In brief
In Phnom Penh, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and U.N. Special Representative Najat Maalla M'jid met on 4 Nov 2026 to assess progress on child protection, including a draft law and a cash‑transfer program for pregnant women and children under two. M'jid praised reforms and the expansion of social protection, while the prime minister stressed commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals and the need for continued U.N. support. Uncertainties remain about the precise timeline for law enactment and the full reach of the cash‑transfer scheme.
Prime Minister Hun Manet of Cambodia and the United Nations Special Representative on Violence against Children Najat Maalla M'jid met on 4 November 2026 in Phnom Penh to evaluate the country’s progress on child protection and outline next steps. The meeting came on the heels of the government’s draft child‑protection law and a national cash‑transfer program targeted at pregnant women and children under two.
The prime minister highlighted the government's "firm commitment to preventing violence and protecting minors" as announced in a press release from the PM’s spokesperson unit. He said that the drafting of a new child‑protection law was a central part of the strategy, and that the law should go beyond mitigating negative impacts to "cultivate a warm, supportive environment for families." He also cited the cash‑transfer program run by the National Social Assistance Fund, which offers support to pregnant women and children living with their mothers in prison.
Prime Minister Manet noted that the national partnership with the U.N. remains "indispensable" to the country’s protection efforts and that the government is determined to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals within the current timeframe. He underscored that the reforms were designed "with the citizen in mind," positioning public welfare at the core of policy decisions.
Special Representative M'jid responded by praising Cambodia’s deep‑seated reforms and the expansion of its social‑protection and security systems. She noted that these initiatives had been "widely welcomed by the public" and had led to "reduction in poverty, enhancement of child welfare, and improvement in overall public well‑being." She further lauded the implementation of the National Action Plan on Prevention and Response to Violence Against Children 2025‑2030, describing it as a "vital framework" for the country’s child‑protection agenda.
Both leaders agreed that the partnership with the U.N. had helped to mobilise resources and technical support for initiatives such as the cash‑transfer scheme and the drafting of the child‑protection law. The discussion also touched on the role of domestic policy in meeting the requirements of the Sustainable Development Goals and the importance of continued international collaboration to scale up protection measures.
While the meeting confirmed a shared commitment to child protection, the report does not specify when the draft law will be passed into law or the exact extent of coverage that the cash‑transfer programme will reach. The timing and scope of these measures remain unresolved, as noted by both the prime minister and the U.N. envoy in the press release.