On 3 December 2025, the Cambodia Ministry of Women’s Affairs officially inaugurated the Women’s Economic and Entrepreneurship Development Centre (WEE-DC) in Phnom Penh. The Centre marks a major step in advancing Cambodia’s long-term vision for inclusive and gender-responsive economic development. Designed as a national hub for women, the WEE-DC will promote entrepreneurship, build digital and financial capabilities, foster innovation, and strengthen market connectivity for women-led enterprises. The inauguration brought together senior government officials, development partners, women’s business associations, and civil society representatives to recognize Cambodia’s growing leadership in strengthening women’s economic empowerment.

 

Following the inauguration, the Ministry convened a High-Level Partnership Dialogue on Women’s Economic Empowerment, aimed at catalyzing multi-stakeholder collaboration through the WEE-DC platform. The Dialogue showcased the Centre’s mission and structure, highlighted strategic contributions from partners, and facilitated discussions on future joint programming, care economy integration, skills development and resource mobilization. ESCAP joined the Dialogue to reaffirm its long-standing cooperation with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, including joint work on women's economic empowerment, in particular valuing and investing in the care economy and catalyzing women's entrepreneurship. The event concluded with commitments to deepen coordination and position the WEE-DC as a sustainable national mechanism for advancing women’s economic empowerment across Cambodia.