Cambodia Reaffirms Commitment to UN Human Rights Mechanisms and Peaceful Border Resolution

Cambodia has reaffirmed its commitment to constructive engagement with the United Nations human rights mechanisms and stressed its resolve to address all outstanding border issues through peaceful means, dialogue, and full respect for international law. In a statement issued on Friday, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation responded to media inquiries regarding the first official visit to Cambodia by Mr. Thomas Andrews, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, from July 20 to 31. The Ministry welcomed the Special Rapporteur’s first mission under his mandate and noted his End of Mission Statement, highlighting Cambodia’s continued cooperation with the UN human rights system. According to the statement, Cambodia granted the Special Rapporteur full access to places of detention, a displacement site, and the border region, while facilitating meetings with government officials at all levels and ensuring an environment that enabled independent engagement with civil society organisations and activists. The Ministry said this reflected Cambodia’s confidence in the United Nations’ established mechanisms and the Special Rapporteur’s professionalism in conducting an independent assessment based on facts on the ground. Regarding the border situation, Cambodia noted that the displacement and return figures cited in the Special Rapporteur’s statement—approximately 650,000 Cambodian civilians displaced in border regions at the end of last year, with more than 20,000 still displaced—are consistent with data collected by United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners operating in the affected areas. The Ministry added that while recent public statements by Thai authorities disputed the precise figures, they nevertheless acknowledged that many Cambodian civilians remain displaced and unable to return home due to Thailand’s unlawful occupation of Cambodian territory. Cambodia also welcomed continued independent verification by relevant agencies and accredited diplomatic missions and expressed its readiness to facilitate further visits to the affected areas. Reaffirming its commitment to the Joint Statement of Dec. 27, 2025, Cambodia stressed that both Cambodia and Thailand had agreed to allow civilians in the affected border areas to return to their homes and livelihoods safely, with dignity, and without obstruction at the earliest opportunity. The statement called for the immediate, full and effective implementation of this commitment, particularly through the prompt resumption of the survey and demarcation work of the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC). The Ministry also affirmed that Cambodia would continue engaging with the UN Human Rights Council on issues raised by the Special Rapporteur and looked forward to a constructive discussion during the Council’s next session. The statement concluded by reiterating Cambodia’s commitment to resolving all remaining issues arising from the border situation through peaceful means, dialogue, and respect for existing treaties, bilateral agreements, and international law, while fully implementing the commitments made by both governments on Dec. 27, 2025, in the interest of the peoples of both countries. By C. Nika