(Phnom Penh)

Today, Australia and Cambodia officially launched the Cambodia COVID-19 Development Response Plan (CDRP). The Plan developed by the Australian Government in partnership with the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) through a series of constructive dialogues, will guide Australia’s support for Cambodia’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic until June 2022.

The Plan sets out how Australia will support Cambodia’s recovery through three pillars: health security; social stability and inclusion; and economic recovery.

‘Australia will invest in a suite of activities across these pillars to support Cambodia’s recovery,’ said His Excellency Pablo Kang, Australia’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia. ‘That will include improving the quality and accessibility of hospitals, promoting gender and disability inclusion, boosting food production, supporting Cambodia’s energy transition, and empowering citizens to shape their local authority’s responses to the pandemic.’

To implement the Plan, the Australian Government will provide approximately US$85 million in grants to Cambodia as part of its ongoing bilateral development cooperation program. This is in addition to the US$170 million that Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has committed to support economic integration and development in Mekong countries and the US$445 million that Australia has committed to roll out COVID-19 vaccines in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

‘The RGC appreciates an overarching goal of the Plan, which is protecting Cambodian citizens from the impacts of the pandemic and supporting Cambodia’s recovery toward a more resilient and inclusive middle-income country’ said His Excellency Chhieng Yanara, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister and Secretary General of the Cambodian Rehabilitation and Development Board.’

At the launch, Minister Yanara joined Ambassador Kang in co-signing a Statement of Commitment to ensure the effective implementation of the Plan.

‘Australia is one of our pro-active partners that take a critical step earlier to prepare the CDRP to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic”, said His Excellency Chhieng Yanara. “The CDRP represents one of the most significant collaborations in development partnerships between the RGC and the Australian Government. The CRDP is highly regarded by the RGC as it has reprioritised the most important interventions which focuses on three fundamental sectors that are well-aligned with the RGC’s plan for post COVID-19 socio-economic recovery’.

‘The magnificent building in which we have just launched the Plan, which now houses the Council for the Development of Cambodia, was once the headquarters of the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia,’ said Ambassador Kang. ‘Just as Australia played a leading role in that process, which put Cambodia on a path to peace, we are now playing a leading role in supporting Cambodia to recover from the health and socio-economic impacts of the pandemic.’