Cambodia and the U.N. launched an initiative on Tuesday that aims to completely eradicate hunger in the country by 2025.
Among the goals of the “Zero Hunger Challenge,” which the U.N. established globally in 2012, is that every person should have full access to adequate food year-round.
Kristina Von Knobelsdorff, of the Office of the U.N. Resident Coordinator, said the Cambodian government was expected to cover the costs of the project while the U.N. would provide some funds to help government agencies, including the Council for Agricultural and Rural Development, develop a national action plan.
“These very small resources are being used to provide technical expertise and fund the necessary meetings and workshops,” she said in an email.
Cambodia has achieved relative success in combating hunger since the turn of the century, according to Hiroyuki Konuma, the regional representative of the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization.
He said in a statement on Tuesday that the proportion of undernourished Cambodians dropped from 49 percent in 2000 to 32 percent last year.
