7 August 2025, Kep, Cambodia –In coastal vulnerable settlements in Kep Province and Prey Nob in Preah Sihanouk Province, many households live in poor housing conditions in terms of structure, materials, and thermal comfort to protect residents from climate hazards.

Mr. Ao Soun is one of the project beneficiaries, a 70-year-old with a disability. Every year, he and his wife struggle to keep their modest home standing from the same climate issues — strong winds, heavy rain, flooding, and extreme heat. “We suffer from these climate issues every year,” he said. “We have to spend to repair the house, and it has become a heavy burden for our family.”

To enhance climate change adaptation and resilience of the most vulnerable coastal human settlements, UN-Habitat has been implementing the project with the National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD)/ Ministry of Environment. The project constructed 20 resilient demo houses in the climate-vulnerable housing in Kep and is currently constructing seven more units in Prey Nob district, Preah Sihanouk Province. These demo units are affordable, climate-resilient, and replicable housing features with elevated reinforced foundations for flood and strong wind resilience, strong beams, anti-heat roofing to reduce indoor temperatures, and solar panels for an off-grid energy supply. It also adopts other features — rainwater harvesting tanks, ventilation systems, and disability-friendly handrails — ensuring houses are inclusive, environmentally responsive, and future-proofed for extreme weather conditions.

Mr. Ao Soun mentioned, “The new house is very comfortable both day and night, without fear of heatstroke, roof damage from strong winds, rain, or flooding. We can save on repair costs and invest in other needs.”

To showcase and promote replication of climate-resilient and affordable houses in vulnerable communities in Cambodia, UN-Habitat organized the knowledge sharing activity on 7 August 2025. Participants were key actors in the affordable housing sector, including the General Department of Housing, the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (MLMUPC) and the NGOs Housing Network, namely Habitat for Humanity, World Vision, NGOs Forum and others.

The key outcome was a discussion among stakeholders based on a walkthrough of the completed affordable, climate-resilient housing that was trained and constructed through the Adaptation Fund project, as well as the sharing of the project’s good practices, lessons learned, and recommendations for future replications in domestic poor settlements in Cambodia.

Speaking on behalf of the NGOs Housing Network, Ms. Soum Samoun, Executive Director of the Urban Poor Women Development (UPWD), praised the resilient housing design that provides a comfortable living environment to poor families in all seasons. She also suggested planting trees for shade and wind protection while promoting replication of resilient housing constructions in other climate-vulnerable provinces.

“Housing construction improvements must align with the specific local climate vulnerability to ensure effective adaptation to climate change and environmental sustainability,” said Mr. Sok Sam On, Deputy Director General of the General Housing Department. “It is important to widely promote the project’s successful experiences and its climate-resilient construction techniques through knowledge products, including videos on social media posts.”

Adequate housing is fundamental to building climate resilience, safeguarding human dignity, and promoting safety, inclusion, and social justice. UN-Habitat will continuously be working with stakeholders to promote resilient and affordable houses in Cambodia through a participatory training and construction process.