Phnom Penh (FN), May 21 – Deputy CEO of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Marie-Hélène Loison expressed satisfaction with the past development cooperation between the Royal Government of Cambodia and the Agence Française de Développement.
She announced her continued strong support for Cambodia's development under the leadership of Samdech Manet.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet received a courtesy call by Marie-Hélène Loison on Tuesday morning (May 21) at the Peace Palace.
During the meeting, Marie-Hélène Loison thanked Samdech Thipadei for taking the time to meet with her and her delegation to discuss their work.
She informed Samdech Thipadei of the long-standing relationship and cooperation between AFD and Cambodia, and pledged to further strengthen this cooperation. The Deputy CEO also commended the Royal Government of Cambodia for launching the Pentagonal Strategy-Phase I, which focuses on economic development, social protection, human capital, energy, and technology to achieve Cambodia's goals and vision.
Marie-Hélène Loison also briefed Samdech Thipadei on the AFD program in Cambodia, which focuses on several key areas, including rural development, water resources management, irrigation, clean water, finance, banking, green business, and trade investment.
She praised the Royal Government of Cambodia for setting out a long-term development strategy aimed at achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Additionally, she informed Samdech Thipadei about the continued support and strengthening of cooperation, particularly the contribution to help the Royal Government of Cambodia to graduate from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) status by 2029, through close collaboration with ministries, institutions, and relevant partners.
For his part, Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet welcomed the visit of Marie-Hélène Loison and her delegation to Cambodia. He thanked the AFD for its contributions to Cambodia's socio-economic development in the past.
The premier praised Marie-Hélène Loison’s commitment to continue supporting and contributing to the socio-economic development of Cambodia, expressing support for AFD's existing programs in Cambodia. He also highlighted the launch of the Royal Government's Pentagonal Strategy-Phase I, which focuses on ensuring economic sustainability and poverty reduction to achieve the 2050 vision.
Samdech Thipadei also set out the goal of promoting and improving the green energy sector to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Currently, Cambodia has achieved clean energy consumption of 62 per cent of total energy consumption and has set a goal to promote the use of clean energy to 70 per cent by 2030.
Prime Minister Hun Manet underlined the goal of providing 100 per cent clean water and implementing irrigation management policies to ensure adequate water use and prevent disasters, including floods, during the rainy season.
During the meeting, Samdech Thipadei and the deputy CEO also discussed and exchanged views on several important areas, including:
1. Trade and Investment: The Royal Government of Cambodia has issued an investment law providing additional incentives for investment in Cambodia, simplifying investment process procedures, and introducing new initiatives, such as new models of special economic zones tailored to industry types and the needs of each country. They also discussed mechanisms for public-private partnerships to provide flexibility and address challenges, ensuring a competitive business environment.
2. Culture and People-to-people Contacts: They discussed enhancing cultural exchanges, language learning, sports, tourism, and trade.
3. Energy Sector Transition: They discussed continuing to strengthen cooperation and develop key strategic plans to ensure efficient energy use and contribute to preventing climate change.
=FRESH NEWS
