Hun Sen: Cambodia gives utmost priority to peace
PR IME Minister Hun Sen said on Monday at the 75th Session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for A sia a nd t he Pacif ic (Unescap) in Bangkok, Thailand, that Cambodia gives utmost priorit y to ma i nt a i n i n g p e a c e a nd pol it ic a l s t a bi l it y i n t he Kingdom.
T h e p r i me m i n i s t e r s t r e s s e d t hat pe ac e a nd stabilit y are t he indispensable foundations of development. Reciprocally, inclusive and equitable development i s a neces s a r y c ond it ion to st reng t hen a nd ensu re secu r it y, peace a nd socia l stabilit y.
“I would l i ke to reiterate my high appreciation for the United Nations and partners i n development t hat have continued to cooperate with and support Cambodia and Ca mbod ia n s s o f a r, a nd strengthen and promote our common goa l – bu i ld i ng a world in which no one is forgotten.
“Despite Cambodians having enjoyed grow th over the past decades, some classes of people or communit ies have not received the proper rights and power, are v ulnerable a nd have not received enough attention,” he said.
Discussing Agenda Item 2 “Empower i ng People a nd Ensuring Inclusiveness and E qua l it y ” at t he a n nua l conference, Hun Sen said the Cambodian government had i nt r o d uc e d t he 2 016 -2 5 Nat iona l Socia l Protect ion Policy Framework.
T h i s , he s a i d , wou l d ensure t he safe reception of i ncome, t he reduct ion of economic and financial v ulnerabilit y, t he promotion of people’s wel lbeing a nd t he s t r e n g t he n i n g of s o c i a l solida r it y.
The framework also ser ves to provide quality healthcare s er v ic e s at proper pr ic e s t hrough t he Hea lt h Equit y Fund.
The fund, he said, provided c e r t a i n s e r v i c e s f r e e of cha r ge f or t he poor a nd
provides support and allowance for women giving birth as well as pregnant women and children under two years old from poor families.
The National Policy on Ageing 2017-2030 is aimed at supporting and resolving the issues facing the elderly so that they may retain their dignity within their families and communities and join in economic, religious and political activities.
Government spokesman Phay Siphan told The Post that to achieve the policies, the government has to maintain peace and stability which will lead to economic growth and equitable sharing.
“The equity of benefits gained from development includes work, health, housing and everything else,” he said.
Affiliated Network for Social Accountability executive director San Chey told The Post that implementation of national social protection policies is less than optimal.
“The policies are good, but the implementation cannot ensure their effectiveness yet. Looking at the effective implementation of some of the policies, all require open participation, monitoring and evaluation from independent actors such as civil society to put the entire government’s policy into practice,” he said.
According to the World Bank website, updated on April 11, Cambodia’s economy maintained an average growth of 7.7 per cent growth between 1995 and last year due to garment exports and the tourism sector. This puts the Kingdom in the world’s top six of fastest growing economies.
Cambodia’s economic growth is estimated at 7.5 per cent compared to seven per cent in 2017 and is expected to remain robust in the medium term.