Cambodia - January 22, 2018

AIP Foundation, in partnership with Better Factories Cambodia, GIZ, and the Solidarity Center, facilitated a stakeholder workshop gathering more than 120 participants to seek sector-wide endorsement and collaboration on a ‘Garment and Footwear Sector Road Safety Strategy’. The event was presided over by the Minister for Labor and Vocational Training and included representatives from Cambodian Government ministries, International clothing and footwear brands, factories, trade unions, embassies, development agencies, and other stakeholders. Participants in the workshop showed their support for the initiative and provided input on how to best translate strategy into action.

We have led the development of a strategy based on the principles of a “Safe System” approach, which aligns with the UN’s Decade of Action for Road Safety and Cambodia’s own National Road Safety Policy. The four key focus areas include improvingroad safety management and accountability, safer infrastructure and planning,safer transportation options, and awareness and education for road users.

The project has the potential to positively improve transportation safety for an estimated 700,000 workers, approximately 80% of whom are female. The commute for workers is becoming increasingly hazardous for garment and footwear workers due to the driving behaviors of road users, the continued use of unsafe and overloaded vehicles, and the concentration of factories close to and along increasingly busy national roads.