Motorists ride past the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications headquarters in the capital’s Daun Penh district. Heng Chivoan
The government has launched a new policy in a bid to begin the Kingdom’s transition to a digital government.
The Cambodian Digital Government Policy 2022-2035 aims to establish a government underpinned by digital infrastructure and technologies that modernise governance structures and guide reforms in all sectors, according to the 97-page document seen by The Post on February 4.
The “smart” government outlined in the policy seeks to improve the quality of life of ordinary Cambodians and increase public trust through more efficient provision of public services.
Prime Minister Hun Sen was quoted in the document as saying that Cambodia has achieved comprehensive peace, sovereignty, national unity, political stability, and socioeconomic development. He said he believed the government had made reforms which improved the livelihoods of ordinary Cambodians and that many achievements had been made in a short period of time.
As a result, he said, the government has decided to accelerate the use of digital technology, which it sees as the driver of productivity in governance, national development and public services.
“Digital government is an actor which pushes for increase in efficiency through growing government income. It reduces public expenses, impact on the environment, time and repetition in work, as well as eases the exchange of information between state institutions, and administrative flow,” the premier said in the policy document.
He observed that the transformation to a digital government required the rearrangement of workflow, management and the division of tasks, along with transparency in work monitoring, accountability and equity.
The success of the Kingdom’s Digital Transformation is the foundation from which the government hopes to achieve the eventual goal of making public services widely and consistently accessible for all citizens, he said.
“I have profound belief in the importance and necessity of building a digital government for Cambodia, in which sub-national institutions and administrations have to work with unity and have the ability to serve the public according to their need and in a timely manner,” he said.
He also emphasised the need for cross-governmental institutions to work together to achieve this goal.
Minister of Post and Telecommunications Chea Vandeth said the Digital Government Policy reflects a long-term vision and serves as a roadmap to achieve the eventual transformation to a digital government. The government’s medium and long-term priorities as outlined in the policy aims to meet the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) criteria for digital governance.
“The implementation of these priority actions will contribute to the improvement of indicators on digital government development as evaluated by UN DESA every two years,” he said.
This is the second digitally-focused policy that the government has introduced in recent months. Last June, it launched a 15-year policy framework for the Kingdom’s evolving digital socio-economic environment to pave the way for a digital economy as a new engine of economic growth.
The Cambodia Digital Economy and Social Policy Framework 2021-2035 aims to add momentum to the Kingdom’s information and communication technology (ICT) sector and, since its inception, has been touted by the government as a new source of opportunities to boost productivity, efficiency, and economic competitiveness.
