Better Factories Cambodia — ILO/IFC Garment-Sector Compliance and Gender Equity Programme

Better Factories Cambodia (BFC) launched in 2001 as a joint initiative of the ILO and IFC, monitoring labour compliance in Cambodia's garment, footwear, and travel goods sector. It is the founding programme of the global Better Work network, which now operates in 12 countries.

BFC addresses gender through four strategic pillars: elimination of discrimination; reconciling paid work with care responsibilities; worker voice and representation; and women's leadership development.

BFC conducts independent factory assessments and provides enrolled factories with confidential compliance reports plus access to advisory services, training, and information. Over 660 factories employing more than 645,000 workers, 80% of them women, participate in the scheme.

Analysis tied to BFC's growth reveals a 17% reduction in the national gender pay gap in the garment sector. Factories using the full BFC service package show compliance levels systematically above the industry average and productivity gains of 26–31%. The 22nd Synthesis Report (2023) found working conditions generally remain good despite global economic pressure.

The Better Work model pioneered in Cambodia has been replicated in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Haiti, Indonesia, Jordan, Lesotho, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Tunisia, Viet Nam, and Zimbabwe, making it one of the most widely transferred gender-sensitive labour standards programmes in the world.