Neang Sokunthea | Publication date 05 December 2022 | 21:58 ICT
UNICEF, along with several government institutions and development partners, held a workshop to address growing environmental risks to children’s health. This included air pollution, the impact of solid waste and toxic materials, and health hazards which have been caused by climate change.
According to a December 5 press release from UNICEF Cambodia, 18 ministries joined with development partners in the workshop, held last week in Kampong Cham under the auspices of UNICEF.
The purpose of the workshop – the first of its kind – was to share knowledge and initiate measures to respond to the growing environmental risks to children’s health.
Kul Hero, director of the health protection department of the Ministry of Health, said at the workshop that the environment and climate are important issues for the government. Both issues are affecting more and more people including children.
“This workshop is an important step forward in asking partners to take this situation seriously and identify areas for further research that are needed for policy-making,” he added.
During the workshop, UNICEF highlighted the importance of a healthy environment for children and called for attention to be paid to health, education and climate resilience.
“The right to good health and development is one of the most fundamental rights of the child,” said Anirban Chatterjee, UNICEF’s acting representative in Cambodia.
He added that it was crucial that all stakeholders came together to work together and address those challenges.
“UNICEF will continue to work to ensure that children are at the heart of every decision on health-environmental issues,” he concluded.
UNICEF has released its forecast of the environmental risk factors affecting children, based on the Global Toxic Truth Report, published by UNICEF and Pure Earth in 2020.
The report incorporates the findings that more than 50% of Cambodian children may have high levels of lead in their blood, which was a catalyst for further action leading up to the workshop.
The same report added that lead is an active toxin in the nerves that can cause irreversible damage to children’s brains, leading to learning disabilities, mental health and behavioral problems, including the reduction of the full potential of earning a living.
In addition to the lead, Cambodia also has the third highest level of air pollution in Southeast Asia.
According to preliminary data from the recent Cambodian Demographic and Health Survey, the Kingdom has made significant progress in reducing child mortality. The under-five mortality rate has dropped from 124 per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 16 per 1,000 live births in 2021.
Reducing environmental risks to health is essential now in order to better support the growth and development of children so that they can reach their full potential and benefit the country’s development.
Swire Coca-Cola Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed Swire Pacific Ltd, on November 25 announced that it had completed the acquisition of The Coca-Cola Co’s bottling business in Cambodia, as part of its ambitions to expand into the Southeast Asian market. Swire Coca-Cola affirmed
UNESCO has officially inscribed Cambodia’s “Kun Lbokator”, commonly known as Bokator, on the World Heritage List, according to Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona in her brief report to Prime Minister Hun Sen on the night of November 29. Her report, which was
Chhim Sithar, head of the Labour Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees at NagaWorld integrated casino resort, was arrested on November 26 at Phnom Penh International Airport and placed in pre-trial detention after returning from a 12-day trip to Australia. Phnom Penh Municipal Court Investigating Judge
The Cambodian government established the ‘Mine-Free Cambodia 2025 Foundation’, and released an initial budget of $30 million. Based on the progress of the foundation in 2023, 2024 and 2025, more funds will be added from the national budget and other sources. In a sub-decree signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen
Two senior officials of the Grassroots Democratic Party (GDP) have asked to join the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), after apparently failing to forge a political alliance in the run-up to the 2023 general election. Yang Saing Koma, chairman of the GDP board, and Lek Sothear,
A report published by the World Bank on November 28 states that Cambodia’s national poverty rate fell by almost half between 2009 and 2019, but the Covid-19 pandemic recently reversed some of the poverty reduction progress. Cambodia’s poverty rate dropped from 33.8 to 17.8 per cent over the 10
Farmers affected by flooding this rainy season have replanted more than 99 per cent of their rice fields, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and