Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, together with other regional leaders shared virtually on May 23 their remarks on the 78th Annual Session of UNESCAP.
This event took place in a hybrid format under the theme “A Common Agenda to Advance Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific” to promote peace, stability and socio-economic prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
In his remarks, Samdech Techo Hun Sen said sustainable development is an important global agenda that requires the participation of all stakeholders within the countries, regions, and the whole world.
The COVID-19 crisis, as well as other emerging challenges, has not only disrupted the process of achieving sustainable development, but also reflected the necessity to further enhance and strengthen international cooperation, he said.
The Cambodian Premier said in the context that the COVID-19 situation has improved, but not yet been completely overcome, the main priority of the common agenda in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the whole world, is still the overcoming of the battle against COVID-19 by using vaccines as the Key Strategic Weapon.
“In this regard, Cambodia highly appreciates the culture of mutual assistance, especially the sharing of COVID-19 vaccines, aiming at building full herd immunity worldwide,” he underlined.
Concurrently, as administrative and health measures have been gradually relaxed and removed, Cambodia would also like to encourage the opening of the economy and the strengthening of economic integration by promoting investment, trade through full implementation of Free Trade Agreements that have entered into force, and the connection of people to people, especially in the tourism sector, in order to jointly revive and boost economic growth in the country and region in the post-COVID-19 crisis, he added.
“At the time when our region, as well as the whole world, is looking forward with optimism, we have also been experiencing a new crisis, namely the war in Ukraine, which has not only hampered the socio-economic recovery, but can also have long-term socio-economic and geopolitical impacts. In this sense, we must work together to maintain order, peace and especially food security in the country and region by maintaining the flows of essential goods so that our people do not further suffer and “no one is left behind,” he said.
At the same time, he emphasised, Cambodia believes that achieving sustainable development requires joint decisions under multilateralism and with respect to international laws and the sovereignty of each nation.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen expressed his hope that this 78th Annual Session will have a lively discussion and lead to the establishment of new mechanisms and initiatives of the cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region to promote recovery and growth in the post-COVID-19 crisis, and move towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals as expected.
“Cambodia is ready to join as both a country within the Asia-Pacific region and the Chair of ASEAN in 2022. Multilateralism is our hope and the United Nations is our beacon of hope,” stressed the Prime Minister.
Source: Agency Kampuchea Press