Objectives and Justification

The youth and sport development program outcome/objective is to place the holistic development of Cambodia's young people (aged 15-24 years old in line with UN guidelines) at the centre of the reform process and to ensure the development of healthy youth by ensuring access to high quality sports and physical education possibilities. It is important not only to provide Cambodians with better education and technical skills but also to engender a sense of national and civic pride, high standards of morals and ethics and a strong belief in being responsible for their own future. Youth and sports are critical in ensuring the health, well-being and development of the next generations of Cambodians to make their full contribution to social, economic and cultural development.

A key objective is to increase national capacity to plan and manage youth and sports development programs that are both effective and sustainable. The primary role of MoEYS will be to set out principles and help create a conductive environment for youth and sports development.

Key Targets and Indicators » Up

• Youth policy in place by January 2008
• Sport policy in place by January 2008

Strategy and Coverage » Up

Programs will expand opportunities for participation in youth and sports activities nationwide with particular emphasis on community based initiatives in rural and under-served areas. Through the medium of sporting and youth activities the strategic scope of programs will include contributing to a) economic growth and job creation, b) expanding formal education and skills training opportunities particularly for out of school youth, c) expansion of information communications technology (ICT) skills, d) cultural and environmental protection programs and agri-tourism initiatives, e) protecting young people from the dangers of HIV-AIDS, drug abuse, health and other social problems and f) enabling high quality sports and physical education programs and competitions. An important part of the program will be to develop new institutional and partnership arrangements with the international community, NGOs, the private sector, civil society and community groups to stimulate youth and sports development initiatives.

Summary of Main Activities » Up

• Youth Development . Activities will include, a) preparation of detailed youth policy, strategy and programs including partnership and institutional arrangements, b) development and expansion of civics and morals educationwithin specific activities including, school clubs, sports days and camping, c) extension of programs for student volunteer contributions, such as peer tutoring, village literacy tutoring, d) programs for student part-time assistance for village health care support, kindergarten class support, and helping the aged and infirm and e) campaigns promoting student volunteers from the universities, teachers colleges and upper secondary schools to offer their skills to rural and remote areas.

• Sports Development . Activities will include, a) preparation of detailed sports policy, strategy and programs including partnerships for funding international, regional and national sports competitions and a review of the institutional arrangements for sports planning, management and promotion, b) further implementation of training programs for specialist physical education staff and coaches/ referees and c) identification of priorities and opportunities for new and upgraded sports fields and facilities, especially in under-served rural areas.

Management and Monitoring Arrangements » Up

The youth program will be managed and monitored through a BMC established in the Youth Department, and the sports program through a BMC in the Sports Department. There will be close coordination between the two BMC’s and other departments to ensure effective integration of strategies and programs within the overall mandate of the Ministry. Program monitoring will include cooperation with relevant youth and sports institutions, and will use parental, youth and community group surveys and follow up analysis on social development impact on young people. A key priority will be to develop a monitoring framework including targets, systems and responsibilities.

Financing Plan » Up

For both programs, it will be important to mobilize and monitor partnership contributions, including in-kind community contributions, international community assistance and private sector financing and sponsorship.

Table 10: Youth and Sport Development Financing Plan

Activities	Costs in Riels millions
	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
1. Youth Development Program	400	500	550	550	800
2. Youth Development Program Monitoring	50	50	50	50	50
3. Sports Development Program	400	500	550	550	800
4. Sports Development Program Monitoring	50	50	50	50	50
Resources: Total	900	1,100	1,200	1,200	1,700

Capacity building needs » Up

• Capacity building for central department to support the development of the national youth policy and national sports policy
• Support for the development of strategies to increase understanding on ASEAN and cooperation with youth among ASEAN countries
• Strengthen capacity of department to develop sports programs in and out of formal school setting alongside support for strengthening monitoring procedures to assess program impact.