PHNOM PENH: The Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UN-ESCAP) is in Cambodia on her third visit since 2019 to discuss cooperation on regional and international issues with the goal of improving the region’s socio-economic development. While meeting with the UN representative, both the current and former Prime Ministers agreed that maintaining peace and improving the livelihoods of the people were Cambodia’s top priorities.

On the morning of January 22, Secretary Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana met with former Prime Minister Hun Sen to thank him for his cooperation with ESCAP and to commend Cambodia’s National ESCAP branch, led by Deputy Prime Minister Ly Thuch.

She praised the progress made under the former PM’s administration, especially in the socio-economic field, and pledged further cooperation from ESCAP.

Former PM Hun Sen said that the UN-ESCAP mission aligns with socio-economic development in Cambodia and spoke on his nation’s progress despite regional and global turmoil.

"The Covid-19 crisis has made things as difficult for Cambodia as for the region, but after Covid-19, we have gradually restored the country even while difficulties in our region arise from geopolitical competition and war in some areas,” he said. “In our Asia-Pacific region there is a significant impact on geopolitical competition, especially complex issues arising from the arms race, the South China Sea, Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula.”

He said that Cambodia has two main priorities for the future: to maintain peace and political stability and to focus on sustainable economic development that will improve people’s livelihoods.

That same morning Secretary Alisjahbana met with Prime Minister Hun Manet as well, where she once again reaffirmed UN-ESCAP’s commitment to cooperate with the Cambodian government to develop society, economy and improve the lives of the people.

She briefed the PM on four priority areas within the cooperation framework including: protecting the people and the environment based on the principle of "no one left behind", with a focus on climate change; promoting investment and trade among UN-ESCAP member countries; building and strengthening digital capacity; and financially supporting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The PM noted that UN-ESCAP priorities align with his own administration’s priorities outlined in phase one of the Pentagon Strategy, which aims to make Cambodia a high-income country by 2050. He thanked UN-ESCAP for its contribution to Cambodia’s socio-economic development and welcomed its continued commitment to working with the Cambodian government.