ILO Praises Cambodia’s Progress on “Decent Work” and UN Global Accelerator

PHNOM PENH, April 23, 2026 (KPT) — The International Labour Organization (ILO) has praised Cambodia’s progress in advancing the United Nations “Decent Work” agenda and the Global Accelerator programme, describing recent results as encouraging and increasingly visible.

The remarks came during talks between Labour Minister Heng Sour and ILO representative for Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, Xiaoyan Qian, on Apr.22 at the ministry in Phnom Penh.

Both sides discussed cooperation in skills training, labour market reform and vocational education, particularly through technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programmes aimed at aligning workforce skills with market demand.

Cambodian officials highlighted joint initiatives with the ILO and international partners, including cooperation with China, focusing on skills development, social protection and promotion of decent work standards.

Qian noted that Cambodia’s implementation of the UN “Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions” has shown tangible progress and has been positively received within the UN system.

She said Cambodia’s experience could serve as a reference for other countries and expressed interest in seeing Phnom Penh share its approach globally.

Heng Sour reaffirmed Cambodia’s ambition to become a “champion country” under the initiative, while acknowledging the need to scale up implementation and attract more development partners to meet programme goals.