UNESCO Director-General to Make Official Visit to Cambodia

On the afternoon of July 29, 2026, a meeting was held between His Excellency Dr. Hang Chuon Naron, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Youth and Sport, and Mr. Flavio Bonetti, Head of Office and Representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to the Kingdom of Cambodia. The meeting discussed the progress of cooperation in the education sector, preparations for the 75th anniversary of Cambodia's relations and membership in UNESCO, and arrangements for the upcoming official visit of the Director-General of UNESCO to Cambodia. Mr. Flavio Bonetti highly praised the close cooperation between Cambodia and UNESCO for over 75 years. He stated that UNESCO is actively cooperating with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to update teacher policies, which will be officially presented on Teacher's Day. UNESCO is also supporting the implementation phase of the Information and Communication Technology/Artificial Intelligence (ICT/AI) competency framework for teachers and EdTech. Furthermore, UNESCO continues to support the assessment of primary school students' learning under the STEPCam program, non-formal education, and the Basic Education Equivalency Program (BEEP) in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training to help young dropouts obtain certificates, as well as literacy programs in factories. In addition, Mr. Flavio Bonetti mentioned the upcoming official visit of the Director-General of UNESCO, stating that UNESCO Cambodia intends to organize special activities to highlight educational achievements and visit target schools, while also being open to receiving proposals and recommendations from the Cambodian Ministry of Education. In response, His Excellency Dr. Hang Chuon Naron warmly welcomed and highly valued the close cooperation between the Ministry of Education and UNESCO in many educational endeavors, especially in the reform of teachers, which is a core and important priority program of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Concurrently, His Excellency the Deputy Prime Minister stated that the Ministry will prepare a comprehensive report on teacher reform covering all aspects, including teacher policies and teacher training centers, to be presented on Teacher's Day and as part of the 75th-anniversary celebrations. He highlighted the concrete results of the cooperation, especially the early literacy and mathematics package, which has led to a significant increase in the proportion of excellent students in early literacy and mathematics. Source: AKP Khmer