PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – July 30, 2025

Safe commuting practices are a crucial pillar of societal well-being and productivity for all. In Cambodia, many garment and footwear factory workers risk their lives travelling to work. Each day, over 800,000 factory workers in Cambodia commute under increasingly dangerous conditions, facing heavy traffic, unsafe and overloaded vehicles, and hazardous road user behavior. According to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), the Garment, Footwear, and Travel Goods (GFT) sector alone reported 4,416 road crash cases, resulting in 81 fatalities, and 1,344 serious injuries, in 2024.

To address this alarming commuting crashes and building on the momentum of our work to improve commuting safety across Cambodia, AIP Foundation is proud to have been selected by the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) to scale up the work and support policy reform for safer journeys for Cambodian workers.

This initiative will be coordinated by ILO’s Better Factories Cambodia (BFC) and implemented by AIP Foundation, in close collaboration with the FIA Foundation and other UNRSF partners. Over the course of two years, the program aims to reduce road crash injuries and fatalities among commuting workers across Cambodia.

Working with factories for safer journeys

Following the start of the program earlier this year and the factory registration and verification process conducted by AIP Foundation, the listed program factories have been confirmed, after meeting the selection criteria for participation in the road safety initiative.

An orientation webinar took place today, which aimed to present the objectives, key activities, and implementation timeline of the multi-partner road safety program to safeguard commuting workers. During the webinar, 20 participating factories and key stakeholders discussed how brands/buyers and factory management can support project training, awareness-raising, and monitoring and evaluation activities, as well as provide key information on the next steps to support an effective activity implementation at the factory level.

Working toward policy reform to safeguard workers

“Overall, the goal of the program is to enhance factory worker safety and well-being through a multifaceted approach that includes educational outreach, policy advocacy, and strategic community engagement. The program will promote safe practices within factories by delivering targeted educational activities and disseminating factory-level road safety policies,” shared Pagna Kim, Country Director for AIP Foundation Cambodia.

“At the national level, the program will facilitate policy dialogue and collaboration between factories and the National Social Security Fund to advocate for meaningful legislative change,” said  Nneka Henry, UNRSF Head.

Additionally, the program will develop a youth and industry-focused Public Awareness Campaign (PAC) to reinforce critical messages about road safety and safe mobility for Cambodian youth and factory workers living in the communities surrounding targeted industrial zones across the country.

Through this program, safer commutes and healthier communities will become the norm for factory workers across Cambodia. By improving safety practices in 30 factories and encouraging workers to use safer vehicles on their commutes, the initiative aims to build a culture of protection and responsibility.

With growing support from the National Road Safety Committee, Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, and factories nationwide, this collective effort is paving the way for the approval of critical safety standards at the factory and national levels. This is laying the groundwork for long-lasting, systemic change that prioritizes the dignity, safety, and well-being of Cambodia’s garment and factory workers.

Further information:

About United Nations Road Safety Fund The United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) is a United Nations global multi-partner trust fund dedicated to supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.6, aiming to halve the number of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030, by financing global road safety projects in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).https://roadsafetyfund.un.org/