Phnom Penh 11 December 2024: The Ministry of Environment (MoE) and the National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD) have the honor to inform the public, national and international media, NGOs, relevant ministries/ institutions, and all stakeholders that the MoE and NCSD organized the final event of the Cambodia Climate Change Alliance – Phase 3 Programme (CCCA3) at the Ministry of Environment. The event was chaired by H.E. Dr. Eang Sophalleth, Minister of Environment and Chair of the NCSD; H.E. Igor Driesmans, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Delegation of the European Union; and Ms. Alissar Chaker, Resident Representative UNDP Cambodia with participation of MoE’s delegates and staff, representatives from embassies, academia, development partners, line-ministries and institutions, youths, NGOs, media, and private sector entities. The Cambodia Climate Change Alliance (CCCA) has been the flagship climate change initiative in Cambodia since 2010. Now in its third phase, CCCA is based on a partnership between the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) and development partners including the European Union (EU), UNDP, DANIDA and Sweden.  

The event brought together all key stakeholders and promoted knowledge sharing, facilitated networking, and particularly showcased the main achievements of the CCCA3 through an exhibition of the 22 projects. It highlighted the significant accomplishments of the programme, displaying booklets, main studies, success stories, and lessons learned to inspire future climate action. There were other interesting and connected sessions, such as a painting display from the youth competition as artistic expression related to climate change, along with motivational speeches by youth representatives on their contributions and initiatives for climate actions. There was also a press conference highlighting the impact of CCCA3 on the climate change agenda, key learnings, and ways forward.

In the opening session, Ms. Alissar Chaker emphasized that the CCCA provided a flexible, multilateral, and multidisciplinary mechanism dedicated to developing and implementing a comprehensive and equitable national climate agenda. It harnessed UNDP’s global expertise and wide network of partners, leveraging UNDP’s global Climate Promise infrastructure and its long-standing local partnerships with sectoral ministries, civil society, the private sector, and academia for the development of basic policy and regulatory cornerstones such as the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the Long-Term Strategy for Carbon Neutrality, and the Cambodia Climate Change Strategic Plan and its sectoral plans. It also strengthened relevant institutional capacities, coordination mechanisms, and tools such as the online NDC reporting platform and the Public Climate Expenditure Report. Its grant facility fostered public sector and grassroots innovation. Ms. Alissar Chaker affirmed that this multi-year support was critical for creating impact and success would not have been possible without national ownership and the trust of the European Union, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the United Kingdom Government, and the Danish International Development Agency - it is an example of partnership and development efficiency at its best.

CCCA Phase 3 (2019-2024) has invested in improving transparency mechanisms, and developing the legal and policy framework (such as the updated Nationally Determined Contributions and the Long-term Strategy for Carbon Neutrality). The programme has enabled an active engagement between the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Economy and Finance in policy development, and strengthened institutional capacity for climate actions across priority sectors. CCCA has been a key tool to promote bottom-up innovation through its Grant Facility, prioritizing five sectors, such as environment, energy, rural development, transport and education.

H.E. Igor Driesmans, Ambassador of the EU Delegation to the Kingdom of Cambodia   stated that  “I am proud that the EU has fostered a strong partnership with Cambodia in the fight against climate change. This is evidenced by our long-term collaboration on the three phases of the CCCA, which stemmed from our Global Climate Change Alliance programme launched in 2007. Looking back at 2010 when the CCCA started, I am pleased to see that together with our CCCA founding Member States, Denmark and Sweden, we have achieved a lot. Today, Cambodia has more capacity to develop an ambitious climate agenda with supporting policies. It has an institutional framework for leading, managing, coordinating and monitoring climate action in line with international agenda. All of this allows Cambodia to take a more prominent position in the international climate arena. Despite these accomplishments, the journey against climate change is ongoing. We need more efforts to convert commitments into concrete actions. The EU and its Member States will continue to strengthen collaboration with Cambodia to mobilise quality investments to support these actions.”

H.E. Dr. Eang Sophalleth stressed that Cambodia is deeply committed to addressing climate change through policies implementation and joint international efforts such as the participation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement. He affirmed that the Circular Strategy on Environment for 2023-2028 - focusing on Clean, Green, and Sustainable - has embarked on strategic pathway towards environmental sustainability and a carbon-neutral future by 2050. It collectively strives to elevate Cambodia’s environmental stature globally and ensure a sustainable legacy for all Cambodians. He appreciated the achievements done by the CCCA, reflecting its essential role in establishing the climate agenda and supporting the RGC in preparing policies, strategies and moving to implementation. H.E. Dr. Eang Sophalleth thanked development partners including the European Union, UNDP, and Sweden for the support of CCCA3 implementation and invites and welcomes ongoing and future support from all development partners to achieve shared environmental goals.

Over the past 15 years, CCCA has played an essential role in establishing Cambodia’s climate agenda and supporting the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) in preparing policies, strategies and driving implementation across key sectors, and enhanced access to climate knowledge for the public. This alliance has directly benefited over 298,000 individuals through 65 grants. Furthermore, it has played a vital role in strengthening institutions dedicated to climate change and laying the groundwork for a more resilient and sustainable Cambodia. 
 

For more information: Mr. Long Sona
Tel    : (855) 12 256 869/ 88 500 56 89
Email     :  Long.sona@moe.gov.kh