UNDP launches tool to leverage AI for mapping socio-economic vulnerabilities in Cambodia

Phnom Penh: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Thursday launched a policy brief and a tool to leverage big data and artificial intelligence for mapping vulnerability in Cambodia.

Cambodia has significantly reduced its poverty rate from 26.3 per cent in 2014 to 17.8 per cent in 2019, according to its Ministry of Planning.

The UNDP's 2023 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index report said that the incidence of multidimensional poverty in Cambodia decreased from 36.7 per cent in 2014 to 16.6 per cent in 2021, with one in five Cambodians moving out of poverty in just seven years.

"However, various segments of the population, especially those living in remote rural areas, remain vulnerable to economic shocks," the UN agency said in a news release. "Around 47 per cent of the population is vulnerable as they hover around the poverty line."

The Covid-19 pandemic could reverse many development gains, particularly affecting the poor and vulnerable populations. However, the lack of updated, granular, and accessible data hampers efforts to track and evaluate the full extent of this impact, reported Xinhua news agency.

"To address these challenges, UNDP has developed the Cambodia Poverty/Vulnerability Mapping tool which uses Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to track real time geographical spread of vulnerability," the news release said.

This tool provides policymakers with comprehensive, multidimensional information on poverty and vulnerability, integrating various datasets to understand patterns and interactions of overlapping deprivations often missed by traditional analyses.

The policy brief highlights key insights and reflections on the use of this tool for policymaking, planning, and budgeting, and its complementarity with traditional data sources, the news release said.

The launch event gathered policymakers, data scientists, and development practitioners to discuss the potential utility of the tool in Cambodia's ongoing efforts to eradicate poverty.

"The integration of Big Data and AI in poverty mapping marks a leap forward in our ability to understand and combat poverty in Cambodia," Shakeel Ahmad, deputy resident representative of UNDP Cambodia.

"This innovative tool will help equip policymakers with crucial insights, enabling them to make informed decisions and implement targeted interventions," he said.

"Our goal is to ensure that everyone benefits from Cambodia's progress toward sustainable development, leaving no one behind," Ahmad added.