Phnom Penh, 02 April 2018: In partnership with the Council for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), WorldFish Center and other UN agencies, FAO ran a workshop to further discuss with relevant government stakeholders, development partners and NGOs on shock responsive social protection system in Cambodia, and to identify mechanisms to promote coherence between social protection, Small-Scale Fisheries, and response to disaster. 

“This workshop is looking at important questions to support inclusive growth. How can social protection support disaster response and resilient fisheries’ livelihoods, and in coherence with fisheries policies? And what are the priority risk-informed and shock-responsive social protection programmes for scaling up,” said Mr. Alexandre Huynh, FAO representative.

 There is a growing consensus that social protection plays a key role for not only social but also economic development, and in supporting countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on ending hunger and poverty.

Mr. Alexandre Huynh further explained that Social protection not only has the potential to support the livelihoods of rural households and promote resilience, but it can also contribute to environmental sustainability by minimizing negative copying strategies in the event of crises, which may have negative effects on natural resources.

H.E Dr. Sok Silo, Deputy Secretary-General of CARD mentioned that, “social protection has become a priority for the Royal Government of Cambodia, which is clearly reflected in the National Social Protection Policy Framework 2016-2025,” and adding that “the long-term vision of the Royal Government of Cambodia is to establish an inclusive, effective and financially sustainable social protection system, and use it as a tool to reduce and prevent poverty, vulnerability and inequality while contributing to the development and protection of human resources and stimulate economic growth.”

Social protection alone, however, cannot eradicate poverty and achieve rural development outcomes. When complementarities between social protection policies and agricultural (including fisheries) policies are operationalized through the design and implementation of coherent policies and programmes, interventions can have positive outcomes on households and local communities.

Dr. Meas Piseth, Deputy Secretary-General of MAFF also pointed out that rural households can easily fall back into poverty if they are affected by the natural disasters such as flood and drought, and highlighted the importance of having specific safety net in place in order to protect them from shocks.

To further support the country in the development of social protection system, two studies are being conducted in Cambodia under the leadership and coordination of CARD and MAFF.

The first study, focusing on shock-responsive social protection system in Cambodia, is part of the ECHO funded regional project “Strengthening the capacity of ASEAN Member States to design and implement risk informed and shock responsive social protection”.  This project responds to a request from ASEAN for support in developing guidelines for making social protection more risk-informed and shock-responsive. It represents a true UN partnership between FAO, UNICEF, ILO, WFP and UNISDR. Different agencies lead the study in different countries and FAO is leading in Cambodia.

The project supports the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) Work Programme 2016-2020, and the ASEAN Regional Framework and Action Plan to implement the ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening Social Protection. This project is based on the recognition that the whole ASEAN region is increasingly vulnerable to shocks – Cambodia is no exception.  Climate change has accelerated this vulnerability, leaving governments looking for ways to respond more effectively. ASEAN is now asking how social protection systems can be part of this response. In particular, can social protection systems be informed by risks variables and equipped with flexible delivery modalities? If so, social protection would not only enhance effectiveness of disaster response and recovery but also reduce vulnerabilities and strengthen resilience, while promoting livelihood transformation by establishing a national social protection floor.

On the other hand, the second study focuses on promoting coherence between social protection and resilient livelihoods of small-scale fishers. The study is jointly conducted by FAO and the WorldFish Center to support Cambodia in the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication. Fish is exceptionally important for Cambodia’s food and nutrition security. Together with rice, fish forms the mainstay of the Cambodian diet. Fishers are among the most vulnerable socio-economic groups due to their particularly high exposure to certain natural, health-related or economic shocks and disasters. Fisheries dependent rural poor households have an unmet need for social protection and are often not adequately covered by social protection systems. This includes national social assistance programmes, unemployment benefits, and market labour policies.

During the workshop, key initial findings of the two studies were presented to the key stakeholders, and guidance and inputs for improvement of both studies were gathered. Consequently, stakeholders have gained a better understanding of existing social protection policies, programmes, with improved potential for scaling up and to be shock-responsive.