Prime Highlights
- UNICEF and IBC signed a three-year MoU for Cambodian children.
- Partnership promotes child-sensitive business practices nationwide.
Key Facts
- The agreement runs through 2029.
- Focus areas include skills, workplace policies, and digital inclusion.
Background
UNICEF Cambodia and the International Business Chamber of Cambodia signed a three-year memorandum of understanding until 2029. This partnership has been created to involve the business community in this venture to help the children and young people of Cambodia.
This agreement is one where the experience of UNICEF in child rights and development work has been combined with the extensive network of the chamber. The partnership seeks to foster a business environment in which children are recognized as an essential stakeholder in sustainable growth and development, given that companies influence children’s lives daily through employment practices, products, services, technology, environmental impact, and community investment.
UNICEF’s representative-designate to Cambodia said children’s futures are shaped not only by governments and families but also by decisions made in boardrooms, factories, offices, and workplaces nationwide. She said the business community has a significant opportunity to drive innovation, create opportunities for young people, and contribute solutions to some of the country’s most pressing development challenges, adding that the partnership aims to translate this potential into meaningful action for children.
The chamber’s chairperson said members are already engaged in areas such as education, health, road safety, and skills development, and that the partnership builds on this work using UNICEF’s expertise. He said involving the private sector in these discussions can help identify practical ways businesses can strengthen opportunities for the next generation and support the country’s long-term growth.
The partnership will focus on promoting business practices that support children’s rights while advancing national development priorities, covering youth skills development, child-sensitive workplace policies, climate resilience, digital inclusion, and health and well-being. It is grounded in a framework guiding businesses on respecting children’s rights across the workplace, marketplace, community, and environment, and will include awareness events and capacity-building activities.
