PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – United Nations in Cambodia has embarked on a research initiative to establish why, and how, both the Belt and Road Initiative and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are critical for realizing the Royal Government of Cambodia' s vision to become an Upper Middle-Income Country by 2030. The UN has been working with a multi-disciplinary and diverse team of experts from Cambodia, China, and Singapore.

"On the Belt and Road Initiative and other related topics, we are determined to engage into deep analysis that rests on evidenced-based research," says Pauline Tamesis, UN Resident Coordinator in Cambodia.

"Our intention is to move beyond the headlines and preconceived ideas, so we can explore sustainable development as it is – complex and multidimensional".

During the dialogue, a panel of experts shared their findings and recommendations from their respective research.

The research highlights that Cambodia's economic success is closely linked to the performance of other economies in the region. The Belt and Road Initiative provides several opportunities to sustain economic prosperity, along with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which has been recently localized by the Royal Government through the Cambodia Sustainable Development Goals (CSDGs).

"The Royal Government of Cambodia is committed to achieve the 2030 Agenda's vision. While BRI has offered timely opportunities, Cambodia should have innovative policies and build robust institutions in order to maintain high growth and to achieve goals under the CSDGs," says H.E. Luyna Ung, Member of Supreme National Economic Council.

"Today's dialogue is the latest in a series of public discussions and policy engagement on the Belt and Road Initiative that the UN had begun with Professor Yuen Yuen Ang's keynote address back in August this year on The Real China Model: What other developing countries should learn from China," says Tamesis.

Source: United Nations in Cambodia website