Ministry of Commerce Secretary of State Sok Siphana returned from the US Tuesday with details on a pilot program designed to coordinate national policies to improve trade.
Foreign consultants working with Cambodian commerce officials spent last month compiling a study of how a variety of national policies helped or hindered Cambodia’s strength as a trading partner, Sok Siphana said.
The goal is for ministries to work together so that every policy—all the way down to social spending and small-road building—is reviewed for its trade value, he said.
In the long run, improving trade is the best strategy for reducing poverty in Cambodia, he said.
A draft report is scheduled to be circulated among companies, NGOs and academics starting next month.
The pilot program was sponsored by the World Bank and is being overseen by other major bodies, including the International Monetary Fund. It is also being implemented in Madagascar and Mauritania.
Of those three countries, Cambodia was chosen by the IMF to present its results to the next group of pilot countries because it showed the most initiative during the study, Sok Siphana said.
