Cambodia Investment Review
In Phnom Penh on November 2, 2022 the Life and Building Safety (LABS) Initiative (The Initiative) launched Platform for Gender Equality in Apparel and Footwear in Cambodia (PGEAFC) at a workshop organized jointly with Garment Manufacturer’s Association of Cambodia in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The Platform will provide an opportunity for like-minded partners to discuss and address key issues related to gender in the apparel, footwear and garment sectors in Cambodia, such as pay gap, leadership opportunities for women in the sector and working conditions.
It will provide a trusted, neutral space for different actors to discuss and exchange ideas and insights, highlight significant opportunities to scale interventions, and help accelerate actions, while facilitating coordination and alignment across initiatives.
During the workshop today, the stakeholders in the sector discussed issues related to gender equality and set the basis to create a roadmap for collaborative action to learn, integrate and coordinate across initiatives being taken by government, civil society and the private sector organizations.
The workshop will be held annually with the sector stakeholders, including private, government and civil society organizations for continued dialogue over gender-equality issues.
LABS Initiative was launched in Cambodia in May 2022. The Initiative promotes safer working conditions for factory workers in the apparel and footwear industry by assessing factories and providing a framework for their monitoring, mitigation and remediation.
The Initiative will operate in all major hubs of Cambodia including Phnom Penh, Kandal, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu, and Takeo and is expected to benefit approximately 206,000 workers in 2022.
The Life and Building Safety (LABS) Initiative is an industry-driven program in which multiple brands and retailers join forces with public and civil society organizations to mitigate preventable fire, electrical, and structural building safety risks in key apparel and footwear-producing countries.
