OBJECTIVE With the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) there is a need for a framework for understanding how child health is related to other sustainable development outcomes. Cambodia has made great advances in child health and recently adapted the SDGs into the Cambodian Sustainable Development Goals (CSDGs). A systematic assessment of how the SDGs influence child health and vice versa has however been lacking. This study aimed to contribute to such an assessment by considering the interactions between the SDGs and child health in Cambodia.

METHODS The participatory semi-quantitative SDG Synergies method was applied in order to systematically assess the interactions. Over a two-day workshop, 29 governmental and non-governmental stakeholders scored 272 interactions between 17 CSDGs where CSDG 3 represented child health on a seven-point scale from strongly restricting (-3) to strongly promoting (+3). From this a cross-impact matrix was derived and network analysis applied to determine first and second-order effects of the interactions with a focus on child health.

RESULTS Overall, stakeholders perceived in general that there are promoting interactions between the CSDGs and child health and that CSDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) might have the largest synergistic potential for the achievement of the CSDGs. Stakeholders perceived that progress on child health promotes the achievement of all other goals except for CSDG 15 (life on land) in Cambodia. Conversely, progress on all other goals positively influence child health.

CONCLUSIONS The investigation of the interactions surrounding the SDGs and child health in Cambodia provide insights on how complex relationships play out at country level, illuminating critical synergies and trad-offs. This understanding is vital for informing policy coherence and multisectoral partnerships that can accelerate the work towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and the betterment of global child health in Cambodia and beyond.