PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – June 27, 2024

Safe commuting practices are a crucial pillar of societal well-being and productivity for all. In Cambodia, thousands of garment and footwear factory workers risk their lives traveling to and from work. Despite the fact that Cambodia’s garment and footwear sector growth over the last decade has been impressive, worker safety has lagged behind due in no small part to the hazards of commuting to work, which have resulted in high numbers of injuries and fatalities. The daily commute to and from work puts the lives of more than 870,000 Cambodian garment and footwear industry workers working at over 1,000 factories across the country at risk.

“The dangers that garment and footwear factory workers face in Cambodia are preventable. What we hear from today’s workshop is an amazing example of what can be achieved when we all work together. I firmly encourage concerned stakeholders at all levels to continue joining forces with the Cambodian government to further improve commuting safety for factory workers,” shares H.E Min Meanvy, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and Secretary-General of the National Road Safety Committee.

AIP Foundation – a nonprofit organization focusing on safe, sustainable and equitable mobility – is hosting an annual collaborative workshop to share best practices and experiences on how to improve commuting safety for Cambodian workers as part of the Prevention and Participation (P&P)program supported by VF Corporation. The workshop marks the conclusion of the P&P program, which has been implemented in supplier factories of VF Corporation since 2020.

“We are proud to conclude our Prevention and Participation program with this national workshop on road safety for factory workers in Cambodia. This initiative underscores VF Corporation’s commitment to prioritizing the safety and well-being of people in our supply chain. By facilitating knowledge sharing among stakeholders, this workshop not only enhances commuting safety but also empowers factories to integrate these learnings into everyday practices. As we transition from program implementation to sustainability, we trust that these efforts will help support long-term safety for all workers, reflecting our ongoing dedication to fostering safe and supportive environments.,” shares Jens Aas, Senior Manager for Worker and Community Development at VF Corporation.

The workshop is organized in collaboration with stakeholders including the Support To Safe and Sustainable Commuting for Garment and Footwear Workers in Cambodia (SSSC) funded by the Danish Civil Society in Development.

“The SSSC aims to improve the conditions of factory workers in Cambodia ensuring that their rights are protected and exercised. Activities in the current phase, which directly target over 14,000 people, shift to systems-level change with multi-sector stakeholders and better synchronization with the Cambodian policy agenda. The Best Practices Workshop is organized to assemble over 120 executive multi sector stakeholders to ignite conversation, commitment, and real change for workers,” shares Ratanawadee H. Winther, Chairperson of AIP Foundation Denmark and Thailand.

The workshop presents a unique opportunity for the stakeholders to appeal to the National Road Safety Committee (NRSC) and concerned government bodies to take action to improve the safety of commuting workers. A ‘Declaration of Action’ was handed over to the Secretary-General of the NRSC by a representative of Better Factories Cambodia/International Labour Organization on behalf of the Transport Working Group during the last workshop held in June 2023. The Declaration of Action was initiated by Jean Todt, UN Special Envoy for Road Safety during his visit to Phnom Penh in November 2022. This declaration serves as a blueprint for actions that the NRSC can take to ensure that workplaces comply with road safety rules and road traffic law, ultimately taking more actions to improve the commuting conditions for thousands of factory workers.

Sharing best practices and experiences to improve commuting safety for workers in Cambodia

The objective of the workshop is to bring together stakeholders involved in the program implementation to promote ongoing dialogue and impact lasting legal change to safeguard commuting safety. Representatives from factories, buyers/brands, trade unions, driver associations, Special Economic zones and national and sub-national agencies will be invited to exchange about opportunities to collaborate and further discuss theimplementation of the‘Garment and Footwear Sector Road Safety Strategy’. These stakeholders will identify possible actions and support factory-level initiatives to address and act on specific commuting safety issues for Cambodian workers.

AIP Foundation Cambodia staff will present on the key achievements of the P&P program and the best practices criteria, which are based on three elements. The first is the transition to safer and seated trucks through the Speak Up Campaigns, the second is the enforcement of a factory-level road safety policy to increase helmet uses among workers and the final criteria is the implementation of the Return to work policy. Participants will also be consulted on the Speak Up Campaign Manual which aims to practically guide factories and concern industrial stakeholders on how to implement their own safety initiatives and scale up the Speak Up Campaign model. As this edition of the Best Practices workshop marks the conclusion of the P&P program, it serves as an opportunity to discuss the sustainability plan of factories to fully own and sustain the program activities in the long term, which will be covered in the session about “how factories can ensure self-sustainability of the road safety program”. Additionally, the workshop aims to increase the understanding among stakeholders of the connections between transport safety improvements and environmental impact. This includes a panel discussion on “The environmental and climate friendly actions in traffic safety work”.

The activities under the Prevention and Participation program are in alignment with the action items outlined by the United Nations and World Health Organization – in the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.

“AIP Foundation in Cambodia is working in alignment with the Government of Cambodia’s commitment on the international stage to promote safe mobility. We strive to halve road injuries and fatalities by 2030, ensuring our collective efforts resonate beyond borders, safeguarding lives and fostering sustainable progress,” shares Pagna Kim, Country Director for Cambodia at AIP Foundation.