The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a sector development program that combines a $50 million policy-based loan package with $23 million in project investments to support the energy transition of Cambodia. The Energy Transition Sector Development Program includes ADB’s first comprehensive policy reform package for the energy sector in Cambodia.
Cambodia has welcomed over 1.57 million international visitors during the first ten months of 2022, according to the latest report of the country’s Ministry of Tourism. The number of foreign tourists grew by 991.1% compared to the same period in 2021. According to data, tourist arrivals are as follows: around 1 million by land, around 560,000 by air, and 10,000 by waterway.
The Asian Development Bank has approved a $62.9 million package to help Cambodia enhance food security and promote inclusive economic growth by improving livestock health and value chains, and the formal trade of livestock and livestock products.
Health outreach activities (left) and Cambodian migrant workers (right) at the border gate in Thailand.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $32.5 million in financing to improve access to quality health services in Banteay Meanchey, a border province in northwest Cambodia that serves as a hub for departing and returning migrants, and those seeking employment in the province’s special economic zones.
Power lines from the 1070 MW Nam Theun 2 hydropower plant in Lao PDR. 95% of the power produced by the plant is exported to Thailand, and the rest are consumed locally. Photo by Ariel Javellana/ADB.
The Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic is increasing its electricity exports generated from its hydropower projects to its neighbors in the Greater Mekong Subregion, including Viet Nam. Lao PDR and Viet Nam have signed MoUs targeting to export 8,148 MW from Lao PDR to Viet Nam by 2030. Lao PDR also signed contracts with Viet Nam Electricity (EVN) to implement 25 projects with a combined capacity of 2,180 megawatts.
Migrant worker operates an electric loom in a textile mill. ©ILO/Areeluck Phankhian via Flickr
Mr. Pairoj Chotikasathien, head of the Thai Labour Ministry’s employment department, shared that the Thai Cabinet has approved improved labor management measures to address the gap in migrant worker employment. These measures include (i) allowing documented workers to stay until February 2025; and (ii) allowing undocumented workers to register and work until the same date.
A new global pact for nature expected to be passed at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in 2022 should balance the needs of developing and developed countries in helping avoid ecosystem collapse.
The Government of Cambodia on 30 May 2022 hosted the Mekong Dialogue on Labor Mobility chaired by Chuop Narath, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training. The meeting discussed the promotion of safe migration, healthy labor mobility, and effective reintegration to support sustainable and inclusive development of the region.
Photo by Dennis Sylvester Hurd via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Cambodia and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic have reported a steady drop in average COVID-19 cases per day in April 2022, according to a report on “Vaccination Rates, Effectiveness, and Safety” by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In Cambodia, the average COVID-19 cases per day dropped from 164 to 18.4, and deaths decreased from 1 to 0.06, marking a fall in case fatality rate from 0.43% to 0.35%. In Lao PDR, daily infection rates declined steadily, averaging at 986 for April 2022 from 1102 in March 2022, while average deaths per day plateaued between 1 to 3.
Fisherwoman in Stung Sangke river, Battambang province. Photo by Eric Sales/ADB.
A proposed Asian Development Bank (ADB) project will help finance two standard ports that will boost the fisheries and tourism sectors of Cambodia’s Kep province.
A report by the Khmer Times shared provincial officials and ADB are working to establish the ports’ locations, according to Mr. Vao Sokha, Kep Deputy Governor.
Greater Mekong Subregion Secretariat
Regional Cooperation and Operations Coordination Division,
Southeast Asia Department, Asian Development Bank
Address: 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550, Metro Manila, Philippines
Telephone: +63 2 8632 4444 Fax: +63 2 8636 2226