PHNOM PENH: The Royal Government of Cambodia has officially launched a special committee to monitor the activities of the International Conference on Population and Development in order to promote effective monitoring of the implementation of action programs in line with the government's commitment.

The official launching ceremony of the International Committee on Population and Development (ICPD) was held on the morning of 30 March 2022 by the Minister of Planning and the Chairman of the NCDD, Mr. Chhay Thorn with the participation of the Ministry of Women's Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Interior.

The Special Action Monitoring Committee set up to promote the implementation of the International Conference on Population and Development's action program, will assist in achieving the three outcomes, or called zero three.

These three zeros refer to the elimination of preventive maternal mortality, the elimination of unwanted family plans and the end of gender-based violence by 2030.

Mr. Chhay Thorn said that this special committee was established in accordance with the commitment of the Cambodian government in implementing the activities of the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994, which Cambodia has worked on this work progressively.

He also said that the International Conference on Population and Development, held in 1994 in Egypt, the United Nations has set out a number of key action plans aimed at improving the quality of life and freedoms of people around the world. He called for the recognition of the relationship between people and development and called for greater attention to women's empowerment, the promotion of reproductive health, the promotion of women's rights and the inclusion of these issues into the process of national, regional and global development.

He said that during that time, Cambodia participated in this conference and signed to accept all the activities mentioned by the conference, which is the first event of Cambodia.

Cambodia is one of the 179 signatories to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Development, and is now committed to implementing all action plans, addressing population and development issues incorporating demographic dynamics into key national development planning and strategies.

It should be noted that in 2019, the Minister of Women's Affairs and 17 relevant ministries, in collaboration with UNFPA, initiated a proposal to the Government to establish an appropriate national mechanism to monitor the implementation of the activities of the International Conference on Population and Development. As a result, the government decided to set up a special committee to monitor the implementation of the program.

Cambodia, along with 179 countries around the world, has adopted the ICPD Conference Guidelines, recognizing reproductive health and the promotion of women and gender equality as pillars of sustainable development.

The ICPD's Guidelines for Action have brought about a world where pregnancy is "aspirational, safe, and fulfilling for all young people."