PHNOM PENH: Minister of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, Chea Somethy, said that nearly 400,000 elderly people over 60 are currently benefiting from the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), while the government prepares other policies that are being put in place to help the elderly face their challenges.
At a ceremony to honor International Day for Older Persons on October 2, the minister noted that taking care of Cambodia’s elderly population is included in the government’s highly-promoted economic Pentagon Strategy and that Prime Minister Hun Manet heads the Cambodian National Committee for the Elderly.
The minister also highlighted Cambodia’s national 2017-2030 policy for bettering the livelihoods of the country’s older population, which includes a 2016-2025 framework for social protection programs and provides social services. The NSSF was launched in 2019 and continues to develop social security for Cambodia’s most vulnerable populations.
The minister noted that policies to support retirees, the disabled, former civil servants and veterans have also been improved to better the plight of the elderly.
The theme of the Cambodian Day of Older Persons this year is "Helping the elderly helps us all." While the international theme for 2023 is “Fulfilling the Promises of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for Older Persons: Across Generations.”
According to the 2019 census, Cambodia has an estimated 1.3 million elderly people, or 8.9% of the nation’s 15 million people. Older people living in remote rural areas often suffer from poor living conditions and limited access to care. Elderly women are usually responsible for providing childcare when parents leave for reasons of work, divorce, or death.
To address these issues, the Royal Government of Cambodia, with the Ministry of Social Affairs, and the Cambodian National Committee for the Elderly are continuing to strengthen and expand the Association of the Elderly in communes, promote community-based elderly development programs and family-based elderly care programs, along with specially designed and operated services that train care elderly care providers.