Presentation by Cecil Haverkamp, research coordinator at HPCR, based in the HSPH department of global health and population, at the invitation of the HSPH Global Chat and Student Government.

Sector-wide approaches are increasingly referred and applied to complex health sector contexts in developing countries, in particular those with a high proliferation of external partners. The central underlying rationale for strengthening policy dialogue between government, bi- and multilateral donors, international NGOs and civil society, however, is often conflated with technical and operational preoccupations for delivery and funding modalities, eg budget support and other technicalities. Open policy dialogue as political opportunities for strengthening government sector stewardship through the exploration of policy expansion, options and innovation beyond just technical and operational aspects of health delivery or funding mechanisms is often overlooked. Cambodia is an interesting case study representing a number of countries where health partners and ministry of health have moved towards deeper institutionalized sector dialogue leading to innovative arrangements.