PHNOM PENH: During Cambodia’s 3rd Trade Policy Review (3rd TPR) at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, H.E. Mrs. CHAM Nimul, Cambodian Minister of Commerce, held a meeting with the co-facilitators of the Investment Facilitation for Development Initiative (IFDA).
The co-facilitators present were H.E. João Aguiar Machado, Permanent Representative of the European Union to the WTO, and H.E. Salomon Eheth, Permanent Representative of Cameroon to the WTO, as detailed by the Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP) today.
According to AKP, the meeting involved an update from the co-facilitators on the IFDA’s progress. They also stressed the ongoing commitment of all initiative members to integrate the IFDA into the WTO framework. The IFDA’s objective, as stated by the ministry and relayed by the AKP, is to support WTO members participating in the Agreement by improving their investment and business climate.
This includes simplifying investor processes across all sectors, promoting investment ease, and facilitating business operations and growth among the participating parties. Currently, 126 WTO members are involved in the IFDA, including 27 least-developed countries.
On the same day, Minister CHAM Nimul also met with Mr. PAUL Akiwumi, Director for Africa, LDCs, and Special Programmes of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
This meeting focused on discussing cooperation between Cambodia and UNCTAD, particularly concerning the organization of workshops related to rules of origin, LDC graduation, and the development of Cambodia’s Trade Policy Framework toward 2030 for the Ministry of Commerce.”