Following the destruction of the civil war and Khmer Rouge regime during the 1970s, the Cambodian Government assigned the Ministry of Planning (MOP) to prepare the first (1986-1990) and second (1991-1995) five year Socioeconomic Rehabilitation and Development Programs (SRDP).  These were designed to guide a centrally planned economy. The information used to prepare the SRDPs, and subsequently to monitor and evaluate their implementation (through quarterly and annual reports) was almost all derived from administrative information systems.

Under the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC), established with a new constitution following the elections in 1993, the first (1996-2000) and second (2001-2005) five-year Socio-Economic Development Plans (SEDP I and SEDP II) took medium-term, cross-Government planning an important step further. Building on earlier work, SEDP I presented for the first time an integrated medium-term program of national development within the context of a market economy. Both Plans were prepared with technical and financial support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).  However, neither plan incorporated monitoring and evaluation (M&E) mechanisms to track implementation. Both rounds of SEDP had as their primary document vision the goal of poverty reduction achieved through promotion of sustainable economic growth at 6-7 percent per year and better governance. The Government recognized the important role of the private sector in development and employment generation.

The Plans were to be seen alongside the first 3-year-rolling Public Investment Program (PIP) for 1996-1998, which helped to channel planned investments (including development cooperation projects and programs) to priority areas (among sectors and within each sector). The process of preparing the PIP has continued every year since then. From the very beginning, the intention has been that the annual budget of the RGC would be synchronized with the PIP.

In addition to the SEDPs and  PIPs, the MoP also prepared the National Poverty Reduction Strategy (NPRS) 2003-2005 at the request of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB), as Cambodia’s first Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). The NPRS was prepared in coordination with line Ministries and external development partners (EDPs) and endorsed by the Government on December 20, 2002. The NPRS laid out the key priorities for Cambodia to meet the poverty reduction goals of the Royal Government of Cambodia. The NPRS adopted a comprehensive approach, outlining pro-poor actions to improve rural livelihoods, promote job opportunities, ensure better health, nutrition and education outcomes, and reduce vulnerability.