Phnom Penh (FN), Sep. 23 – On 20 September, in celebration of World Cleanup Day, the Ministry of Environment (MoE) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) co-hosted the seminar “Present and Future of Circular Environment in Cambodia”. The seminar welcomed over 160 participants.
During the seminar, MoE shared the current environmental situation of Cambodia and its strategy to tackle it. UNDP presented its on-going collaboration in waste management field focusing the circular economy and environment. Department of Environmental Engineering of Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) projected future challenges which will worsen without action today and role of academia.
On the site, we could feel the attention and enthusiasm of 160 participants, those who came with interests in and concerns about environment, from public officers, development partners, academia, NGOs and private sectors, and young generation from RUPP and Youth Economic Federation Association.
Chuop Paris, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Environment shared Cambodia government’s commitment to a cleaner, greener, more sustainable environment and call for citizens’ participation, stating “Environmental challenges we are facing cannot be solved without collective effort. All of us should join our hands. It is time to act for ourselves and our future generations.”
Choi Moon Jung, Country Director of KOICA Cambodia Office responded Secretary of State’s call by revealing the purpose of the seminar, saying “Today’s seminar is to raise awareness and share insights. KOICA believes the solution is the people.” Following this belief, KOICA has supported to establish the Department of Environmental Engineering in royal university of Phnom Penh (RUPP) to nurture talents those who can find and develop solutions for tackling environmental issue.
Besides experts’ presentations, there was another eye-catching session: watching a short video clip. KOICA shared the result of its one-month campaign initiated to support MoE’s ‘Clean Cambodia! Khmer Can Do!’ Last 21 August, Park Jung-wook Ambassador of Republic of Korea to Cambodia, Eang Sophalleth, Minister of Environment, and Khuong Sreng Governor of Phnom Penh City Hall gathered for an inception of the one-month relay. It started with trash-picking activity on the river. On the day, more than 700 people joined hands.
For last one month, this activity rolled out through social network services such as Facebook and Instagram. More than 2,133 people have put ideas of reducing, reusing, and recycling plastics into practice of their daily lives in schools, in the markets, at cafes, and at homes and shared pictures on the posts of SNS. More than 20,000 people watched these activities of their family, friends, and colleagues.
Considering the severe environmental crisis, as the secretary of State of MoE said, KOICA’s one-month campaign had a finale with the seminar, but our commitment should continue. Dozens of young generations from RUPP and Youth Economic Federation Association participated the seminar, and 2,133 people voluntarily participated in daily practice and gladly share it with 20,000 friends to promote them to participate. From the seminar and KOICA’s one-month campaign, we found that we still have people to solve these challenges together.
=FRESH NEWS
