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Danida in Cambodia

Danish development assistance to Cambodia has been phased out since 2013. On this page, you can find information about the Danish development assistance in Cambodia which took place between 1997 and 2013 and was managed through Danida. The Danish development assistance in Cambodia amounted to around 700 million DKK throughout this period.

Management of natural resources and poverty reduction  
Danish development cooperation with Cambodia was introduced in 1997 with a program aimed at improving living conditions and reducing poverty in the four coastal provinces of Cambodia by focusing on securing an environmentally, economically and socially balanced exploitation of the natural resources. The goals of the program were formulated in cooperation with the government of Cambodia. With some restructuring, the program was carried on in cooperation with other donors until 2012.

Human rights and good governance
In 2006, another development program was initiated which aimed at promoting democracy, human rights and good governance. The program focused on activities related to reforms of the justice system, anti-corruption, human rights monitoring and human rights education.

Other smaller development programs
In 2008, the development cooperation between Denmark and Cambodia increased further as a private sector program was introduced. The aim of this program was to strengthen Cambodia’s possibilities of benefiting from globalisation.

Danida also supported climate related activities up until 2012 which aimed at improving the Cambodian Ministry of Environment’s capacity to develop and implement policies related to climate changes. On top of this, this program also sought to strengthen the ministry’s work of spreading information on climate related issues.

The Danish development assistance to Cambodia also included activities carried out by Danish NGO’s in cooperation with local civil society organisations.

In 2011, it was decided to phase out the development cooperation with Cambodia over a two year period. This was linked to the government’s wish to focus the Danish development assistance on fewer countries. However, the Danish NGO’s Danmission and DanChurchAid whose development activities are partly financed by Danida are still working in Cambodia.