PHNOM PENH (Xinhua): Cambodia's Ministry of Women's Affairs on Monday launched a five-year strategic plan on gender equality and women's empowerment.
Speaking at the event in Phnom Penh, Minister of Women's Affairs Ing Kantha Phavi said the plan was a roadmap for promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls in the kingdom from 2024 to 2028.
"It has been designed to respond to the situations and the evolution of society, which aligns with the policy framework of the royal government of Cambodia particularly, contributing to the implementation of the Pentagonal Strategy-Phase I, Cambodian Sustainable Development Goals Framework, and the commitments of the United Nations," she said.
Through the strategic plan, the government would increase investment in gender equality and women's empowerment in the fields of economy, education, health, and public leadership, Kantha Phavi added.
The United Nations Development Program said in a report released in March that Cambodia made remarkable progress in promoting gender equality -- as measured by the share of women in parliament, education, labor force, and maternal mortality ratio -- with an overall improvement from 0.679 in 1990 to 0.461 in 2023.
The report explained that 1 indicates the highest gender inequality and 0 shows perfect gender equality.
"The kingdom ranked 116 out of 170 countries on the gender inequality index in 2023," the report said.
The launching event was attended by approximately 500 participants from across the country, representing ministries, institutions, diplomats, civil society organizations, national and international development partners, policymakers, researchers, academia, and youth. - Xinhua
