Phnom Penh: The Royal Government of Cambodia has outlined its path towards achieving the country’s Vision 2050 through the commitment to continuously improve public service delivery by bringing government closer to the people through decentralisation and deconcentration reforms.

According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the commitment was underscored during the first Forum between the Royal Government and Sub-National Administrations on ‘Decentralisation and Deconcentration Reforms to Achieve Cambodia’s Vision 2025.’ The event was organised by the National Committee for Sub-National Democratic Development (NCDD) at Sokha Phnom Penh Hotel and via Zoom on March 18, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet.

H.E. Aphi Santepundit Sar Sokha, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, stated that this event aimed to jointly assess the progress and challenges of implementing decentralisation and deconcentration reform policies. These efforts aim to establish a clearer basis for strengthening the preparation and implementation of reforms more effectively. This contributes to the implementation of the Pentagonal Strategy – Phase 1 and the six priority policy programmes, ultimately supporting Cambodia’s vision of becoming a high-income country by 2050.

In the forum, Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet moderated the discussion, highlighting the opportunities and challenges faced by sub-national administrations officials in achieving their goals.

The Royal Government of Cambodia established the NCDD on December 31, 2008, as an inter-ministry mechanism to support democratic development through decentralisation and deconcentration reforms in Cambodia. Since its inception, despite some challenges, the NCDD has coordinated and led the implementation of the law on administrative management of capital, provinces, municipalities, districts, and khans.