young women and men are better able to meet labour demand. It will be implemented for an initial phase of two years starting in 2017, with a combined contribution of $4.5 million USD from SDC and the five UN agencies.

The launching and signature ceremony for the Joint Programme, organized by the Office of ILO in Phnom Penh, was attended by high-level personalities and representatives from the Government’s Ministries of Labour and Vocational Training and Education, Youth and Sport; members from the United Nations system and the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation; as well as workers, employers delegates.

In her welcome remarks at the ceremony, Ms. Claire Van der Vaeren, the United Nations Resident Coordinator for Cambodia, stressed the importance of promoting youth employment in the effort to support Cambodia’s economic development contributing to realising country’s growth.In her welcome remarks at the ceremony, Ms. Claire Van der Vaeren, the United Nations Resident Coordinator for Cambodia, stressed the importance of promoting youth employment in the effort to support Cambodia’s economic development contributing to realising country’s growth.

“The joint programme has offered a unique opportunity for all relevant stakeholders of Cambodia’s society including the Government, United Nations, development aid agencies, civil society and the private sector to work together toward achieving the one same goal of enabling young women and men to access better employments particularly for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups,” she said.

His Excellency Ith Samheng, Minister of Labour and Vocational Training, congratulated all involved parties for the meaningful accomplishment of the development of the joint programme and praised the multilateral partnerships for the success of programme implementation.

“I am pleased to see diverse stakeholders coming together to embark on such a meaningful cooperative implementation, promoting quality and better access to employment for Cambodia’s youth population, and help address challenges of youth employment in Cambodia,” he stated as he addressed participants at the ceremony.

The Joint Programme will benefit from the envisaged long-term partnership with Swiss Development Cooperation Agency, as a contributor and a catalyst of policy and service coherence.

“The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation has the privilege to cooperate with all relevant key players in the sector for creating more and better jobs for Cambodian young people,” said Ms. Carin Salerno, Director, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, adding that providing support to Cambodia in its development efforts is one of the key focuses of the Agency.

“This unique cooperation is an opportunity to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals, particularly goal 8, promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all, with a focus on youth employment.” Concluded Mr Maurizio Bussi, Director, ILO Country Office for Cambodia, Thailand and Lao People's Democratic Republic.

For more information, contact:

Mr. Tun Sophorn
Country Representative of ILO
Tel.: 077 777 849
tun@ilo.org

Mr. Tep Asnarith, Information Officer
Office of the UN Resident Coordinator
Tel.: 012 957 919
asnarith.tep@one.un.org