Cambodia Discusses Digital Transformation at UNCTAD15

Cambodia has highlighted the country’s progress on digital transformation at the UNCTAD15 and called on further support for Cambodia and other less developed nations to catch up with the more developed countries.

The Minister of Commerce H.E. Pan Sorasak made the point on Oct. 7 when representing Cambodia in the Ministerial Roundtable at the 15th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD15) conducted virtually.

In his address, he highlighted that the rapid growth of trade and the digital economy have widened the digital gap between developed and developing countries, especially the less developed ones.

Bilateral and multilateral cooperation with trading partners, development partners and relevant international organisations, including UNCTAD therefore plays an important role to bridge the gap, he said.

According to H.E. Pan Sorasak, at the UNCTAD-14 held in 2017, Cambodia was selected as a country for eTrade Readiness Assessment wherein shortcomings and development roadmap for the country’s e-commerce were identified through the support from UNCTAD.

To seize the opportunities of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, the Royal Government of Cambodia has incorporated the aspect in its rectangular strategy.

He continued that the government has also set out the Cambodian Digital Economy and Social Policy Framework for 2021-2035, which will significantly contribute to the recovery and promotion of new economic growth and the promotion of social welfare for the COVID-19 recovery stage.

He thanked UNCTAD for the important discussion platform and other support mechanisms to countries including Cambodia and hoped emerging challenges for digital transformation will be addressed through UNCTAD support.

Hosted from Geneva, Switzerland, the UNCTAD15’s Ministerial Roundtable was themed “Harnessing Frontier Technologies for Shared Prosperity.”

Source: Agency Kampuchea Press