On Friday, 8th December 2023, at the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF),
H.E. Meas Soksensan, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, on behalf of H.E. Dr. Aun Pornmoniroth, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, formally signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) alongside H.E. Dominic Williams, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom to the Kingdom of Cambodia, on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, under the objective for cooperation through catalytic infrastructure development, identifying and securing sources of funding, and facilitating the implementation of infrastructure projects under the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) mechanism in Cambodia.
Through this MOU, the UK's Government aims to provide technical support and promote investment opportunities in Cambodia through the British Investment Partnerships toolkit, such as the mobilisation of private sector’s resources, vocational expertise, and connections to broaden regional and international infrastructure financing platforms, to meet Cambodia's infrastructure needs.
During the signing ceremony, H.E. Meas Soksensan highlighted the importance of the Government’s new Pentagonal Strategy-Phase I, which focuses on 5 key pillars namely Growth, Employment, Equity, Efficiency, and Sustainability, in contributing to Cambodia's public infrastructure development and realizing the Cambodia Vision 2050.
In contribution to fulfilling Cambodia’s infrastructure needs and support the effective implementation of PPP Management Framework in Cambodia, the recent enactment Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) Law in November 2021 and the establishment of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for PPP Projects in August 2022, will play a pivotal role in achieving the Cambodia Vision 2050 by diversifying financing sources for public infrastructure development and enhancing the delivery of public services in Cambodia. Building on this foundation, the MEF, in collaboration with the FCDO, is committed to deepening the longstanding cooperation between the two nations through this MOU and aim to kickstart of UK investments in infrastructure development in Cambodia.
This MOU will promote deep collaboration between MEF and FCDO in developing green infrastructures in Cambodia as a PPP Project, by integration of renewable energy, energy-efficiency, and circularity elements into the infrastructure development, while leveraging Cambodia’s competitive advantage, creating new value added proposition, attracting foreign investors. The MEF and FCDO will also continue to engage each other on other potential sectors for long-term infrastructure cooperation between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Kingdom of Cambodia.