Phnom Penh, January 13, 2025 – The Coordinating Committee for Informal Economy Development (CCIED), in collaboration with UNDP, ILO, and the Cambodia Australia Partnership for Resilient Economic Development (CAPRED), organized a consultation workshop to establish a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework for the National Strategy for Informal Economy Development 2023-2028. The workshop aimed to gather input from stakeholders to ensure ownership and alignment in the strategy's implementation.

Presiding over the event, H.E. Hem Vanndy, Minister of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation and Chairman of the CCIED, emphasized the Royal Government’s commitment to strengthening the resilience and market competitiveness of informal economy actors while fostering their integration into supply chains and value creation in the national economy, which is vital for reducing poverty and promoting social equality.

This M&E Framework focuses on integrating global practices on formalization and reviewing the current action plans of the strategy. A draft outline of a digital M&E dashboard has been created to facilitate progress tracking. Key elements include defining roles and responsibilities, setting data management protocols, and outlining methods for data collection and analysis to ensure transparent and efficient reporting.

“This framework will create a structured method for monitoring and evaluating progress towards the goals set out in the strategy, allowing stakeholders to make data-driven decisions and adjust actions according to actual circumstances and needs,” Minister Vanndy added. “It ensures that our actions are both feasible and aligned with the Royal Government’s objectives in promoting economic efficiency, social progress, and the well-being of the informal economy.”

MISTI has been designated as the focal ministry tasked with developing the M&E framework, preparing evaluation reports, and updating the strategy based on input from  stakeholders. The strategy also assigns specific responsibilities to relevant ministries-institutions at both national and sub-national levels, including the creation of detailed action and budget plans, sectoral progress reporting, and data provision for monitoring and evaluation.

As part of its broader efforts to develop the informal economy, the Royal Government of Cambodia launched a digital platform for onboarding the informal economy on December 16, 2024. The platform enables informal economy actors to onboard easily, access essential information, and receive benefits. The establishment of the M&E Framework will be another milestone in advancing Cambodia's efforts to strengthen the informal economy.