Siem Reap deputy provincial governor You Sophea (right) receives a courtesy call from UPF-Indochina director Hajime Saito on November 8. SR ADMINISTRATION
The Universal Peace Federation in Indochina (UPF-Indochina) has proposed forming a partnership with the Siem Reap provincial administration.
The South Korean organisation aims to mobilise its partner organisations to implement several programmes which will support the people of Siem Reap, including through the expansion of direct flights.
Siem Reap deputy provincial governor You Sophea received a November 8 courtesy call from UPF-Indochina director Hajime Saito and a delegation of local UPF representatives, as well as others from as far away as Australia.
The meeting aimed to strengthen and expand the new UPF-Cambodia mandate’s cooperation with the Cambodian government to promote a culture of peace through various development programmes, according to the Siem Reap provincial administration.
Sophea offered her appreciation for the federation’s many past projects, especially the implementation of educational programmes on family values that were offered in three target districts: Puok, Kralanh and Chi Kraeng.
“The federation’s past activities made a great contribution to the implementation of the previous Cambodian government’s Rectangular Strategy. They are also working to respond to phase one of the current government’s Pentagonal Strategy, which focuses on the development of human resources and maintaining peace,” she said.
She requested that UPF-Indochina to strengthen its relations with the provincial administration, in order to improve international cooperation and investment in all fields.
Saito explained that UPF-Indochina is closely engaged with the Cambodian government in the development of tourism and human resource.
He added that the federation has implemented numerous projects, including the Ambassador for Peace Award, the Leadership and Good Governance Award, the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP), the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development (IAPD), family merit education programmes, the International Peace Road project and the Sun Hak Peace Prize.
“Through our projects, the federation is very happy to help people to have healthy, non-violent family models, and is pleased to see the participation of Cambodian youth in many social activities. We are prepared to expand our work to other districts in Siem Reap,” he said.
Hong Vannak, an economist at the Royal Academy of Cambodia’s Institute of International Relations, expressed his support for the work of UPF-Indochina, which has assisted in the development of many regional countries.
“Direct flights with South Korea will boost the Kingdom’s economic growth, as well as tourism. It will boost the flow of other goods, and attract a growing number of visitors, who may want to invest in bilateral businesses, tourism or education. This is an excellent sign for Cambodia,” he said.
