(Phnom Penh)
On Thursday, December 09, 2021, His Excellency Chhieng Yanara, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister, Secretary General of the Cambodian Rehabilitation and Development Board of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, received a courtesy call with Ms. Alissar Chaker, newly-appointed Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Cambodia. The main purpose of this courtesy call was to discuss the progress achieved in development cooperation and partnerships between the Royal Government of Cambodia and UNDP.
H.E. Minister warmly welcomed and congratulated Ms. Alissar Chaker for being appointed Resident Representative of UNDP in Cambodia. H.E. Minister highly valued the achievements made in the implementation of UNDP’s Country Programme Action Plan. On this occasion, H.E. Minister also expressed his sincere thanks for UNDP’s efforts in responding to COVID-19 pandemic and its contribution to economic recovery in Cambodia.
Ms. Alissar Chaker expressed her pleasure to begin her mission in Cambodia and highly praised the RGC for its efforts and achievements in Cambodia’s development especially in the era of COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Ms. Alissar praised CRDB/CDC for successfully implementing the Partnerships for Development Results (PfDR) Phase I and II and achieving the expected results. UNDP will continue to support the implementation of PfDR Phase III.
As a result of the discussion, UNDP will continue to support three main priorities including:
1) Strengthen coordination and consultation mechanisms on partnerships and development effectiveness at all levels,
2) Coordinate the preparation of Voluntary National Review report, which will be led by the Ministry of Planning, by identifying the impacts of COVID-19 on the implementation of Cambodia Sustainable Development Goals 2016-2030 and provide policy recommendations, and
3) Conduct in-depth studies on the impact of graduation from Least-Developed Country (LDC) status on the economy and prepare policy recommendations for the RGC.
It is worth mentioning that from 1999 to 2021, UNDP has provided a total of USD 216 million to support the socio-economic development of Cambodia. In conclusion, both sides expressed firm commitment to further strengthen development cooperation and partnerships in order to achieve the expected results. H.E. Minister also thanked UNDP for its contributions to Cambodia’s socio-economic development and wished Ms. Alissar Chaker succeed in fulfilling her duties.