Phnom penh: The newly appointed Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Cambodia, Mr. Enrico Gaveglia, has identified the informal economy, innovation, and small and medium enterprise (SME) development as key opportunities to accelerate Cambodia's progress. This was discussed during a courtesy meeting with H.E. Hem Vanndy, Minister of Industry, Science, Technology, and Innovation.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, Mr. Gaveglia commended Cambodia's leadership in implementing the National Strategy for Developing the Informal Economy 2023-2028. He also highlighted UNDP's support in developing the monitoring and evaluation framework launched in July. 'We are here to listen and understand the government's challenges and identify areas where UNDP can add the most value,' Mr. Gaveglia stated.
Minister Vanndy emphasized the importance of sustaining Cambodia's momentum toward achieving LDC graduation by 2029 and enhancing the competitiveness of local SMEs. He pointed out MISTI's ongoing reforms aimed at enhancing public services, strengthening national quality infrastructure, and promoting regulatory compliance as strategic investments for long-term growth.
The Minister remarked, 'Cambodia must strengthen its industrial base and innovation ecosystem to compete globally. Our priority is to nurture SMEs, enhance standards, and promote science and technology so that our enterprises can grow sustainably and play a central role in the economy.'
Furthermore, Minister Vanndy encouraged UNDP to continue aligning its development programming, technical assistance, and resource mobilization with national priorities. He suggested focusing on areas such as access to finance for MSMEs, sustainable green financing, digital transformation in manufacturing, and skills development for the future workforce.