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Social
Safety Nets
- Social Safety Nets for social, cultural and economic growth.
- Existing policy priority for Government
- Next steps underpin Cambodia’s future and sustained growth
Aim of today’s dialogue
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Identify common sources of vulnerability
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Highlight current commitments, good practice, lessons
learned
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Discuss opportunities – policy and action for a coordinated
system of assistance
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Focus on leadership and partnership
Risks faced by Cambodia households
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30 percent of the population still live below the national
poverty line.
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Current risks increased due to inflation and global
financial crisis
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Reduced economic capacity > poverty
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Most vulnerable – urban and rural poor; economic migrants;
landless and land poor; families affected by chronic illness and
disability
Need for immediate and long term responses
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Absence of formal social safety
nets > households face many risks
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50 percent surveyed cut back on
food consumption
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Poorest spend 70 percent of
household spending on food
Vulnerability
“threatens their nutritional status and worsens their health, resulting in
lasting adverse impacts”
Building a common understanding
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Social safety nets respond to economic and social shocks –
preventative – promote long term investment
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Programmes that target benefits to the poor and most
vulnerable
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Social safety nets – not only for rich countries,
Developing countries 1 – 2 percent of GDP
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Cambodia’s current investment less than 1 percent
A well designed system supports growth
promoting policies
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Pro growth policies and social safety nets are
complementary
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Macro economics “well targetted social
safety nets for the most vulnerable should complement pro growth
oriented spending in productive areas”
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Social Safety nets facilitate the operation of markets and
growth, increasing security, promoting growth, equity and equality of
opportunity
Existing commitments and current status in
Cambodia
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Pensions – civil
servants, veterans
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National Social
Security Fund – 250,000 employees in formal private sector
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School feeding –
500,000 students
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Food for work
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Targeted
scholarships – girls – 29,000 students
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Access to health
care by poor 44 health sector operational districts, 6 national
hospitals
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Cash transfers –
victims of natural disasters
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2009 – more than 2
third of country covered – 5,004 villages in 10 provinces, 6 provinces
covered in full
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Opportunity to
expand to nationwide implementation
Limitations to existing activities
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Often confined to sub sectors, geographic areas or target
groups
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Use different methodology for identifying beneficiaries
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Often funded largely by development partners through
specific projects
Opportunity – coordinated social safety net
system under Government
leadership
Future opportunities and policy priorities
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Support to existing activities focused on the most
vulnerable
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Inter-ministry engagement at the central level
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Use of data across sectors
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Financing – including incremental budget from Government
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Identify capacity requirements and build capacity
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Focal point to coordinate Government strategy
- Development partners reinforce their commitment to supporting
Government’s development of an interlinked social safety net system that
focuses on the poorest and most vulnerable and the achievement of
Cambodia’s development goals.
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