Phnom penh: H.E. Kim Virak, Secretary-General of the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), met on Jan. 26 with a delegation from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), led by Ms. Isabelle D'Haudt, Humanitarian Advisor. The meeting, held at the NCDM headquarters, focused on rescue and support efforts for Cambodians displaced by recent military actions along the Cambodia-Thailand border.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the discussions aimed to clarify the NCDM's role as the Royal Government of Cambodia's primary coordinating body for disaster management, specifically its mechanisms for responding to and assisting war-displaced citizens in border areas. H.E. Kim Virak briefed the ECHO delegation on the Royal Government's commitment to the well-being and security of displaced persons.
He highlighted the NCDM's active role in every stage of the process, from initial evacuation and the provision of temporary housing to the eventual facilitated return of citizens to their homes. "Currently, the NCDM is continuing to strengthen close cooperation with relevant ministries and institutions to improve the quality of shelters and essential protection services for citizens who are not yet able to return home," said H.E. Kim Virak.
To date, approximately 530,000 people, about 82 percent of the total 640,000 displaced persons, have reintegrated into their communities while 113,976 displaced persons, including 59,688 women and 37,288 children, remain in displacement camps.