By Pidor Chhay, National Project Coordinator, UNIDO Country Office, Cambodia
"I want to tell other women, be confident in yourself, believe in what you do, persevere and speak up, speak up and speak up. Not only men but also women, like my case, are able to influence the process and redirect the orientation of the industrial policy that can potentially steer the development of Cambodia to a more prosperous future." - Kesorphearom Chea, Officer of the Private Investment Strategy Analysis Department, Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC).
Chea is an energetic woman with promising prospects, who has actively engaged in the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) capacity-building programme since May 2019. She is a coordinator and team leader of a task force, responsible for collecting and consolidating the report template format and evaluating the implementation of policy measures. She is also a member of a recommendation task force for improved implementation of Industrial Development Policy (IDP) measures.
Before working for the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), Chea was a facilitator for the project ,"The Courageous Turtle" which aimed at bridging the past with the present. She was hoping to help connect the old generation with the new generation and extend the impact of the project to the whole of Cambodian society from the grassroots level.
In 2017, Chea applied to work at the CDC, which was tasked by the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) to oversee the implementation plans of the IDP and address any challenges in the industrial sector.
"I was first tasked to prepare, consolidate and analyze the first report of the progress of the IDP implementation with a team of young and dynamic people. When UNIDO Cambodia provided technical support based on the RGC's request to CDC in developing the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system and conducting a mid-term review of the IDP, seeing my potential, my supervisor assigned me to present the M&E system set up under IDP to UNIDO experts. In addition, I was assigned as CDC communication focal point, and thus have been handling communication with UNIDO Cambodia ever since."
In 2020, the M&E system for IDP was remarkably and successfully developed by the IDP secretariat including Chea, with intensive support from UNIDO.
"Being assigned as a team leader of one of the main task forces in preparing the IDP mid-term review, I feel honoured and empowered. I am grateful to be supervised by good leaders who do not overlook women's potential and talents. It shows that empowering women indeed requires contribution from everyone, particularly our male counterparts and stakeholders."
"This UNIDO programme has taught me a lot, I went from being M&E illiterate to an M&E advocate. Since the programme, I have come to believe that all policies need an M&E system in place. Even simple tasks in our everyday lives need M&E one way or another to see, whether the plan that we have put forth is going accordingly or not, though not necessarily as intense as the system that I have been working on."
Asked what makes her succeed in her task, Chea replied: "Perseverance and teamwork are key principles that have always guided me through my professional career.....The spirit of teamwork will allow me and my team to go fast and far together."
