TOPIC: Urban man: the challenges of life in the city.
COUNTRY: Cambodia
COMMITTEE: UN Development Programme (UNDP)
Historical Background and Past UN actions:
Cambodia has an increasing population, currently at 16.3 million, it has borders with Vietnam, Laos and Thailand and, in recent years, has been highly dedicated to protecting the environment, whilst trying to make progress towards its national development strategic plan agreed in 2014 with the UNDP. Cambodia is paving the way and demonstrating to other less developed countries that in order to become urbanised you do not have to sacrifice the environment and social standards, although this may result in a more time consuming journey. Cambodia urges other countries to approach urbanisation sustainably and set long term goals. For example we have agreed goals with the UNDP which aim to achieve the status of a higher income country by 2028. Cambodia recognises that this is difficult, having struggled to break its poverty cycle. This has been Cambodia’s goal for the past 50 years since joining the UNDP, a lot of urbanisation, infrastructural improvements and changes to city life have to occur to achieve this goal. Whilst trying to ensure quality of life is at the very least maintained, but improving too. Cambodia is currently struggling with urban sprawl and eradicating slums, a great achievement, as in the past decade lots of slums were built and congregated around the city borders as a cheap way for the poorer in society to live which is the majority in Cambodia.
Country Position:
Although we understand that many countries out of the 177 in the UNDP are already urbanised and are highly developed, we feel no country has managed yet to secure a large scale environmentally friendly renewable energy source, excellent health service, an exemplary food supply, a high standardised water source, easily accessible and sustainable infrastructure and are managing urban sprawl adequately. Cambodia recognises that consequently every country wants to improve their own land first, however, Cambodia disagrees with this ethos and wants to subject higher income countries to having to endeavour to aid lower income countries develop sustainably, whilst maintaining a green environment and not decreasing quality of living by the appearance of slums. Urbanisation needs to stop leading to increased health problems and lowered levels of sanitation with a higher density of people in less space. Long term investment would be required to maintain this, investment that a lot of countries here do not have. Urbanisation requires a high energy consumption and as the Cambodia Common Country Assessment-CCA UNDAF suggested in 2014 the construction of hydroelectric dams, large scale irrigation schemes, as well as new industries and property developments in urban areas are increasing the pressure on Cambodia’s water resources and affecting its quality and availability. Although, food security in Cambodia has improved over the last decade, due to improved transport systems. With poverty rates reducing, food supply has increased, however, regional and social differences persist, the infrastructure improvements have meant this is becoming less of an issue. As the financial and economic crisis in 2008 showed, stability has still not been reached. Cambodia advocates and calls for other countries like China and the Republic of Korea helped Cambodia to help fund less developed countries to reach their targets, their support has taken up 30% of government outlaying for Cambodia and has meant for the first time in Cambodia’s history government spending on infrastructure overtook health. This means Cambodia can improve transport services and means even rural communities have access to better equipped hospitals and much more.
Proposed Solution:
Cambodia calls upon the international community to support efforts to protect the environment in the process of improving city life. Agreements like the Paris agreement had 195 signatories, agreements like this are necessary especially with other countries, for example India, are dramatically increasing in populous and technology at a rapid rate, we need to set more targets. Cambodia also would like to make the international community urge the United States to focus on being more eco friendly and to apply pressure on them to reenter the Paris agreement. Countries of such a large surface area and with so many vehicles need to keep to targets and for the US the EPA is not setting enough targets to combat environmental challenges. Likewise including policies with the world bank group called Urban Development in Phnom Penh, which covers most issues in the city such as waste disposal and water sanitation. Cambodia feels that building up infrastructure for all countries is a priority solution, as it leads to work, is a long term solution, more airborne trade and sea trade if possible, less air pollution with queuing, and easier access around the country, additionally, it encourages renewable energy to be progressed too. Furthermore, Cambodia has recently struggled through some health crises for example Tuberculosis is on the rise again due to cramped conditions in cities and antimalarials for pregnant women have been increasingly expensive and hard to come by in most areas. Immunisation programmes for densely populated areas near cities and investments in technology need to be considered in less developed countries. Cambodia would also like to participate in education programmes on effects of natural disasters as highly populated areas in cities can make these disasters even more catastrophic. Technology is required for more lives to be protected in less developed countries and Cambodia urges the UNDP to be proactive.
TOPIC: Money makes the world go round: harnessing finance’s powers for inclusion and development
COUNTRY: Cambodia
COMMITTEE: United Nations Development Programme
Historical Background and Past UN actions:
Cambodia was reclassified as a Lower Middle Income Country in 2016, the UNDP is working with the Royal Government and its partners to prepare for leaving it by focusing on promoting trade and economic completeness. Cambodia made a Partnerships for Development Results II programme in 2016 with the UNDP. It focused on improving value chains and financing development whilst being sustainable. However, the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda brings lots of challenges for Cambodia and the UNDP is supporting the Royal Government to make the goals more local by managing development finance and that resources are aligned with more sustainable economic growth. The top 4 contributers economically are Australia, SIDA, USAID and the UNDP. Other sources include the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which in 2016, invested 2.3 billion, up by a third since 2015. The challenge for Government is to ensure that these funds are directed to worthwhile investments and are also benefiting industries and providing economic opportunities too.
Country Position:
Cambodia understands the demands by other least developed countries for more signed agreements including support for less developed countries pledged by higher developed countries. However, Cambodia due to its Partnership for Development Results and the effects of, government capacity to manage finance, has become more of a global market. The Government has formulated and implemented its Development Cooperation and Partnerships Strategy to promote effective policies between all stakeholders and to align resources with the Royal Government programmes. The World Economic Forum on ASEAN highlighted the need for infrastructural development, to improve connectivity. Prime Minister Hun Sen highlights the continued vitality of the importance of investments, from in and outside the country, to boost industry and moving Cambodia’s industry to new markets. Cambodia needs to target investment in education seeing as that has been neglected for the past decade, this will hopefully transgress into improving technology too with a better educated population. Strengthening Government institutions to improve public services and deliver on its commitments to the SDGs will be increasingly expensive and money that Cambodia doesn’t have. The Development finance assessment has shown that the Royal Government will finance more projects in Cambodia and less overseas aid is required now, Cambodia has managed to strengthen its revenue management and tax administration, tax revenues increasing by 15% between 2015-2016.
Proposed Solutions:
Cambodia has shown that with initial financial aid from donor countries that less developed countries can progress and become more developed and financially independent. Cambodia recommends that the international community should aid less developed countries by providing them with initial economic packages that come with conditions as to where the money can be spent to ensure focused economic progression, it believes that then countries can become more self sufficient and can build industry. Sustainable development should be centred around initial economic help with a slow withdrawal and international aid developing into better privatisation within the country and companies investment help to build a wide support base to ensure a long term solution. With the support of the UNDP less developed countries around each other can aid each other and increase investment by being more stable together like ASEAN. Cambodia feels that to close the gender pay gap more and to advance at a faster rate, money spent in infrastructure and in education is best spent to further this cause. Cambodia advocates that more money should also be spent on the climate and disaster relief schemes in countries as when countries progress at a rapid rate it can often be forgotten to invest in such schemes, but with disaster it can transpire countries back to square one again. Cambodia strongly believes that UNDP needs to remind countries about disaster relief and help effectively plan for these incidences.