Thailand
16 Cambodia socio-economic development projects approved
Sixteen socio-economic development projects for Cambodia were approved at the 25th GMS Ministerial Conference (MC-25) held in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR, last week.
A total of 12 projects cover the transportation sector, followed by one each in agriculture, environment, health and information technology.
Sok Chenda Sophea, Delegate Minister Attached to the Prime Minister, Minister of Charge of the Mekong Sub-Region Program and Secretary General of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, led the country’s
delegation.
The MC-25 was attended by the ministers and senior officials of the GMS countries, development partners, private sector representatives, and other stakeholders.
The MC-25 theme, was ‘Accelerating Economic Recovery to Expand 30 Years of GMS Achievements Toward Inclusive and Sustainable Development.’
As the first ministerial conference after the 7th GMS Summit in 2021, it provided an opportunity to follow up on GMS Leaders’ mandates for an innovative and robust recovery path to achieve the new GMS vision of a more integrated, prosperous, sustainable, and inclusive subregion, according to information from the official website.
It was also a celebratory occasion as this year marked the GMS Program’s 30th Anniversary. The meet also commemorated the Program’s significant achievements in the last three decades.
The MC-25 was also the first physical meeting of GMS stakeholders since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. The resumption of the in-person meetings also encouraged a more engaging and collaborative participation in discussing the subregion’s developments and challenges, the organisers said.
On the first day of the event, the MC-25 commenced with a Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) that conducted a final review of deliverables and arrangements of the 25th GMS Ministerial Conference, and the draft SOM Chair’s Report to the Ministers, MC-25 retreat topics, and Joint Ministerial Statement.
The second day saw the Development Partners’ Meeting (DPM) in the morning. DPM attempted to reach the new ground for the GMS Program as it considers the results and recommendations of the study ‘Deepening Development Partners’ Engagement in the GMS Program”.
The DPM also discussed the study to solicit views on the effective implementation of, and concrete next steps on, the actions recommended by the Study.
In the afternoon, the Government of Lao PDR organized activities to celebrate the 30th GMS Anniversary. The activity included a visit to a GMS project and Luang Prabang’s famed Kuang Si Falls, a Baci Ceremony, and a Gala Dinner.
On the final day, a closed-door Ministerial Retreat was held, followed by a formal plenary Ministerial Meeting.
The member countries of GMS are Cambodia, the People’s Republic of China, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam.
Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501202010/16-cambodia-socio-economic-development-projects-approved/