Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia (PUC) has the great honor to be the only institution in Phnom Penh to host a two day international conference on the topic of Building thoughtful collaborations to help overcome regional problems of poverty. At the conference, many speakers of national and international prominence present their research to Academics Stand Against Poverty (ASAP).

ASAP is an international association focused on helping researchers and teachers enhance their positive impact on severe poverty. ASAP’s principle focus is on poor people in the less developed country, where poverty tends to be most concentrated and severe and resources for tackling poverty tend to be scarcer.

The association works to promote collaboration among poverty focused academics and effect positive outreach to policy makers and broader public audiences by helping academics turn their expertise into impact through specific intervention projects.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ (FAO) State of Food Insecurity in the World Report 2014 (SOFI), p. 8, the world’s population is 7.25 billion. Of this number, 805 million are chronically undernourished, the cause of at least one third of human deaths. In article 25 (1) Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 it is stated that everyone has the rights to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services.