Evaluation of FAO’s Contribution to the Kingdom of Cambodia

Evaluation of FAO’s Contribution to Cambodia. Although Cambodia is rapidly transitioning to a more industrialised economy, the country is still among the poorest in Southeast Asia, and the risk of sliding back into poverty remains high, especially for rural households. The goal of FAO’s programme in Cambodia has been to contribute to the eradication of poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition while promoting sustainable natural resource management. The 2018 country programme evaluation highlighted FAO’s comparative advantage – as a trusted purveyor of data and technical advice. There is scope to leverage this position in advocating for inclusive and sustainable development, and for more investments in research and innovation. The evaluation recommends that FAO continue to promote evidence-based policy making, accompanied by clear economic arguments and analysis of trade-offs. In the context of the SDGs and UN reform, FAO could play a key role in leading such analyses, while facilitating coordination across the UN system to support