Phnom Penh, January 07, 2020 –Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen reiterated here this morning that Cambodia will move forward to achieve its vision of becoming an upper middle-income nation by 2030 and a high-income economy by 2050.
“Dear compatriots, as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, garnering supports and trusts from our people through the free, fair and just elections. I continue to make my fullest efforts to lead successful implementation of the Royal Government’s political platform of the sixth legislative term of the National Assembly. That will be to ensure where people have better living conditions, to strengthen justice and social equity, to uplift national prestige, all of which is to realise the vision of making Cambodia an upper middle-income country by 2030, and a high-income country by 2050”, said Samdech Techo Hun Sen in his address to a mass meeting held at Koh Pich Convention and Exhibition Centre to celebrate the 41st Anniversary of January 7 Victory Day over the Khmer Rouge Genocidal Regime (1979-2020).
At this auspicious event, the Premier called on his compatriots to continue to unite and come together in solidarity around the Royal Government under the roof of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the cool shade of our revered His Majesty the King in the way forward to prosperous future.
“I am availing my high respect and evaluation to political parties and organisations in civil society for their active participation in keeping peace and political stability, uplifting national sovereignty, strengthening democracy, rights and freedom, rule of law, and development, while sharing their constructive views and opinions for the Royal Government’s leadership sake,” he underlined.
With peace and political stability that are the firm foundations for Cambodia economic development, last year, Cambodia can grow at 7.1 percent in the context of low inflation, stable exchange rate, and increasing foreign reserves.
The growth supported by positive up-curve in service sector and high growth in industry, though agriculture continues to contribute low share. Political stability restores local and foreign investors’ confidences to put in more capitals, especially in the fields of construction and manufacturing. Local consumption and international trade have also taken notable thrusts.
The GDP per capita rose from US$1,548 in 2018 to roughly US$ 1,679 in 2019. The poverty rate has come down to below 10 percent at present. Cambodia has maintained a labour security where there are 0.3 percent of unemployment rate.
With this growth, Samdech Techo Hun Sen said the Royal Government has set out and strived to implement national policy of social protection aimed at uplifting wellbeing and social solidarity, while trying to score maximum reduction of poverty.
Through the efforts, he pointed out, the Royal Government has provided two systems of social protections – one to provide social protection to those living under and/or anywhere near the poverty line, focusing mainly on children and women in pregnancy, disabled, and elderly people without someone to depend on. Another system is to provide risk protection on pension, health, occupational risks, unemployment, and handicap to those people registered and non-registered economic sectors. The Royal Government has offered allowances for female workers delivering through social security fund, while implementing cash allowances to female with pregnancy and infants/children under two years old in family with equity or priority certificates to ease burden, improve livelihood and nutrition for women and children, etc.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen also highlighted the Royal Government’s Kantha Bopha Fund, the increasing salary of the civil servants, armed forces, and garment workers.
Besides, stressed the Premier, the Royal Government is placing high attention to lifting up livelihood of farmers through efforts to strive production, maintain stable prices and widen market access for agricultural produce. In the process of communal development, the Royal Government has provided gradual increase of communal funding while in 2020 each commune/Sangkat would receive on average roughly US$122,000, in which, funding for local development would be around US$70.000. Until 2023, each communal/Sangkat administration would receive roughly US$132,000 as budget. Meanwhile, the Royal Government has been working to decrease price and to expand transmission network of electricity and clean water, while offering a number of tax favours that are giving benefits to people with low incomes.
By Khan Sophirom
