Phnom penh: Samdech Maha Rathsapheathika Thipadei Khuon Sudary, President of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia, welcomed Ms. Vladanka Andreeva, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Cambodia, for a courtesy call and working discussion at the National Assembly Palace. The meeting underscored Cambodia's dedication to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), peace promotion, parliamentary modernisation, and enhancing cooperation with the United Nations for sustainable development and institutional reform.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, Samdech Khuon Sudary expressed appreciation for the support and contributions of UN agencies in Cambodia, categorizing them as strategic partners in fostering peace, stability, social inclusion, and development since the nation's post-conflict reconstruction. She highlighted Cambodia's evolution from a recipient of UN peacekeeping support to an active contributor to international peacekeeping missions.
Samdech reiterated Cambodia's commitment to the SDGs under the principle of 'Leaving No One Behind,' aligning them with the Royal Government's Pentagonal Strategy - Phase 1, which focuses on people, roads, water, electricity, and digital transformation. She emphasized the importance of technology and innovation as drivers of sustainable and inclusive development, while prioritizing human capital through investments in education, skills, healthcare, and universal health coverage with a focus on non-communicable diseases and preventive care.
She also addressed Cambodia's achievements in reducing HIV/AIDS infections, expanding healthcare access, advancing mine clearance, and releasing land for agriculture and livelihood development. On gender equality, she reaffirmed the National Assembly's commitment to women's empowerment and leadership, acknowledging Cambodia's progress in increasing women's participation in political decision-making and Samdech Techo Hun Sen's role in promoting gender equality.
Additionally, she praised the 'Mock Parliament' Programme, supported by UN agencies and development partners, for encouraging youth leadership and enhancing participation in parliamentary democracy, especially among young women. Samdech outlined Cambodia's efforts in digital transformation and institutional reform, focusing on e-Parliament, e-Government, and the digital economy while promoting responsible use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence to improve governance and public service delivery. She informed the UN delegation of reforms to enhance parliamentary effectiveness, including modernising constituency offices and establishing Parliamentary Research and Training Services to support evidence-based policymaking and institutional capacity.
Samdech expressed hopes for deeper cooperation with the United Nations in research, training, technology, innovation, digital transformation, and knowledge exchange to further improve institutional effectiveness and public services. Ms. Vladanka Andreeva acknowledged Cambodia's strong political commitment to sustainable development and confirmed ongoing UN support for national priorities under the Pentagonal Strategy. She commended Cambodia's dedication to multilateralism, peacebuilding, international law, and UN peacekeeping operations, recognizing progress in mine action, women's empowerment, healthcare, and social development. She expressed confidence in Cambodia's development goals of graduating from Least Developed Country status by 2029, becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2030, and achieving high-income status by 2050.
Both parties concluded the meeting by reaffirming their commitment to enhancing cooperation for Cambodia's peaceful, resilient, and inclusive development.