Government corruption does not have a significant impact on the effectiveness of UK aid to Cambodia. When designing programmes the Department for International Development (DFID) works closely with the Cambodian Government and other development partners to mitigate against this risk and monitor progress throughout implementation. We also provide support to a joint programme to reform the management of public finances, which continues to make good progress in improving the Cambodian Government's financial systems.
Only 8 per cent. of UK assistance to Cambodia was channelled directly through government systems in 2008. For this, we also designed additional safeguards to ensure UK aid was used effectively, including additional reporting by government on the use of funds. A recent independent country programme evaluation concluded that DFID had made a “significant contribution” to development in Cambodia.