UNIDO builds evidence-based industrial policymaking capacities in Cambodia

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) organized an executive briefing on industrial policymaking at the Cambodian Ministry of Industry and Handicraft (MIH), which was followed by a four-day training workshop, from 16 to 19 July 2019, on evidence-based industrial policymaking in the province of Kep. UNIDO’s training courses on industrial policymaking are very timely as the Royal Government’s objective is to modernize and transform the country’s industrial structure from a labour-intensive to a skills-driven industrial sector by 2025. To achieve this ambitious vision, Cambodia needs policymakers who are capable of drafting effective industrial policies based on reliable data and sound evidence using advanced analytical methodologies.

“Cambodia has rapidly developed over the last two decades, achieving an average annual economic growth rate of over 7 percent, with the industrial sector contributing 33 percent of the Gross Domestic Product”, said MIH Secretary of State SARUN Rithea. “In 2015, Cambodia transitioned from the status of a low-income country to that of a lower-middle income country, which is closely associated with the implementation of the Cambodia Industrial Development Policy (IDP) and other government development strategies. UNIDO’s capacity development courses and workshops will assist and guide the upcoming IDP review”.

The workshop introduced participants to the basic principles of evidence-based industrial policymaking that stem from UNIDO’s Competitive Industrial Performance (CIP) methodology and its Enhancing the Quality of Industrial Policy (EQuIP) toolbox for assessing, monitoring and benchmarking Cambodia’s overall industrial and trade performance.

“The first course in July introduced basic concepts, approaches and methods to analyze industrial data at the macro level to assist the strategic policymaking process”, said UNIDO Senior Industrial Policy and Research Officer Anders Isaksson. “UNIDO will also support the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) in designing the monitoring and evaluation system for the Cambodia Industrial Development Policy 2015-2025 as well as in conducting the IDP mid-term review, applying the newly developed monitoring and evaluation system”.

The workshop is the first activity of the project “Support to the Royal Government of Cambodia in its Effective Implementation of a Major Development Strategy and Policy through Institutional Capacity Building” funded by the Government of the Republic of Korea, which is an important component of the Programme for Country Partnership (PCP) Cambodia.

The Project

EQuIP supports policymakers in developing countries to formulate and design evidence based strategies for inclusive and sustainable industrial development.


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The Tools

The EQuIP toolbox offers stakeholders a range of methodologies to consider for industrial diagnosis and strategy design in their countries.


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GIZ and UNIDO

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization are partners in the development and deployment of the EQuIP toolkit.

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EQuIP - Enhancing the Quality of Industrial Policies