By madmin 
Cambodia marks an important day in its social welfare program today with the introduction of the National Social Protection Policy Framework (NSPPF) 2024-2035. The master plan of the Ministry, which was carried out in the province of Phnom Penh, is designed to improve the social safety net and the way of life of its people in the next ten years.
The NSPPF is a mechanism that has been designed to deal with some of the problems related to social protection, such as healthcare, education, and financial insecurity of the people most in need. This is yet another massive effort by the Cambodian government to establish a community that treats everyone fairly and equally, which is a follow-up to the progress of recent years.
His Excellency Hun Manet, 2023, newly appointed Prime Minister, reiterated the significance of the document within his speech at the ceremony. A clear statement made by him was about the NSPPF which is the vital part of Cambodia’s long-term development that matches exactly with the 2030 vision of reaching an upper-middle-income status.
The policy shares the objectives of its expansion in terms of the access to healthcare services, mostly those in remote areas, where, frequently, the health facilities are token, and it is also oriented on the overall development of the local education and skill up the youth by providing vocational programs. The NSPPF also has sustainability as its main focus.
Social insurance programs, with the main of which being a social insurance program, are a priority in the NSPPF, as well as the strengthening of social insurance programs. Among the activities, the plans include extending the pension coverage and providing unemployment benefits, which today are a small percentage of all the employees and the program has a specified range of dates. The implementation of these measures is meant to be a safety net for them.
In addition to this, the framework also encompasses the retrospective of the aging Cambodian population, along with effective solutions to reduce their disadvantages due to their status. The NSPPF mentions the future increase in the elderly population as indicated in the expected demographic developments and dedicates resources to long-term care and support services for elderly people.
Protection of environmental sustainability is also a very serious section of the new policy framework. This is mainly about taking actions to cut down on the impacts of global warming which put the population at great risk i.e. those whose livelihood depends on agriculture or natural resources in the area.
On the other hand, the introduction of the NSPPF was well-received by international bodies and development partners. The presentees at the event who represented the United Nations and a variety of NGOs were most excited about the fact that a variety of factors were taken into account in designing the program and decided on the best way to support them. They, therefore, promised their support to implement the program.
Nevertheless, some critics are not entirely convinced of the government’s capacity to implement such an all-encompassing program. They argue that in the past the government had difficulties implementing wide-reaching social programs and ask whether enough funds will be attached to achieve the result.
As a result of these concerns, officials have stressed they are willing to give the public bargaining power and are committed to maintaining accountability during the roll-out process. They have disclosed the plan of setting up a multi-stakeholder monitoring committee that will keep an eye on the NSPPF and ensure that targets are met.
The NSPPF is being launched in times of the steady economic growth of Cambodia which is anticipated to reach a GDP growth of 6.3% in 2025. The fact that this is happening during a time when the country is experiencing a steady economic growth which in fact is forecasted to result in a 6.3% rise in the GDP of the country is seen as a good omen for the welfare of the existing social protection measures.
The modernization of its social protection delivery systems is also part of the NSPPF, which he government has included in their plans. One of the things that the government will do is to develop a unified social registry and spread digital payment mechanisms to make social programs more efficient and accessible.
The main factor that will decide whether the NSPPF is successful will be the effective cooperation between the government ministries and agencies. To this aim, a new inter-ministerial committee has been established to initiate the cooperation and to refer to the principles of the new approach of social protection across all the sectors.
Nevertheless, the actual test is represented by the NSPPF implementation over the course of the next few years rather than the launch of the NSPPF, which essentially marks an important mileston in the social development journey of Cambodia. This framework will significantly influence the orientation of the country, as the country is still experiencing the difficulties of rapid economic development and social change.
Given this very ambitious social protection initiative, every move of the government will be the focal point, whether it will achieve their vision through tangible improvements in the quality of life for the citizens. The NSPPF is not only a policy document but also a hint of a more secure and happier future for all the people of Cambodia.