According to a press release of UNICEF, the delegation was welcomed by H.E. Pov Piseth, Provincial Deputy Governor of Siem Reap, and staff at Samdach Tekcho Hun Sen Angkor Thom High School. The event highlighted the three organisations’ ongoing mutual commitment to protecting children’s right to education, despite strenuous new challenges presented by the COVID-19 global crisis.

The European Union has contributed €2 million to Cambodia’s on the safe re-opening of schools and the continued education of children, as part of the support to the COVID-19 response and recovery.

Through this support, a nationwide back to school campaign has been launched by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) and UNICEF, providing practical guidance to children, parents, teachers and school personnel on making schools as safe as possible and reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

This campaign will continue through 2021, expanding to include valuable and engaging information not only to make schools safe but also a healthy and caring environment for children to learn and thrive.

In addition, critical hygiene supplies are being delivered to all 11,500 of the country’s pre-schools and primary schools.

The European Union’s contribution to these efforts, through the UNICEF-managed multi-donor Capacity Development Partnership Fund (CDPF), is complemented by other CDPF partners, including Sweden, USAID and the Global Partnership for Education. These partners together are contributing to the provision of hygiene supplies to all 1,771 secondary schools in Cambodia.

H.E. Hang Chuon Naron, Minister of MoEYS, welcomed the additional support from the European Union for schools and students across the country at this very challenging time.

“This support will enable us to ensure children have continued opportunities to learn, despite the challenges COVID-19 is creating. The support for safe school re-openings from the European Union and other CDPF partners will go a long way towards giving confidence to communities that students can now return to safe and supportive learning environments,” H.E. Minister underlined.

“I would like to thank all donors for having contributed to helping the victims of ongoing flash floods in the country,” he said in a message posted on his official Facebook page.

According to Samdech Techo Hun Sen, until 8:00 am, on Oct. 14, 2020, the total fund raising reached US$3,535,000.

These funds will be used for emergency response through the National Committee for Disaster Management, he added.

Samdech Techo Prime Minister also called for more contribution as now flash floods have been affecting 19 of the 25 provinces and capital.

The plenary Cabinet Meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen.

The action plan, developed in line with the Rectangular Strategy-Phase 4 of the Royal Government of Cambodia, sets out four strategies, including 1: Primary Prevention, 2: Legal Protection and Multi-Sectoral Services, 3: Laws and Strategic Policies, 4: Monitoring, Review and Evaluation to prevent, respond and address the violence against women and girls more effectively and efficiently in order to reduce any forms of violence against them to promote equity and social inclusiveness.

“As noted by the Prime Minister, Cambodia is in a better situation compared to some other countries in terms of financial sector during this COVID-19 era. Cambodia has not asked any creditors to delay loan repayments or international financial obligations,” he underlined in a Facebook post this morning while attending the weekly Cabinet Meeting chaired by Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen.

Cambodia has been active in disbursing cash to support investment programmes, such as in the field of road infrastructure, especially in Preah Sihanouk and Siem Reap provinces, he said.

Besides, he continued, the financing sector has also been dynamic such as assisting the poor and vulnerable, and public investment in the construction of roads, canals or small-scale projects at the local level, despite the pressure caused by COVID-19.

Current expenses, such as civil servants’ salaries, remain normal as they still get their salaries twice a month, he added.

According to H.E. Phay Siphan, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister and Chairman of the Royal Government Spokesperson Unit, there are in total 629 projects in this public investment programme 2021-2023, including 203 ongoing projects worth US$8,397 million and 426 new projects which need a total capital of US$4,399 million.

Funds allocated to the projects of the three-year rolling public investment programme 2021-2023 will be in accordance with the sectors stated in the National Strategic Development Plan 2019-2023: 8.9 percent of the total public investment expenditure required for the implementation of projects in the social sector, 34.2 percent for the projects in the economic sector, 50.1 percent for the projects in the infrastructure sector, and 6.8 percent for the projects in the services sector and inter-sectoral programmes.

The appreciation was made here yesterday afternoon in a meeting between Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Samdech Kralahom Sar Kheng and U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia H.E. W. Patrick Murphy.

Law enforcement cooperation between Cambodia and the U.S., which also contributes to maintaining global security, will be included as a key topic of the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries.

On the occasion, the U.S. ambassador introduced to Samdech Sar Kheng a team in charge of law enforcement at the embassy, stressing that the team will further boost the cooperation with the Cambodian side.

The meeting also touched upon the repatriation of convicted Cambodians who are permanent residents in the U.S. postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic, the fight against human trafficking and child protection, the fight against terrorism and transnational crimes, and technical support for the drafting of cybercrime law.

According to the spokesperson, from 2016 to 2020, Cambodia sold US$11.6 million worth of carbon credits in the voluntary market, from three locations: Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, Southern Cardamom National Park and Tatai Wildlife Sanctuary.

The sale of carbon credits shows that Cambodia has well protected and preserved protected areas as well as natural resources, which makes Cambodia a leading country in selling carbon credits.

H.E. Neth Pheaktra also reaffirmed the Ministry of Environment’s commitment to cooperate with park rangers, local authorities and development partners in the protection and conservation of natural resources in a sustainable manner.

In July, H.E. Secretary of State told the Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP) that Cambodia was working toward selling carbon credits in other areas, such as the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary in Stung Treng province. He said a carbon credit which equals to one tonne of carbon dioxide prevented from entering the atmosphere costs between US$3 and US$6.

“Cambodia has so far sold less than 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and we have earned about US$11.6 million. The generated funds have been used to conserve natural resources as well as participate in community development,” he pointed out.

Cambodia has been looking for other partners to buy more carbon credits, he said, adding that the companies that have purchased carbon credits in the voluntary market are Disney, Shell and Gucci.

According to an online source, a carbon credit is a permit that allows the company that holds it to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. One credit permits the emission of a mass equal to one tonne of carbon dioxide. Companies that pollute are awarded credits that allow them to continue to pollute up to a certain limit. The ultimate goal of carbon credits is to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Based on the ministry’s record, Cambodia currently has nearly 70 protected areas and biodiversity corridors, including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, multi-use areas, Ramsar sites, and other conservation sites covering a total of 7.3 million hectares, or 41 percent of Cambodia’s land area.

The government has deployed some 1,200 rangers to guard those areas.