CDRI, represented by Executive Director Dr. Eng Netra and colleagues, joined the Official Launching Ceremony of the "Comprehensive Intervention Program in Response to the Multi-Crises" hosted by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), on 4th September at Sokha Phnom Penh Hotel.

CDRI's close and long-standing collaboration with MEF and other line ministries keep our research programme closely attuned to national priorities — a partnership that enables and inform CDRI research agenda. The Intervention program echoes findings from our own recent research portfolio. Our study of 852 returnee migrants found institutional— training, education, and social protection — remains the weakest link in recovery. Our GTAP-FIN modelling of energy-market shocks likewise points to shock-responsive social protection, via IDPoor and returnee channels, as a policy priority.

These threads connect to two big themes running through CDRI's work. The first is Resilience: how households and the economy absorb shocks, protect livelihoods, and safeguard food and other aspects security in the face of volatility. The second is Cambodia's transition from lower-middle to upper-middle income — a shift that calls for reform focused not just on recovery, but on productivity: upgrading agriculture and value chains, strengthening labour skills, and navigating the choice between deepening textile upgrading and diversifying into higher-value sectors such as auto-components.

Taken together, these themes offer a clearer narrative for the development debate in Cambodia, one CDRI is well placed to lead, given both our research depth and our proximity to government priorities.