Cambodia has enjoyed significant economic growth over the past decade and the national poverty rate dropped to 25.8%. Nevertheless, a series of recent external shocks including the food and fuel price crisis, the global economic downturn, and adverse weather conditions have challenged and exposed this progress, not only undermining the country’s ability to meet its MDG targets, but also raising questions over the resilience and inclusiveness of its growth model to date.  Gaps between the rich and the poor and inequality between rural and urban areas remain and threaten to even widen. Households face several risks that increase their vulnerability and can push them into poverty. 

Government efforts at reducing vulnerability, alleviating poverty, and improving livelihoods through social protection have gathered pace since the early 2000s with a range of new initiatives and programs aimed at extending access to basic provisions like health and income support across various groups of society.  These have included some income support for the elderly and disabled, food distribution schemes, public works programs (PWPs), health equity funds (HEFs), community based health insurance (CBHI) and the establishment of an Employment Injury Insurance (EII) under the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) for private sector workers.