Senior Minister Ly Thuch gave the opening remarks at a regional workshop on “resource mobilisation for sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific nations in special situations”.

The December 14-15 virtual workshop was organised by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) with the participation of representatives from 45 countries in Asia and the Pacific.

The workshop aimed to bring together experts and policymakers from least developed countries and developing island states in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss resource mobilisation to achieve inclusive sustainable development goals and share experiences about their efforts.

“On this basis, I would like to … share five priorities related to resource mobilisation that the [international community] should be undertaking in the efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals,” he said in his speech.

The five priorities, he said, are reform to strengthen economic competition and government revenues; preferential treatment to developing countries to ensure equitable globalisation; incentivising private investment and capital flow to developing countries; continued international aid, financial assistance in particular; and building partnerships in developing countries between all stakeholders including the private sector.

“On behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia, I greatly appreciate the role of ESCAP in organising this regional workshop,” he said.

Cambodia is ready to join regional countries and development partners in efforts to mobilise resources and rehabilitate the socio-economic situation in order to continue to achieve a common vision for sustainable development, he stated.

According to Thuch, the outcome of this regional workshop will contribute to filling the knowledge gap and being an input for the region, as well as sharing information on forms of global development such as those in the Covid-19 era and future initiatives.

Such a workshop also serves as a source of knowledge and input for ESCAP and establish a network of experts to monitor future development work, he said.

Cambodia established the National Committee for ESCAP (NC-ESCAP) in 2009 with the mission of acting as the office of the government tasked with liaising with UN-ESCAP and facilitating the cooperation of ministries, national institutions, national and international organisations and development partners.