Statement of H.E. Hang Samoeun Minister and Vice-President of the National Committee for Disaster Management of the Kingdom of Cambodia

Your Excellency Chair, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, in the name of the National Committee for Disaster Management of the Royal Government of Cambodia, I would like to express my high appreciation to the Government of Indonesia and UNDRR for the excellent arrangements made for the GP2022 and warmest hospitality extended to me and my delegation.

I am delighted to attend the 7th Session of the GP2022 under the theme «From Risk to Resilience: Towards Sustainable Development for All in a COVID-19 Transformed World», it is the most important and necessary that the world is currently struggling to address the impacts caused by disaster and COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past two years, Cambodia has been the challenging as countries in the world continued to be plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, we also had to contend with the on-going occurrence of natural disasters caused by climate change that disrupt the socio-economic development.

In response to the occurrence of natural disasters, the Royal Government of Cambodia, under the leadership and comprehensive consideration of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia and President of the National Committee for Disaster Management, has laid out a number of measures to address challenges by engaging with the wider national, regional and global responses to the impacts of disaster, climate change and sustainable development without leaving no-one behind, in line with the vision set out in the National Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction 2019-2023 of the Royal Government of Cambodia.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Concerning over the uncertainties as the COVID-19 virus has continuously evolved and mutated into new variants, the Royal Government of Cambodia has well-defined the vaccination as a key strategy and combined with number of measures aimed at building community resilience across the country and launched a national strategy on living in the new direction of the COVID-19 context.

The existing good practices including the people awareness on disaster risk, life-saving and collective measures which involved by all relevant stakeholders in responding to disasters.

In such regard, Cambodia has issued broad range of sub-legislations on the organization and functioning of the disaster management institution, roles and responsibilities of the national and sub-national levels, aims at improving the disaster management in line with the four priority areas of the Sendai Framework. In the name of the participating countries in the adoption of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, we would like to commit to:

1. To further strengthen institution, through advancing cross-sectoral collaboration in developing national strategic plans, policies, and regulations for disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness as well as effective responses to disasters, and resilient recovery from disasters.

2. To strengthen disaster risk governance for enhancing disaster resilience through applying collaborative and networked approaches, which involve all relevant stakeholders at the local, provincial, national, regional and international levels.

3. To forge stronger partnerships and collaboration with UN Agencies, ASEAN, Development Partners, Non-Government Organisations, Red Cross, Academia, Private and Philanthropic Sector to tap their expertise and resources in enhancing resilience at national, regional and international levels.

4. Continue to ensure the gender inclusion and integration of risk reduction and disaster resilience into sustainable development, climate adaptation policies and strategies at regional, national, local, and community levels.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

On this note, we wish to reaffirm our strong support to the implementation of Asia-Pacific Action Plan 2021-2024 towards the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for DRR 2015-2030 at all levels, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 2030. At the end, I would like to wish Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen with good health and the entire platform with great success.

Thank you for your kind attention.