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4.
STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR
17. The Royal
Government recognizes that improving the business climate and creating an
enabling environment for private sector development are key pre-requisites
for fostering growth, creating jobs, reducing poverty and achieving
sustainable economic development. To remove the critical bottlenecks
impeding the development of the private sector as well as to provide
inputs in the processes of administrative and regulatory reforms, a
Government-Private Sector Forum was established in December 1999. It has
been meeting once every six months. To further strengthen the key
institutional mechanisms to support the implementation of the Rectangular
Strategy (see Chart 1 on next page), at the last Government-Private Sector
Forum held on 20 August 2004, Samdech Hun Sen, the Prime Minister
announced the formation of a Steering Committee for Private Sector
Development. This Committee is chaired by the Sr. Minister, Minister of
Economy and Finance, with the Sr. Minister, Minister of Commerce as Deputy
Chairman, and the Governor of the National Bank of Cambodia and the
Ministers of MIME, MAFF, MPWT and MOT as Members, and the Secretary
General of CDC, as its Secretary. The Steering Committee is responsible
for carrying out the following tasks:
-
Act as the "Etat major" of the Head of the Royal Government in leading,
implementing, and monitoring the implementation of the Rectangular
Strategy on Private Sector Development.
-
Propose
and implement measures to improve investment climate.
-
Propose and implement measures for trade facilitation.
-
Propose and implement measures to promote Small and Medium Enterprises.
-
Propose and implement other measures to promote private sector
development.
18.
The Steering Committee is supported by the following three Sub-committees:
(i) Sub-committee on Investment Climate and Private Participation in
Infrastructure (PPI) chaired by Sr. Minister, Minister of Economy and
Finance; (ii) Sub-committee on Trade Facilitation chaired by Sr. Minister,
Minister of Commerce; and (iii) Sub-committee on SMEs chaired by Minister
of Industry, Mines and Energy. The Steering Committee and its three
Sub-committees will work closely with the development partners who want to
assist Cambodia in developing the private sector, including the WB, ADB,
IMF, UNDP, JICA, AUSAID, GTZ, AFD and others, based on a SWAP arrangement
for private sector development.
CHART 1
The Royal Government's
Rectangular Strategy
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