Cambodia Human Development Report 2007: Expanding Choices for Rural People

Although Cambodia has made significant progress in improving human well-being, poverty in rural areas persists. This Human Development Report for Cambodia assesses the state of rural livelihoods and their relationship with natural resources. It describes the status of human development at the regional and provincial levels, and distinguishes high performance areas from those which require more attention. Several key problems are identified, including: widening inequality in incomes and opportunities; persistent rural poverty; unacceptably high maternal mortality, or death during childbirth; high rates of child malnutrition; poverty compelling children to leave school at an early age; land inequality pose serious challenges to ordinary people’s livelihoods. The report delves into policy recommendations and opportunities to galvanise rural areas. It emphasises that the highest benefits are likely to be generated from targeted efforts in the following areas: fair and effective governance of land; a substantial increase of public investments in agricultural productivity; broadened and diversified job-creating sources of growth in both rural and urban areas; substantial investments in human capabilities; ensuring a ‘resource blessing’ from offshore oil and gas.

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Report