At the Ministry of Economy and Finance on July 9, finance minister Aun Pornmoniroth, also chairman of the Inter-ministerial Coordinating Committee of the Master Plan to Develop Preah Sihanouk Province into a Model Multi-purpose Special Economic Zone (MPSEZ), led the third meeting to finalise the draft report of the same name, as well as the Action Plan Report before reaching official approval by the government in the near future.

The meeting was attended by deputy prime ministers, ministers, the secretary of state and provincial governor of Preah Sihanouk province and senior leaders of relevant ministries and member institutions.

The forum was an important milestone for the 7th mandate government under the energetic and wise leadership of Prime Minister Hun Manet. The MPSEZ is a compass for the development of the province into an important economic hub aimed at promoting financial growth, social development and sustainable environmental protection.

At the same time, the zone has a long-term vision to develop the province into: an international gateway by becoming a multi-modal transport and logistics hub and business and international financial centre; a national development pole by becoming a global destination for coastal and archipelago tourism and a national centre for industrial development and technological innovation; and an ASEAN metropolis as a sustainable, multi-cultural and intelligent, green model city.

To achieve these visions, the MPSEZ will be implemented in accordance with two development phases.

Phase I (2024-2028) focuses on the integration of the province into the regional trading system, expansion of logistics and tourism as well as the improvement of old cities and the development of new areas including attracting high value-added investment.

Phase II (2029-2038) aims to strengthen Sihanoukville’s role as a national gateway and regional hub in finance, trade, industrial development, transportation and technology. It also seeks to develop the city into a multi-functional, green and smart city suitable for entrepreneurship, while transforming Preah Sihanouk into a high-income, prosperous province.

Members of the meeting expressed their appreciation for the preparation of the draft report and discussed several important points and recommended that the working group further review the document to ensure consistency in word usage.

At the closing, Pornmoniroth expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the support and cooperation from the leaders of all relevant ministries and institutions, especially Inter-Ministerial Technical Working Group (TWG) for Coordinating the MPSEZ and the Secretariat of the TWG.

He acknowledged their hard work in preparing and revising the draft report in the Khmer language, ensuring it was clear, consistent, implementable and completed as planned for the government, according to suggestions from the relevant ministries and institutions.