US Continues Support for Cambodia's Disaster Risk Management via WFP, Focusing on Two Key Priorities

The United States government continues to provide support for disaster risk management in Cambodia through the World Food Programme (WFP), focusing on two key priorities: enhancing institutional capacity in disaster risk management and strengthening response through social protection systems. This was confirmed during a meeting on September 10, 2026, between a delegation from the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) led by Mr. Prak Kim Hong, Deputy Secretary-General of the NCDM, and a U.S. mission led by Mr. Michael Ronning, Regional Strategy Assistance Chief at the U.S. Embassy. During the meeting, Mr. Prak Kim Hong discussed the humanitarian situation, disaster risk management priorities, and ongoing cooperation with development partners with the U.S. side and Ms. Kyung-nan Park, WFP Country Director for Cambodia. The NCDM Secretariat presented Cambodia's mechanisms and key priorities in disaster management, focusing on strengthening community resilience and building local capacity to enable citizens to prepare and respond in a timely manner. Cambodia's key priorities include the preparation of commune-level contingency plans, promoting universal early warning, strengthening local-level early warning systems, the disaster monitoring system (PRISM), the construction of safe havens, and other important measures to reduce the impact of disasters on people's livelihoods and well-being. The U.S. side highly appreciated the leadership and efforts of the NCDM in strengthening partnerships with national institutions, international organizations, and relevant partners to enhance Cambodia's resilience to disaster risks. Mr. Michael Ronning reiterated that the U.S. government will continue to support disaster risk management work in Cambodia through the WFP, focusing on the two key priorities: 1) Enhancing institutional capacity in disaster risk management, and 2) Strengthening response through social protection systems. Furthermore, the project management unit of the NCDM and the WFP team will continue detailed discussions on the plans and mechanisms for implementing projects supported by the U.S. government, ensuring that this support yields tangible results and benefits the strengthening of national capacity and the resilience of Cambodian communities. This discussion demonstrated the continued strengthening of cooperation and partnership between the NCDM, the United States, and the WFP in reducing disaster risks, enhancing preparedness, and improving response effectiveness to protect the livelihoods and well-being of the Cambodian people.