On July 23, Aun Pornmoniroth, Deputy Prime Minister, Ministry of Economy and Finance and chairman of the Inter-ministerial Coordinating Committee of the Master Plan to Develop Preah Sihanouk Province into a Model Multi-purpose Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and Develop Cambodia Coastal Provinces into a Multi-Purpose and Comprehensive Economic Corridor, led the fourth committee meeting to review and finalise the English version of the draft reports at the Ministry of Economy and Finance

The meeting was attended by deputy prime ministers, ministers, ministry representatives, the governors of Preah Sihanouk, Kampot, Koh Kong and Kep Provinces and experts from the Urban Planning and Design Institute of Shenzhen (UPDIS) led by Sima Xiao, president of UPDIS.

In accordance with the instructions of Prime Minister Hun Manet, the expansion of the two master plans is being prepared by integrating the other three coastal provinces. This approach utilises the resources and potential of each province, forming a comprehensive master plan that is scalable and unified, aiming to increase the competitiveness of the four provinces and Cambodia as a whole.

In particular, the draft of the “Master Plan to Develop Cambodia Coastal Provinces into a Multi-Purpose and Comprehensive Economic Corridor” has a long-term vision extending until 2038. The plan aims to develop the country’s coastal provinces into a world-class coastal tourism destination and a new platform for the green economy.

This vision includes making these areas competitive with the world's top coastal tourism destinations, providing professional services for wellness tourism and creating rich scenes for entertainment tourism.

Additionaly, it seeks to establish these provinces as a powerhouse for green energy, an advanced demonstrator of green agriculture and industrial development and a transformational frontier for green finance and other forms of services.

The draft of the “Master Plan to Develop Cambodia Coastal Provinces into a Multi-Purpose and Comprehensive Economic Corridor” evaluates administrative effectiveness, traffic conditions, elevation, land development, population size, resource conditions and development foundations.

This evaluation aims to analyse the goals, conditions and development potential of each province. Additionally, the report analyses the industrial potential of each province and recommends complementarity and interconnection between the four provinces, as well as strategic plans for the country’s coastal provinces.

The meeting discussed several important points and provided comments on certain parts of the report to ensure its comprehensiveness. The participants also expressed their appreciation for the preparation of the draft.

Pornmoniroth expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the support and cooperation from the leaders of all relevant ministries and institutions, the Inter-Ministerial Technical Working Group (TWG), the Secretariat of the TWG and the working group of UPDIS for their hard work in preparing the draft in a comprehensive manner.