Press and Quick Reaction Unit
PHNOM PENH, Aug. 23, 2012 (PRU) – His Excellency Svay Sitha,
Secretary of State of the Council of Ministers, and His Excellency Mr. Yam Ah
Mee, the Chief Executive Director of the People's Association, shared
Cambodia’s vision that Singapore needs to continue support the ongoing
Information Communications Technology (ICT) project in Cambodia as both sides
agreed that youth plays key role in contributing to economic development.
His Excellency Svay Sitha, in his capacity as the high representative
of His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister H.E Dr. Sok An, said that Cambodia’s
youth shares more than 60 percent of the country total 14 million population
and the Royal Government of Cambodia has paid great attention to invest in them
in term of knowledge and skills as Cambodia will become part of the ASEAN
Economic Community (ACE) by 2015.
His Excellency Svay Sitha, who is also the Chairman of the Press and
Quick Reaction Unit of the Office of the Council of Ministers, recalled Samdech
Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen viewed that “knowledge and know-how are the key
investment to promote social welfare and poverty reduction, especially the
integration of Cambodia into regional and world community.”
“By 2015, ASEAN will transform into a single market and production
base characterized by free flow of goods, services, investment, and skilled
labor,” said His Excellency Svay Sitha.
His Excellency Svay Sitha also recalled the win-win policy championed
by Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen since 1996 and by late 1998 Cambodia
succeeded to put an end to the civil war and internal rift. And since then, the
whole nation of Cambodia has enjoyed full peace, national unity, political
stability, security, social order and development.
These are the key factors that largely contributed to attract foreign
investments, tourists, and international support for the development and prosperity
of Cambodia, he said.
His Excellency Svay Sitha also highlighted the Royal Government’s
rectangular strategy is the main foundation that assures both the sustainable
development and the basic ground for cooperation with all stakeholders and
donors including the Republic of Singapore.
Both sides highly appreciate the Initiate Project, under the MOU
agreement between the Office of the Council of Ministers and Singapore, and
considered it a real success story.
The MOU was inked in July 2005 in which the Office of the Council of
Ministers has been playing as coordinating role between the Ministry of
Education and the Army. Singapore had provided some second-hand PCs units which
were distributed to various training centers, mainly in the public high schools
in Takeo province.
With the success, however, there have been some challenges that
needed to be addressed. Among the challenges including the growing demand of
Cambodian youth for more training, more computer products, more trainers, as
well as generators.
His Excellency Svay Sitha also sought possible dispatching of
Cambodian youth to be trained in Singapore through friendship program. “We
support the ongoing Initiate Project because not only it helps young Cambodians
whether they are civilian or army to become good human resources useful to
society, but also it helps the Cambodian government to achieve its strategic
objectives of “growth, employment, equity, efficiency”.
In response, His Excellency Mr. Yam Ah Mee—who led a strong 8-member
delegation from various institutions whose works support Singaporean
youth—understands a greater need of Cambodia in providing the capacity for
Cambodian youth along with more possible assistance for the Project.
The Initiate Project also helps further promoting the bonds of
friendship of both countries at the top level of the government and the
grass-root level.
END.