Cambodia
Country Programmes

Accelerating Disability rights in Cambodia

Start DateOngoingEnd Date
 
 
24 Feb 202131 Dec 2025
Programme Status
Open
Programme Budget
US$ 1,170,000
Financial Information
Thematic focus: Access to Justice, Economic empowerment, Employment, National development planning and monitoring, Social Protection

Implementing Partners

UN Agencies

  • UNDP
  • UNESCO
  • OHCHR

Government Organizations

  • Disability Action Council (DAC)

Organizations of Persons with Disabilities

  • Cambodia Disabled People’s Organisation (CDPO)

The Programme

The project will have a 3-pronged approach aimed at enhancing the rights of persons with disabilities in Cambodia. On a systemic level, the project will support inclusive processes of consultation, drafting, enactment and implementation of the new rights-based Disability Law. The new law will be a structural change which will hopefully represent the cornerstone for building a more rights-based and disability inclusive society in Cambodia.

Phase 2

The second phase of the programme in Cambodia is building on the transformative success of the first phase to accelerate access to health, including rehabilitation, and social protection services. This phase of the programme has a particular focus on increasing access to local services for persons with disabilities – including women, girls and underrepresented persons with disabilities. The programme is consolidating the legal reform processes achieved in the first phase, providing targeted capacity building to strengthen the capacity of ministries, national, provincial and district disability action committees and organizations of persons with disabilities to strengthen service delivery, and supporting the rollout and operationalization of the digital monitoring and evaluation system for the National Disability Strategic Plan 2024-2028 developed in the first phase.

Approach

The project will address the capacity of key actors, particularly rights holders and duty bearers, to support and monitor UNCRPD implementation in areas identified in the situation analysis particularly access to social protection, employment and justice. In addition, it will improve access to information of persons with disabilities which was identified as the main barrier to accessing services. The interventions will also enhance participation of currently underrepresented groups of persons with disabilities and address some of the specific issues facing women with disabilities.
The project will also contribute to increased disability inclusion in national policies and plans including COVID-19 Recovery plan and increased representation of persons with disabilities and their organizations (OPDs) in decision making, policy development and monitoring of implementation of those policies and plans.
The UN’s strategic position in Cambodia will be reaffirmed and elevated by strengthening the UNCT’s capacity to support the country to adhere to disability rights in line with its commitments under the UNCRPD and in attaining the SDGs in the most inclusive way.

Programme Documents