Background

UNICEF first began working in Cambodia in 1952 and opened its first country office in 1973 at the height of the country’s civil war. At the time, UNICEF's key mandate was providing humanitarian relief to children fleeing the country's civil war. The organization was one of many international agencies expelled from the country in 1975, when Cambodia came under the rule of the Khmer Rouge. An estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died during the period that followed, between 1975 and 1979, when war and genocide gripped the nation. UNICEF was among the first organizations to return at the end of the war to provide emergency aid. During the Khmer Rouge period, widespread famine left a majority of the population starved and extremist policies resulted in the complete destruction of schools and pagodas. Hospitals and health centres were damaged and left inoperable after years of neglect. UNICEF prioritized upgrading health facilities with a focus on access to clean water, providing immunizations and distributing school supplies so children could return to school. In the mid-1980s, UNICEF evolved into a development organization, shifting its focus from emergency to nation-building. The organization launched a rural water supply project and expanded its immunization programme, especially to remote areas. As Cambodia transitioned out of conflict toward stability with the first democratic elections held in 1993, UNICEF continued to build on its strong cooperation with the Government to improve the lives of women and children.

Mission

The United Nations Children’s Fund in Cambodia (UNICEF) works as part of the United Nations system, with the government, civil society and other development partners to fulfill its mandate to promote and protect the rights of children and women. UNICEF’s work is guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and core human rights treaties, especially the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. UNICEF endeavours to achieve sustainable systemic change for the realization of children and women’s rights. The principal purpose of UNICEF cooperation, and of the programmes and projects it supports, is to identify and generate evidence and good practice for potential mainstreaming into national programmes and policies. UNICEF seeks to strengthen national and sub-national capacities and accountability to ensure children and women’s equitable access to resources and quality services in the areas of its mandate, with particular emphasis on maternal, newborn and child survival, basic education, and protection from violence, exploitation and abuse, in normal times as well as in emergencies. UNICEF works to develop people’s capacity to articulate and claim their rights, with special emphasis on the poorest and most vulnerable and on the equal participation of girls, boys, women and men in the family and in society. UNICEF aims to be an independent, authoritative and impartial voice for children and women, promoting social dialogue in order to build positive social norms and practices. UNICEF seeks to build, expand and be a productive participant in effective and inclusive partnerships focused on the achievement of agreed results for children and women, nurturing national ownership and mutual accountability through its cooperation in support of national policies and priorities. UNICEF supports reforms for democratic development towards national and local governance systems for all Cambodians that are effective, responsive, transparent and accountable, and facilitate maximal participation of children, youth and women in decisions that affect them. UNICEF values highly and actively facilitates the full participation of its staff in decision making. It promotes and protects the rights of its staff and their families by providing a safe working environment in the office and in the field, and ensuring a healthy work-life balance. UNICEF helps staff develop relevant and appropriate capacities and competencies to fulfill its mission and promote their own future growth.