Aid and development
Multilateral development assistance
World Bank shows no interest in views on freeze
New documents from the World Bank on its preparations to lift a 2011 freeze on new loans to Cambodia show that the international lender is giving short shrift to public opinion on whether it should restart lending in the first place. ...
Zsombor Peter
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/world-bank-shows-no-interest-in-views-on-freeze-91886/
World Bank urged to help Boeng Kak families
A group of local and international NGOs are urging the World Bank to include a program for helping the thousands of families evicted from Phnom Penh’s Boeng Kak neighborhood as part of the plan to start funding new projects in Cambodia. ...
Zsombor Peter
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/world-bank-urged-to-help-boeng-kak-families-91236/
UN agency cuts school meal program
A school meal program run by the World Food Program (WFP) has run out of funds, forcing it to transfer about half of its schools to government care. ...
Va Sonyka
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/13587/un-agency-cuts-school-meal-program/
ILO hopes to inform wage talks with new quarterly bulletin
In the inaugural issue of its bulletin on Cambodia’s $5.8-billion garment industry, the International Labor Organization said Thursday that business remained strong on the back of rising exports despite a 28-percent hike to the sector’s minimum wage in January. ...
Zsombor Peter
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/ilo-hopes-to-inform-wage-talks-with-new-quarterly-bulletin-88706/
UN expert urges senate to reject NGO law
U.N. human rights expert Maina Kiai on Thursday urged Cambodia’s Senate not to pass a controversial NGO law that the National Assembly approved this week, warning that the legislation could have “disastrous” effects. ...
Kuch Naren and Zsombor Peter
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/un-expert-urges-senate-to-reject-ngo-law-88701/
Too soon to issue new loans, NGOs tell World Bank
A group of NGOs on Monday told the World Bank to fix the land-rights problems surrounding its past projects in Cambodia before lifting a freeze on new lending to the country it imposed in 2011 to protest the mass eviction of Phnom Penh’s Boeng Kak ...
Zsombor Peter
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/too-soon-to-issue-new-loans-ngos-tell-world-bank-88151/
UN and social affairs officials convene to discuss Prey Speu
Social affairs officials met Thursday with the U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to discuss the notorious Prey Speu social affairs center, with the government giving permission for the U.N. to visit the center Friday and identify residents who require psychiatric assistance ...
World Bank hears local officials’ woes for pending 3-year plan
High electricity prices, low wages, limited irrigation and modest rice and crop prices were among the top concerns raised by government officials at a workshop in Phnom Penh on Monday to help the World Bank decide how to spend its money on the country over ...
Aun Pheap and Zsombor Peter
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/world-bank-hears-local-officials-woes-for-pending-3-year-plan-87426/
World bank starts meetings on whether to renew lending
The World Bank on Monday began two weeks of meetings to help it decide whether to start funding new projects in Cambodia after a four-year freeze. ...
Zsombor Peter
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/world-bank-starts-meetings-on-whether-to-renew-lending-86898/
For families, World Bank project falls short
Hang Sal has 2 hectares of fertile land he cannot farm. ...
Zsombor Peter and Aun Pheap
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/for-families-world-bank-project-falls-short-86476/
World Bank urged to speak up for bullied protesters
Human Rights Watch says the World Bank is not doing enough to help people in Cambodia and elsewhere who are facing government harassment for speaking out against Bank-funded projects gone bad. ...
Zsombor Peter
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/world-bank-urged-to-speak-up-for-bullied-protesters-86186/
UNESCO to push both adult literacy and preschool education
Months away from the end of a 15-year plan to improve education in the country, officials announced Wednesday that Cambodia still needs to make strides to meet adult literacy benchmarks and set new priorities focusing on the country’s youngest students. ...
Maria Paula Brito
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/unesco-to-push-both-adult-literacy-and-preschool-education-85370/
AIIB will use its US$50 billion to help spur hydroelectric development in Asia
With 35 nations signing on as founding members, Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has a reported US$50 billion foundation from which it plans to spur infrastructure growth in developing Asian countries with projects that include hydroelectric facilities. ...
Gregory B. Poindexter
http://bit.ly/1cbOuvO
World Bank may be blind to harm of financial investments: Oxfam
The World Bank’s private sector arm may be doing more harm than good when it invests in private equity firms, banks and other financial intermediaries, global development group Oxfam said in a report on Wednesday. In one project indirectly sponsored by the bank’s International Finance Corporation ...
Anna Yukhananov
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/01/us-worldbank-investments-idUSKBN0MS5IJ20150401
Capital shortage main obstacle for Cambodia in connectivity development: official
A lack of capital is the main obstacle for Cambodia to expedite connectivity development and the Southeast Asian country hopes that the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Silk Road Fund will fill the shortage, a spokesman said. ...
The Cambodia Herald News Staff
http://bit.ly/1HSN1UT
Chinese bank an opportunity for aid reform, Fulbright scholar says
China’s newly proposed, yet controversial, regional investment bank could be an opportunity for Cambodia to prove it can use foreign aid more effectively, a Cambodian Fulbright scholar says. ...
Sophat Soeung
http://bit.ly/1EFcuyk
UN agency plans office in capital
A United Nations development agency will open a new office in Phnom Penh following a meeting yesterday with Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong, an official has said. ...
Taing Vida
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/un-agency-plans-office-capital
ADB president: China-led bank potential partner, not rival
The president of the Asian Development Bank says a proposed Chinese-led regional bank is a potential partner instead of a rival and the ADB is talking with Beijing to share its experience. Takehiko Nakao’s comments came after Washington softened its opposition to the Chinese-proposed Asian Infrastructure ...
Joe Mcdonald
http://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/ADB-president-China-led-bank-potential-partner-6154049.php
‘Development’ a dirty word, survey finds
After admitting there were “major problems” with its resettlement projects earlier this month, the World Bank has come under fire from Boeung Kak lake residents in a new report from a human rights group. The report by the International Accountability Project (IAP), titled Back to Development, ...
Daniel Pye
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/development-dirty-word-survey-finds
Cambodian PM says AIIB very attractive to countries in Europe
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Wednesday that the China-proposed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is very attractive to rich countries, particularly in Europe. The prime minister’s remarks came after Germany, France and Italy followed the suit of Britain in deciding to join AIIB as founding ...
The Cambodia Herald News Staff
http://bit.ly/1AE7EzM
Italy confirms plan to join China-led bank
Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance has confirmed the country’s intention to become a member of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), despite pressure from the US on its western allies not to join. ...
The Local Italy News Staff
http://www.thelocal.it/20150317/italy-to-join-china-led-development-bank-report
US losing by pressuring nations not to join Asia bank
For months, the Obama administration has been putting pressure on its allies, such as Australia, Japan and South Korea, not to join the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which Washington sees as a potential rival to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, which are ...
Chen Weihua
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2015-03/16/content_19817978.htm
Cambodia on verge of transitioning from low-income to middle-income country: ADB chief
Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Takehiko Nakao said here Tuesday that Cambodia is on the verge of transforming from a low-income to a middle-income country. The middle-income nation is defined by the GDP (gross domestic product) per capita between 1,045 U.S. dollars and 12,746 U.S. ...
The Cambodia Herald News Staff
http://bit.ly/1Eal4qY
No more ADB funding to finish stalled railway project
ប្រធានធនាគារអភិវឌ្ឍន៍អាស៊ីដែលមកធ្វើទស្សនកិច្ច លោក តាកេហ៊ីកុ ណាកាវ (Takehiko Nakao) បានមានប្រសាសន៍កាលពីថ្ងៃអង្គារថា នឹងមិនមានប្រាក់ថែមទៀតពីធនាគារនេះដើម្បីបញ្ចប់គម្រោងដែលជាប់ គាំងនិងក្ស័យធន ដើម្បីស្ថារបណ្តាញផ្លូវដែកចាស់របស់ប្រទេសកម្ពុជា គឺគម្រោងមានទឹកប្រាក់១៤២លានដុល្លារ ដែលត្រូវគេចាត់ទុកថាជាការផ្តួចផ្តើមហេដ្ឋារចនាសម្ព័ន្ធដ៏ សំខាន់។ ...
Zsombor Peter
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/no-more-adb-funding-to-finish-stalled-railway-project-79470/