The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have agreed to develop a five-year roadmap for the development of the implementation of the Decent Employment for Youth in Cambodia Programme Phase III (DEY III).

The agreement was made during a June 1 meeting between ministry secretary of state Som Chamnan and Felix Weidenkaff, ILO youth employment specialist for Asia and Pacific.

“The meeting was held to evaluate the effectiveness of the DEYII programme, which was implemented from 2020 to 2023. The meeting participants also discussed establishing key indicators for the 18 recommendations included in the DEYIII roadmap,” said a ministry statement.

It added that both sides expressed their satisfaction with the progress made through DEYII.

“An agreement was made to develop a roadmap for DEYIII 2024-2028. The programme will enhance and promote decent employment opportunities for young people. It will also link to the implementation of the government’s Level 1 training policy (C1) for 1.5 million young people, in line with the vision ‘a citizen must have a skill,’” said the statement.

Minister of Labour and Vocational Training Ith Samheng said the implementation of the second and subsequent phases of the DEY programme will make a significant contribution to achieving Cambodia's goal of becoming a high-middle-income country by 2030, as well as its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“I wish to see the successful implementation of the DEY III programme because I firmly believe that it will contribute to the Kingdom’s economic growth and prosperity,” he added.