A/HRC/42/60 36. In addition to specific groups, leaving no one behind will also need to take into account broader sections of the population. Based on the nationally defined poverty line, poverty levels in Cambodia declined sharply from 47.8 per cent in 2007 to 17.7 per cent in 2012, to 13.5 per cent in 2014 and to below 10 per cent in 2019. However, most families who escaped poverty were able to do so by only a small margin. Close to 4.5 million, or 28 per cent of the population, remain near-poor and vulnerable to falling back into poverty. 9 It is estimated that the loss of only 30 cents a day would raise the poverty rate to 40 per cent. 10 The poor and near-poor remain highly vulnerable and as such will require additional measures so that they can catch up and inequalities are progressively reduced, both through expanding economic opportunities and strengthening social safety nets. The Government informed the Special Rapporteur that the Gini coefficient has gradually dropped (from 0.38 in 2004 to 0.29 in 2014 and 0.28 in 2017), indicating declining income inequality in the Cambodian population. 37. Target 10.1 of the Cambodian Sustainable Development Goals aims to “sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average” reflecting the Government’s will to lift people out of income poverty and prioritizing the poorest. However, measuring monetary poverty alone does not present the full picture. Multidimensional poverty analyses help make the poorest and most vulnerable populations statistically visible and identify the measures necessary to end poverty “in all its forms”, as set out in Sustainable Development Goal 1. In that regard, the Special Rapporteur welcomes the joint report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Ministry of Planning, which looks at child poverty across several key dimensions such as health, nutrition, water, education and housing, through multiple overlapping deprivation analysis.11 The report complements the information on monetary poverty, since there are children who are not necessarily poor in monetary terms, but are deprived on several dimensions that prevent them from realizing their rights and achieving their full potential. In that respect, the Special Rapporteur values the inclusion of indicator 1.2.2 of the Cambodian Goals measuring the “proportion of children living in poverty measured by multiple dimensions according to national definitions”. Cambodia, like many countries, has shown evidence of increased wealth concentration. Understanding this better can deepen awareness of its opposite, namely poverty concentration, and assist with implementing plans to remove people from poverty. 38. The adoption of the Social Protection Policy Framework 2016–2025 and the continued investment in comprehensive social protection reforms will be crucial in the progressive realization of the rights of the most vulnerable. Under the scheme, noncontributory social assistance is being expanded to include protection for the elderly, persons with disabilities, pregnant women and children, while contributory schemes will cover pensions at the age of retirement and health insurance in the case of sickness It is important that the framework is adequately financed and establishes the means to insure informal sector groups as well as the near poor, as these people are often highly vulnerable to shocks. 39. During her last two missions, the Special Rapporteur documented the situation of two categories of individuals and groups that are at risk of being left behind: floating villagers on the Tonle Sap and drug-users with dependency issues. In highlighting these groups, the Special Rapporteur provides some suggestions on their situation and how they could be better integrated into the Cambodian Sustainable Development Goals Framework. 9 10 11 10 See the World Bank in Cambodia: overview (2017), available from www.worldbank.org/en/country/cambodia/overview. See World Bank, Cambodian Agriculture in Transition: Opportunities and Risks (Washington D.C., May 2015), p. 12. See Child Poverty in Cambodia (2018), available from www.unicef.org/cambodia/reports/childpoverty-report-cambodia.