Background The garment, footwear, and travel goods (GFT) sector remains a cornerstone of Cambodia’s economy. In 2025, the sector comprised 1,810 firms and employed over 1.11 million workers, around 75 per cent of whom were women. It is the country’s largest source of foreign exchange, accounting for 51.8 per cent of total exports in 2025. …

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – On 17 December 2025, the Project Advisory Committee (PAC) of the ILO Better Factories Cambodia (BFC) programme held its 58th meeting. The BFC PAC consists of representatives from the Royal Government of Cambodia (the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training and the Ministry of Commerce), sectoral employers’ associations (represented by three associations …

Introduction The discussion paper examines how public disclosure of labor standards in global supply chains affects actual working conditions inside supplier factories. While previous research and activism have focused mainly on the accountability of lead firms, little is known about how transparency plays out on the ground and how local actors influence its effectiveness. Using …