Remarks
His Excellency Dr. Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister
Minister in charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers
At the Signing Ceremony of the Agreement for the Project "Humanitarian
Demining in Siem Reap and Oddar Meanchey provinces"
Between the Kingdom of Cambodia and
the Federal Republic of Germany
His Excellency Dr. Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister
Minister in charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers
At the Signing Ceremony of the Agreement for the Project "Humanitarian
Demining in Siem Reap and Oddar Meanchey provinces"
Between the Kingdom of Cambodia and
the Federal Republic of Germany
Phnom Penh, 02 February
2012
–
Mr.
Horst Triller, Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of
Germany to the Kingdom of Cambodia,
–
H.E.
Prak Sokhonn, Minister attached to the Prime Minister, Secretary of State of the Office of the Council of Ministers and Vice President of the
Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority,
–
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the
great pleasure to officiate today's signing ceremony of the Agreement for the
Project "Humanitarian Demining in Siem Reap and Oddar Meanchey
provinces", being funded by the Federal Republic of Germany and
implemented by Demining Unit 6 of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC). This
signing ceremony signifies Germany's continuing support for humanitarian mine
action and socio-economic development in Cambodia since 1999.
On behalf
of the Royal Government and People of Cambodia, I would like to extend my deepest thanks to the Government and People of the
Federal Republic of Germany, represented
here today by Mr. Horst Triller, Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of the Federal
Republic of Germany, for their generous assistance in this important sector.
As we all understand, mine
action is not only a security-related issue but also a significant factor in
poverty reduction and development. Land cannot be productive and will not contribute to economic development if
it remains contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO).
Therefore, the Royal Government of Cambodia, under the wise leadership of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime
Minister of Cambodia, considers the clearance of landmines and UXO as
one of our top priorities, as clearly reflected in the Rectangular Strategy,
the Cambodian Millennium Development Goals (CMDGs) and the National Strategic
Development Plan (NSDP). To this end, the Royal Government has tasked both the
Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance
Authority (CMAA) and the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) to ensure
that issues related to demining activities are properly managed and delivered
in an effective and efficient manner that maximizes socio-economic benefits for
the people.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Cambodia has made significant economic progress. From 1993 to 2011,
Cambodia's GDP sharply increased from
US$2.48 billion to an estimated US$12.61 billion. This rapid economic growth has been mainly driven by agriculture, garment,
tourism, and construction sectors. As a
result, the poverty rate has substantially dropped, from approximately 50% in 1993/1994 to 27.4% in 2009,
to 25.8% in 2010, and it is expected to fall well below 20% by 2015 as
outlined in our CMDGs. Demining has undoubtedly contributed to these achievements by providing a greater opportunity for
rural development, especially in the
form of establishing new settlements and extending agricultural
production.
Despite
the efforts and achievements made by the Royal Government, in particular by
CMAA, CMAC and other mine action operators, landmine and UXO issues still pose
a terrible threat to the lives of our people and remain a severe obstacle to
the country's development. Although
casualties decreased from 286 in 2010 to 211 in 2011, all demining operators still need to and are working
tirelessly to end the scourge of mines and
UXO. This emphasizes the importance of maintaining the momentum of the
humanitarian mine action sector so that poor communities can pursue livelihood opportunities
without fear of encountering mines and UXO in their villages and local
agricultural fields. More importantly, we have to boost mine clearance
operations in a number of other areas, specifically those around historical
temples and important tourist sites, in order to provide safety and to
accelerate socio-economic development.
As we all know, Cambodia recently hosted the 11th
Meeting of States Parties for the Anti-Personnel
Mine Ban Convention, with some 900 participants from more 150 countries, and a number of international organizations. It was
a wonderful opportunity for Cambodia, as well as other mine-affected
countries, to showcase their world-class humanitarian demining operations and
experience in mine action to achieve the goal of a mine free world. As a
result, the summit was remarkably successful.
Excellencies,
ladies and Gentlemen,
To conclude, I
would like to once again express our profound appreciation to the Government and People of the Federal Republic of Germany for their close
cooperation and ongoing support in the field of mine action. I would
also like to take this opportunity to call for further
cooperation and support from other development partners and stakeholders so that we can successfully accomplish the goals outlined
in the National Mine
Action Strategy for 2010-2019.
Finally, I wish Excellencies, Ladies, Gentlemen and your
families success, good health and happiness.
Thank you!