World Bank extends Cambodia country program till 2011
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 8:47
Three New Projects Worth $71.5 million to Help Govt. Fight Poverty
The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors endorsed, in May 2008, the extension of the Bank’s
Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for Cambodia until 2011, citing strong progress on reform efforts and the government’s commitment to the reform agenda.
The decision to extend the current CAS three more years resulted from extensive consultations with the Government and other stakeholders, including the donor community, the private sector, and the civil society. These consultations confirmed the continued relevance of the CAS strategy of improving governance through a wide range of development initiatives, said Ian Porter, Country Director for Cambodia.
“The Bank’s assistance strategy recognizes the positive changes in Cambodia over the past three years, and the solid progress the Government has made in implementing the ambitious reform agenda,” Porter said.
“This progress has enabled the World Bank and other donors to continue working with the Government to deepen their reform efforts.”
First approved in 2005, the Cambodia CAS provides support for tackling some of the critical governance issues threatening the country’s ability to reduce poverty and achieve Millennium Development Goals. It aims to improve governance through private sector development for growth; public financial management for better service delivery; land administration, management and allocation for agricultural investments and growth; and decentralization and social accountability for better governance and empowerment of communities.
The Cambodia CAS was the first World Bank CAS produced jointly with the Asian Development Bank, the UK Department of International Development, or DFID, and the UN system, which have all endorsed the extension. (We intend to publish a detailed interview about the CAS extension in the next issue.)
On May 20, 2008, together with the CAS extension, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors also approved two lending projects for Cambodia aimed at helping the government fight poverty, one by improving access to roads (RAMP) , the other by providing poor people with land for agricultural development, called Land Allocation for Social and Economic Development (LASED). See story below.
On June 19, 2008, the World Bank’s board also approved the second Health Sector Support Project (NSSP2) to help Cambodia to achieve its health millennium development goals. See World Bank and Multiple Donors Help Cambodia Achieve its Health Goals.
(Source: The World Bank’s newsletter, volume 6, number 6-7, June-July 2008)