ROS CHANVEASNA
 |
| Say Samal (right), the Minister of Environment, at a tree planting ceremony. Supplied |
Eang Sophalleth, undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Environment, gave Khmer Times an exclusive interview while attending the Global Green Growth Week 2016, an annual conference organized by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), on South Korea’s Jeju island last week.
KT: What are Cambodia’s green growth priorities?
Mr. Sophalleth: Cambodia’s priorities are to transfer its economy into a green economy. To achieve that, first we need to use natural resources to develop our industries and agriculture in a very balanced way. We cannot waste natural resources or use them inefficiently, but we want to balance their use so the natural resources we have will be sustainably used and at the same time our economy will grow.
Second, we have to look at the infrastructure and people’s basic needs. To complement development we need to provide sufficient infrastructure because it’s part of the economy. Without infrastructure we can’t develop or provide basic services. We must provide those services to the people, farmers, small and medium-sized enterprises, businesspeople and especially to the public to ensure that business activities are orchestrated dynamically in Cambodia as a whole. That’s the backbone of our development.
Third, we have to look at the realistic situation in Cambodia. Cambodia underwent a tragic period when land titles were destroyed by the Khmer Rouge. After the Khmer Rouge, we began working on land management, but land was never fully distributed. So we need to look into how to get land registration done properly. We have to allocate the land or we can divide the land to make the best use of the land. And we can tell people and farmers that what they are doing is wrong, to do it this way or that way, and be more successful. And with land registration, we will also know which part of the forests need to be protected with proper boundaries.
Now we do have the legislation, we do have the law, but we don’t have boundaries. Nevertheless, we are now working on it. The Ministry of Environment has taken measures against it already. We transferred all land concessions to the Ministry of Agriculture and we took back all protected areas to be under our management. This way is clear cut. The next step is to make proper boundaries so we can protect and manage the resources we have or the land we use for development.
KT: How is Cambodia achieving its green growth objectives in the urban context?
Mr. Sophalleth: In the urban context, it’s very narrow, very small. We look at transportation and see it’s very obvious. I get struck in traffic every day for one and a half hours from Tuol Kork to the Environment Ministry and coming back takes three hours and it’s less than 25 kilometers, so transportation clearly needs to be addressed. I don’t know how, but I think we will depend on our partners such as GGGI, JICA [Japan International Cooperation Agency] and other organizations.
Second, we want to address solid waste. Before, solid waste was City Hall’s responsibility but now we are working to decentralize to the communes and GGGI will cover decentralization. Liquid waste needs to be addressed as well. We cannot keep flowing waste into the river. The population is growing, there are more high-rise buildings and liquid waste is increasing as a result.
It needs to be treated before flowing into the river. We don’t have a water treatment plant but we need one. I think the Ministry of Environment and the National Council for Sustainable Development is pushing to have this done. We cannot contaminate our river which consequently contaminates the fish that we consume which affects our health and maybe natural habitats will be destroyed as well. I think while the population is increasing, energy demands are increasing as well. We need to look into how we can conserve energy. To do this we need to coordinate with all stakeholders, not just individual households but also small and medium-sized enterprises, the banking industry, the construction industry and other industries to be more conscious of using energy and help conserve it.
Promoting solar energy will help as well. We are thinking of turning one province into a solar energy province using the plan of His Excellency Say Samal, Minister of the Environment. He wants to create an ecotourism province that exclusively uses solar energy.
KT: How is Cambodia working with countries in the region to achieve green growth?
Mr. Sophalleth: Cambodia is not just working with the region on green growth or sustainable city development, but Cambodia opens its arms to all partners, all countries, to share experiences, to share know-how, to work together, to help orchestrate the issue. So all of us on the planet are working together toward green growth.
In the context of Asean, we are working on environmental sustainability and that’s what is being implemented. But to me, it’s not enough. Like I said, you open your arms to everyone, bilateral, multilateral or development partners, NGOs, black or white, cat or dog, as long as it does the work.
KT: What have been the key achievements of the Cambodian government on green growth?
Mr. Sophalleth:So far, we put in place what we call national policy. After national policy we will put in place national strategy. With national strategy we will have already established action. With an action plan in place we have already established the governance structure. All are in place already and now we are moving forward.
We are running with green city development and promoting renewable energy in Kampot province. It will become a renewable energy-using province and attract tourists and become a model. Maybe Kampot will be the first model place in the world to use renewable energy, this is our ambition.
Also we are promoting the sustainable use of products and consumer products, for example plastic bags [eco-bags]. I am working with a Chinese company that makes plastic bags, bottles and food packaging. They buy cassava from Cambodia, transit in Vietnam and bring to China to manufacture plastic bags and export to the US and Europe.
Now the process is halfway. A state-owned company from China agreed to work with us already. They will not invest money, but will build a factory. Another private company in China will build a factory and invest money to grow cassava. The state-owned company will provide the technology on how to grow it. So I married these two companies already hoping that by the end of this year or early next year, a company will start.
Green growth education in Cambodia is very low. We need to educate people. Ten years ago, people ate at restaurants and threw napkins under the table. But now it’s time to clean up. If we educate people more, they will know how to conserve energy. The Environment Ministry has done a lot. Hopefully we will continue to do this and one day all of us will start thinking on the same path to achieve the common goals of sustainable development, sustainable forests and a cleaner environment.
KT: What kind of support is the government seeking from the public and private sectors on green growth?
Mr. Sophalleth: First, from the private sector, we want investment. Cambodia is wide open, we are still open to all investment. People invested in Cambodia before, but they were not conscious about green growth, leaving them at a disadvantage and giving the advantage to new investment. That’s why investment is wide open to new investors coming in, to implement green investment and add to existing investment, complemented by support from the government.
Second, from the public side, I call on development partners to help Cambodia push forward with green growth. There should be institutional training, capacity building, experience sharing and the encouragement of investment in this area. Everything they do they should put the word “green” in front of it. And the word green should be seen by the public eye and development partners’ eye as the catchword from now on.
Third, from financial institutions, all investment in Cambodia that goes through financial institutions should consider the green factor. They should think deeper than just making quick money. They should think about making long-term money – don’t kill the chicken and call it a day. It’s better to feed the chicken, get the chicken to lay eggs, have more chickens and make more money. Both investors, bankers and farmers win, not just the bankers. When the chickens all die, the investors will die as well. This is my message to all the bankers.
No comments:
Post a Comment