19 - Changing the Course of Cambodia through the Business of Empowering People

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Human resource development is globally considered a key business process to enhance performance. Women's empowerment is not always a crosscutting element of human resource development and this is a missed opportunity for government and business. Research shows that closing the gender gap in education and unleashing women's economic potential, may well be the highest return investment available in the rich and developing world. As Cambodia is introducing new economic policies to boost sustainable growth, vast investment opportunities are becoming available to businesses. With an eye on both economic progress and development, this article discusses ways of doing business that are not only profitable but also bring equality and equity.

POST- CONFLICT CAMBODIA

Cambodia experienced almost three decades of conflict and instability between 1970 and 1998. During this period, Cambodia's physical, human and social capital was devastated. Its infrastructure, including roads, electricity and irrigation systems, was destroyed. Cambodians suffered from poor health due to malnutrition and lack of health services, especially during the Khmer Rouge regime. The country's intellectual class and educated people were either killed or forced to flee, while young Cambodians were unable to benefit from education. Gender inequality and gender based violence were prevalent in pre-war Cambodia; but the three decades of civil war seem to have increased violence.

Cambodia has come a long way since the 1991 Paris Peace Agreement. The country has become politically stable and has initiated political, social and economic transformation. Since 1992 it has held four national and local multi-party elections. It is currently implementing its third five-year National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP). The NSDP is aligned with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the principles of good governance, pro-poor poverty reduction and gender equality. The government has initiated major reforms in order to deliver on these commitments, including public administration reforms, financial reforms, and a decentralisation and de-concentration process to enhance service delivery structures at all levels.

Furthermore, the government introduced a free market economy and has integrated Cambodia into the world economy. For more than a decade, the government has generated high economic growth sustained over an extended period of time. Moreover, the income per capita has more than doubled over the period of 1997 to 2007, while low inflation and a stable exchange rate have been maintained.