The Cambodian General Secretariat of National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) yesterday with the South Korea-based organisation ASEIC in an effort to promote sustainable industrial development in Cambodia.

The MoU signing ceremony was held in Phnom Penh and inked between Tin Ponlok, secretary-general of NCSD, and Sejong Kim, vice president of ASEIC. According to Ponlok, the MoU will help build the capacity of NCSD officials and train them on how to incorporate ecofriendly development projects while boosting public awareness on the benefits of sustainable development policies.

He added that the collaboration between the two entities paves the way for a joint study that aims to create a framework policy to facilitate an eco-labelling system that can be applied to food and consumer products. Eco-labelling systems are used in numerous developed economies to act as a measurement of sustainability.

“Our goal is to encourage the private sector to participate in a sustainable production management system to help minimise the harm to the environment, reduce carbon emissions and pollution levels,” he said.

Promoting low-carbon industries is part of a sustainable economic development strategy that aims to ensure that a country’s natural resources are preserved.

Kim, the vice president of ASEIC, said the MoU was in line with the Cambodian government’s “National Action Plan on Green Development in the period 2013-2030”.

“Cambodia is focusing on natural resources, sustainability and efficient use of green technology,” he said. “We believe this event will be a platform for the spontaneous dissemination of eco-innovation.”