The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) will support Cambodia's national development and LDC graduation goals

Marie-Hélène Loison, Deputy CEO of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), expressed satisfaction with the past development cooperation between the Royal Government of Cambodia and the AFD.

Marie-Hélène Loison confirmed that the AFD will continue to provide strong support for Cambodia's development under the leadership of Samdech Manet

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet received a courtesy call by Marie-Hélène Loison last week at the Peace Palace. She informed the PM of the long-standing relationship and cooperation between AFD and Cambodia and made it clear that she intends to further strengthen this cooperation. The Deputy CEO also praised the Royal Government of Cambodia for launching the Pentagonal Strategy-Phase I, which focuses on economic development, social protection, human capital, energy, and technology to achieve Cambodia’s goals and vision.

Marie-Hélène Loison also briefed Samdech Thipadei on the AFD programme in Cambodia, which focuses on several key areas, including rural development, water resource management, irrigation, clean water, finance, banking, green business, and trade investment.

She praised the Royal Government of Cambodia for setting out a long-term development strategy aimed at achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Additionally, she informed Samdech Thipadei of the continued support and strengthening of cooperation, particularly the contribution to help the Royal Government of Cambodia graduate from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) status by 2029. This will be achieved through close collaboration with ministries, institutions, and relevant partners.

The premier praised Marie-Hélène Loison’s commitment to continue supporting and contributing to the socio-economic development of Cambodia. He also expressed support for AFD’s existing programmes in Cambodia and highlighted the launch of the Royal Government’s Pentagonal Strategy-Phase I, which focuses on ensuring economic sustainability and poverty reduction to achieve the 2050 vision.

Samdech Thipadei also set out the goal of promoting and improving the green energy sector to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Currently, Cambodia has achieved clean energy consumption of 62% of total energy consumption and will promote the use of clean energy to 70% by 2030.

Prime Minister Hun Manet made it clear that the government is committed to providing 100% clean water and implementing irrigation management policies to ensure adequate water use and prevent disasters, including floods, during the rainy season.

During the meeting, Samdech Thipadei and the deputy CEO also discussed and exchanged views on several important areas, including:

• Trade and Investment: The Royal Government of Cambodia has issued an investment law providing additional incentives for investment in Cambodia, simplifying investment process procedures, and introducing new initiatives, such as new models of special economic zones tailored to industry types and the needs of each country. They also discussed mechanisms for public-private partnerships to provide flexibility and address challenges, ensuring a competitive business environment.

• Culture and People-to-people Contacts: They discussed enhancing cultural exchanges, language learning, sports, tourism, and trade.

• Energy Sector Transition: They discussed the need to continue strengthening cooperation and developing key strategic plans to ensure efficient energy use and contribute to preventing climate change.