Long Heng: Cambodia launches national development plan update 2009-2013

Cambodia launches national development plan update 2009-2013

The Cambodian government on July 7 launched the national strategic development plan update 2009-2013 which will serve as the fundamental policy instrument for implementation of rectangular strategic phase two in a move to boost economic growth, development of the country and conceptually responsive to current situations in the region and the world.







“We have many tasks to do including strengthen governance, fight against corruption, efficiently deliver public services and to foster a culture of transparency and accountability,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance H.E Keat Chhon said in his opening remark of the launching ceremony in Phnom Penh.







“We have to promote deeper and more comprehensive reform programs in all sectors,” he added. He highlighted that strengthening peace, political stability, security and social order to promote the rule of law, protect human rights and dignity and multi-party democracy in order to create a conducive political and social environment for sustainable development in longer term.







“The plan also focuses on promoting and maintaining a high economic growth rate and ensuring rapid poverty reduction is high priority for all government institutions. It required not only a more and the private sector, but also more effective coordination and collaboration within and across the government ministries and the development community, particularly in key are such agriculture and rural development, and infrastructure development, irrigation and water resources management and trade facilitation,” he noted. The development will be focused on enhancing the productivity and diveristication of the agriculture sector and expansion of the education, technical and vocational training, and health services in the rural areas,” he stresses. He continued that the integration of Cambodian economy is the dynamic markets within ASEAN, GMS and Cambodia-Laos Vietnam cooperation framework on roads, railways, ports and airports, private sector development and integrate informal sector both small and medium enterprises in formal economy.







He said that the national strategy development plan Update 2009-213 is issue of budget which in difficult stage. Through this NSDP update 2009-2013, the government has set a target of 6,278 million US dollars for public sector investments to implement the government’s prioritized policies for the fourth legislature of which 4, 278 million US dollars for public sector capital investment requirements, 1 billion US dollars for providing targeted support to the development and diversification of rural economies in order to alleviate poverty in rural and remote areas and to the emergency support to mitigate the adverse impact of the global financial crisis and economic downturn to the vulnerable and the poor, 500 million US dollars for expanding social sectors services to achieve Cambodian Millennium Development goals and 500 million US dollars for strengthening the capacity of government institutions to efficiently deliver the program and services.







“I think that having in hand the national strategic development plan update 2009-2013 that is disseminated today is not sufficient for the development of our nation,”he said, adding that we still have a great deal task to accomplish and we have to implement through enhancing policy coordination with community of development partners and financiers, to strengthen governance aiming at especially fighting against corruption, as well as promoting the implementation of the deeper and the more comprehensive reform programs in all sectors, in which all works must combine in an inter-connected and cross-supporting system for the goals of socio-economic development and better natural resources and environmental management.







“All relevant ministries and institutions must prepare its own sector strategic development plan or update it through reviewing all existing and new projects and programs that supported by the domestic and foreign resources in order to ensure the alignment and linkage with priorities of the NSDP updates as well as timely preparing its public investment programs and budget estimation for its own sector to put it the three year rolling public investment program,” he said.







He continued that all provincial and municipalities must update their own provincial, municipal strategic development plan and must pay attention on formulation three year-rolling public investment program in conformity with the NSDP update 2009-2013 as a tool for implementing de-concentration, decentralization and decision making on the investment proposal that set out in the organic law on administrative management of capital provinces, municipalities, districts and Khan







“I urge multilateral and bilateral development partners as well as non-governmental organization to make sure that their assistance strategic are aligned and matched with the priorities of the NSDP update 2009-2013 and their development assistance are also aligned with the public investment programs. All development partners have to confirm that resources channeling through NGOs are in line with priorities and development goals stipulated in the NSDP update 2009-2013 and those resources must be utilized in the manner of transparency and responsibility,” he stresses.







He added that the government would like all ministries and agencies, development partners who are financing any action and project to give a high priority for carrying out period monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the action and copying those reports to ministry of planning after they have been finalized. This measure enables the ministry of planning to reflect them in the overall assessment of development progress of NSDP update 2009He also appealed to all partners for further attention to strengthen the capacity building of the officials in preparing plan, monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the national plan especially officials within the ministry of planning and involved agencies. H.E. Chhay Than, planning minister said at the event that the NSDP update 2009-2013 as the 4th social-economic development plan is another new product for the country.

“The goal is to ensure that works to be proposed by line ministries and agencies to implement these prioritized policies are prepare taking into account potential impacts of the global financial crisis and economic downturn economic development of Cambodia,” H.E. Chhay Than sadi, adding that this plan is configured the structure of rectangular strategy phase two which covers Cambodia’s social, economic, cultural, and security sectors and specific reform measures that reflected in the 24 angels of the rectangular strategy. We thanked UNFPA for their support in this ceremony.
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