Field Visit in Preah Sihanouk Province, Cambodia for the Informal Settlements Governance and Upgrading

Sihanoukville, Cambodia, 16-18 Sep 2025- Supported by UN-Habitat Cambodia team, Wuhan Urban Planning and Design Institute (WPDI) together with UN-Habitat China team to conduct the field visits to six typical informal settlements in Preah Sihanouk Province from 16 to 17 September. This visit was to preliminarily assess the current situation, and develop a report for the research and action plan on the governance of informal settlements of the whole Province. The team discussed with residents and local authorities on-site, and made clearer understanding of the situation of basic services, the history of the settlements, the approximate number of houses, the existing challenges, and the priority needs of the different communities.

On 18 September 2025, a small exchange meeting with 40 local officials, chaired by Mr. Pheap Em, Deputy Governor of Preah Sihanouk Province, was held to review the preliminary findings from the field visit and gather further insights into demographic trends, geographical characteristics, and critical challenges. The Governor emphasized that “this study is just the first steppingstone toward a better plan for improving the lives of people in informal settlements”.

Background 
UN-Habitat China office collaborated with Wuhan Planning and Design Institute since the year 2018, One of this two years’ collaboration components focuses on the technical assistance on the informal settlements governance and upgrading in Cambodia highlighted in the following:
1. To prepare a comprehensive and collaborative study of informal settlements in Preah Sihanouk Province, Cambodia.
2. To understand socio-economic situation of informal settlements in Preah Sihanouk Province.
3. To propose a plan on capacity and institutional development is required to publish regular future studies.