Lork Kheng, chair of the National Assembly’s Commission on Healthcare and Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehibilitation, addresses a press conference on March 11. Hong Menea
The Cambodian National Assembly (NA) has requested that its French counterpart provide assistance in capacity building, in order to support its digital transformation.
An NA delegation, which recently returned from France, also asked the European nation to increase the number of medical scholarships it offers to the Kingdom’s doctors, and proposed support for the government’s plans to provide vocational training to 1.5 million youth from poor and vulnerable households.
Lork Kheng, chair of the NA’s Commission on Healthcare and Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, addressed a March 11 press conference, held to outline the results of the NA delegation’s formal visit to France. The delegation was led by NA president Khuon Sudary.
During the trip, Kheng met with the French National Assembly’s French-Cambodia friendship group, led by Member of Parliament Sandrine Rousseau and Hadrien Ghomi, deputy of the French parliament. The two sides discussed bilateral cooperation between the two parliaments.
“We need to ensure the NA can keep pace with a modern society. We can accomplish this through digitalisation. I requested that the French-Cambodia friendship group support us in this transformation, and they welcomed our request,” she said.
She added the French parliament is already functioning digitally, and that she expected a rapid response from the president of the French body.
Kheng described the almost ten-day trip as a fruitful one, saying that the visit had established a diplomatic network, and narrowed relations with various nations, through women’s leadership in politics.
“In addition, Cambodia and France further strengthened their historical relations, with expectations of increased French aid to Cambodia, in education, development and the modernisation of the NA,” she added.
Kin Phea, director of the Royal Academy of Cambodia’s International Relations Institute, noted that the request for digital support was in line with the policy and vision of the government, in terms of the digital government and economy.
He explained that this is a tangible need, especially in the context of the Kingdom’s goal of becoming a high-income country by 2050.
“France has more advanced IT capabilities than Cambodia, so if they are willing to assist us, it will certainly boost our capacity,” he said.
He expressed optimism about the current relationship between Cambodia and France, suggesting that it will improve further, given their shared historical and cultural heritage, French aid to the Kingdom and frequent visits by Cambodian leaders to France.
Sudary and the NA delegation were in France from March 2-10, where they attended the Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament, at the invitation of Yael Braun-Pivet, president of the French assembly.
In a press release, the NA said that during the visit, Sudary met with French President Emmanuel Macron, with both sides noting the momentum of the progress of relations and cooperation between them.
While addressing the summit, Sudary explained that Cambodia is committed to pursuing stringent measures to strengthen gender equality and promote women’s participation in politics.
“The first phase of the current government’s Pentagonal Strategy is a five-point development plan (2023-2028). It underscores the importance of gender equality and empowers women in all sectors, especially the right to higher education and leadership roles,” she said.
While abroad, the delegation also held talks with Indonesia, German and Belgium, with the purpose of fostering bilateral and multilateral cooperation, as well as to attract more tourism and investment to Cambodia.
