PHNOM PENH: The Ministry of Economy and Finance has officially announced the implementation of the strategy for communication and dissemination of social protection in the sense of harmonization, promotion, and pushing the social protection system to the public more effectively.

The Secretary-General and Permanent Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee of the National Social Protection Council, Chan Narith, said at the National Dissemination Workshop on “The Communication Strategy for Social Protection in Cambodia” today that it is another step in communication and outreach work related to social protection for the purpose of harmonizing work, communication and dissemination. He said it is also to ensure consistency and effectiveness in both policymaking and implementation, as well as to ensure that citizens and beneficiaries of the social protection system have adequate and timely information to understand the social protection regime/program set by the Royal Government.

He said that under the care of the Head of the Royal Government of Cambodia and the efforts of stakeholders, important achievements have been made in the development of the social protection system, such as the implementation of a "cash support program for poor and vulnerable families during the fight against Covid-19,” the organization of appropriate vocational training for young people from poor families, the implementation of the "Cash for Work" program, and the launch of the social security system for pensions.

It should be noted that the social protection communication and outreach strategy has been developed through several meetings, both face-to-face and remote, collecting key input from the Ministry, relevant institutions, development partners and civil society organizations.

The National Social Protection Council has initiated the development of this communication and outreach strategy, setting goals, objectives, and communication activities to present and disseminate understanding of policies, practices, and benefits of social protection regimes and programs to policymakers and development partners, especially the beneficiaries of the social protection system throughout the Kingdom of Cambodia.

In addition to announcing the official implementation of the social protection communication and dissemination strategy today, the workshop also discussed the progress of the implementation of the National Social Protection Policy Framework 2016-2026.