PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, discussed the strengthening of Cambodia-UN cooperation and exchanged views on various regional and international issues during a bilateral meeting on Sunday, 13 November 2022, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summits and Related Summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
According to a press release issued by the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on Sunday, Secretary-General Guterres congratulated Prime Minister Hun Sen for successfully hosting and chairing the ASEAN Summits and Related Summits, including the ASEAN-UN Summit.
The two leaders noted with satisfaction the good relations and cooperation between Cambodia and the UN, and shared commitments to further broaden them.
Prime Minister Hun Sen highlighted three models of successful Cambodia-UN cooperation: the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, UN Peacekeeping Operations, and the yearly meeting between himself and all UN Agencies in Cambodia, which he stressed would resume in the near future, after having been disrupted by the pandemic.
The Prime Minister also thanked the United Nations for its continued cooperation and assistance to the socioeconomic development of Cambodia, and especially for providing Covid-19 vaccines and medical equipment through the COVAX facility, contributing to the government’s successful national vaccination campaign.
The two leaders further discussed cooperation between the Cambodian government and the UN on combating climate change, and general ASEAN-UN cooperation. Prime Minister Hun Sen briefed Secretary-General Guterres on the preparations Cambodia is making for the general elections in July next year.
The Prime Minister also touched on the subject of demining, underlining the humanitarian demining activities Cambodia is engaged in, primarily through the sharing of experience and expertise in clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) around the world, under the auspices of the United Nations. He also informed theUN Secretary-General of the Cambodian government’s joint-collaboration with the Government of Japan, to dispatch Cambodian deminers to help train Ukraine's deminers in Poland.
He further asked Secretary-General Guterres to increase UN assistance on demining in order to help the Kingdom reach its goal of “A Mine-Free Cambodia by 2025,” and suggested the inclusion of demining in the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The UN Secretary-General expressed appreciation for the attention given by Prime Minister Hun Sen to demining and assured the Prime Minister that he would take both the request and suggestion made into serious consideration.
Additionally, while exchanging views on regional and international issues, Prime Minister Hun Sen stressed Cambodia's position against the threat to use nuclear weapons and advocated for adherence to the UN Charter and international laws.
