Closing Speech by
H.E Dr. THONG KHON, Minister of Tourism, and
Chairman of the National Committee for Clean City Assessment
On the Occasion of the Workshop on
 “Procedures of the Participation in the Clean City Contest Movement”
At Phnom Penh Hotel, February 08, 2011

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Respectfully!

• Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, Secretaries of State, Under Secretaries of State
• Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, Governors, Deputy Governors of Capital-Provincial Governor Board
• Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, National and International Organizations
• Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, Ladies and Gentlemen!

Once again, on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and the National Committee for Clean City Assessment as well as on my own behalf, I would like to express my profound thanks to Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, Ladies and Gentlemen from relevant ministries-institutions, local administration, national and international organizations for taking an invaluable time to actively attend and give comments at today’s very significant workshop.

As Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, Ladies and Gentlemen are informed by the distinguished speakers’ presentation, especially, about the experience in the development of capitals-provinces including Phnom Penh Capital City, Siem Reap Province, Kep Province, Preah Sihanouk Province and Kampong Cham Province, and through today’s active discussion, we have seen that the Clean City Standard’s document is consist of 7 basic indicators, divided into 33 detailed indicators, and being defined as the 77 criterion-based assessment including:

-8 detailed indicators of environmental arrangement and management: Score on a basis of 13 criteria
-6 detailed indicators of cleanness: Score on a basis of 17 criteria
-5 detailed indicators of waste management: Score on a basis of 8 criteria
-3 detailed indicators of awareness raising: Score on a basis of 7 criteria
-3 detailed indicators of green areas: Score on a basis of 4 criteria
-3 detailed indicators of health safety, security and urban arrangement: Score on a basis of 14 criteria
-5 detailed indicators of tourism infrastructure and facilities: Score on a basis of 14 criteria
In total, these indicators will be scored on a basis of 77 criteria equal to a score of 77 for assessing and deciding to award to the candidacy cities.

The contest will be arranged for every 3 years, and the award-wining cities will get a valid logo for 3 years. All the cities of the Kingdom of Cambodia (26 cities and 9 quarters) are obliged to participate in the contest. The Clean City Contest is a system for giving Eco-Label and ranking to the awarded cities, but is not a competition between the candidacy cities.

Besides, the procedures of this contest are as follows:

• N.C.C.A starts to accept the applications of the candidacy cities (March-April, 2012)
• N.C.C.A assesses the applications of the candidacy cities and give the candidacy cities the time to complete the missing documents (May-July, 2012)
• Making a direct visit to the locations by N.C.C.A to monitor and assess all candidacy cities-implementing“the Clean City Standard” (August-September, 2012)
• N.C.C.A will announce the awards of the contest in line with the criteria that the candidacy cities have met (October, 2012)
• Arranging an official award presentation by N.C.C.A to the awarded cities (October-September, 2012)
• The result of the candidacy cities assessment will be certified with the quality label which has been classified into 3 levels:
  • 3 Romduol Flowers Logo : will be offered to the city with 58 and 77 scores of criteria (At least 75% of  tolal scores)
  • 2 Romduol Flowers Logo : will be offered to the city with 46 and 57 scores of criteria (At least 60% of  tolal scores)
  • 1 Romduol Flower Logo : will be offered to the city with 31 and 45 scores of criteria (At least 40% of  tolal scores)

It is certain that the indicators’ assessment is made on the basis of the Clean City Internal Guideline—explaining in detailed how to give scores, and the basis for monitoring the cities’ implementation table which allows the National Committee for Clean City Assessment to have enough possibility to assess all the cities throughout the Kingdom of Cambodia in a transparent and high efficient manner. 
At the same time, the whole workshop has highlighted and recognized the benefits of the contest movement aimed at improving the good environment, cleanliness, and living standards along the cities, and encouraging the key players in tourism to contribute to the policy on urban socio-environmental management, particularly joining hands in keeping environment and living standards better to be aimed at making all the cities become very warm places for living, working, doing business, trading, and relaxing in accorandce with  the Royal Government’s policy on making Cambodia become a green destination with the best quality and sustainability, especially leading to the green economic development in Cambodia.

In particular, the contest not only makes Cambodian tourism play more important role in developing society, contributing to the poverty reduction through giving direct and indirect benefits to the national economy and local people, but also make a contribution towards making tourism become more efficient mechanism for contributing to cultural and natural resource development and preservation, additionally to further strengthen the environmental preservation. Besides, the Clean City Contest is the best tool to be executed for Cambodia as well as ASEAN member states, in addition to the developing countries all over the world  in order to make their cities become the Green Destination with the best quality and high attention to environmental sustainability, which is a factor contributing to mitigate the negative impact on the climate change, especially to acheive the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

In this sense, the National Committee has seriously taken into account what it needs, what tourists need, and what we need to do to ensure tourist attraction. Putting the Clean City Contest into operation will provide the National Committee with possibility of choosing the model cities and encouraging the authority and key tour operators in the cities (including hoteliers, restaurateurs, and other tourism facility managers) to pay higher attention to the cleanliness and living standards along the cities in order to make Cambodian tourist destinations more beautiful, attractive for more tourists visiting in the future. Noticeably, the context of clean city arrangement has also been taken into consideration from many countries around the world. It is clear that there are certain countries in Asia, that’s to say, China, Singapore, India, and Korea have been taking into account the establishment of Eco-City through encouraging paying attention to the impact on environment, society, especially the minimization of wastewater-using energy-caused pollution levels and carbon dioxide. Particularly, the Eco-City zones have carried out certain principles including the recycled energy use—wind energy, solar energy, waste drainage pipe-made biomass energy.etc, the reduction of air-conditioner use by using wind-naturally- producing system, planting trees on land at least 20 % of the urban surface, increasing more watering system, and arranging for the space for pedestrians to reduce the vehicle-caused pollution.

On the basis of this trend, and having seen the benefits of preserving environment, ecological system, additionally to respond to the national and international tourists’ needs which have trends towards environment-and-cleanliness-loving movement, the Royal Government has clearly highlighted in the Royal Government’s Rectangular Strategy Phase 2, aimed at further improving Cambodian socio-economic development through developing infrastructures of all sectors, strengthening security, social safety, improving the public service quality, contributing to the green economic development in Cambodia. Namely, the urban areas are very important for Cambodia to welcome and greet tourists because there are various potential tourist destinations located in and adjacent to the cities.

With Excellencies Governors, Deputy Governors’ presentation, the whole workshop has appreciated the Royal Government’s outcome and great achievement in the development of the cities throughout the Kingdom of Cambodia by gradually stepping forward. It is certain that with concerted efforts of the capital-provincial authorities and with the participation of the people and relevant stakeholders, the cities in the Kingdom of Cambodia have remarkably been developed and gradually improved.

We have also a plan to promote the movement for tourists to plant trees in the surroundings of Siem Reap-Angkor, which is an activity in contributing to forest resource preservation, and encouraging the tourists’ travels by bicycle (Both in the city and to Angkor) through arranging for bicycle lanes for tourists. At the same time, on the basis of Clean City Internal Guideline, the candidacy cities are able to be clearly aware about what to do for winning score and in order to be a support for the best practice in their own cities.

Nevertheless, the Clean City Contest which is able to contribute to make the cities (Old and new) become green destination has also required the high attention from the local authority to the consideration of aspects, environment, cleanliness, security, safety, order and living standards around their cities to increase the tourist attractiveness. In this sense, in order to participate in the Clean City Contest, we should take into consideration the clean city arrangement (Both old cities and new cities) as follows:

1. For old cities: while the old cities have usually the great population, existing infrastructures, we should start to take account of improvement, or how to keep the activities impossible to cause damages to environment and society. In this sense, the attention to water and win quality by avoiding causing adverse affects on the surrounding environment, especially causing the impure water and wind which results in an effect on welfare and living standards of the people in the cities are a must.
   • At the same time, the waste issue (caused by the human’s activities) is able to cause damages to cleanliness. The old cities should pay attention to solve and cope with this issue by strengthening the possibility to store and advising the owners (public buildings, markets, tourist sites…) to firmly keep cleanliness along the places under their responsibilities.
   • Furthermore, the awareness raising about environment is an important work for all of us (the local people, tour operators, and tourists).
   • At the same time, it should push for the use of transport means—taking environment into consideration such as buses, roads for pedestrians.etc, additionally, main public roads should be arranged for the day of even and odd numbers.
   • It should take into consideration the equipment installation in existing green zones and try to use the ways to maintain the green zone with more attention to environment.
   • Security, safety of the tourist and people are the most important work which should be taken into consideration, particularly continuing implementing the Royal Government’s policy on “Village-Commune for Safety” more efficiently.   
   • It should take account of strengthening and developing the tourism facilities such as commercial centers, markets, tourism information centers…etc. At the same time, the old cities that have become tourist destinations and have already been recognized should start to carry out the surveys to collect data for setting up tourism development master plan and other related master plans to meet the tourists’ needs.
2. For new cities: In general, the presence of population is less, and the existing infrastructures are not yet plentiful. The attention to the Eco-City arrangement at the first step is very appropriate. In this sense, it should have the green zone (at least 20%).
   • It should start from the set-up of planning and basic plans for land use. That’s to say, the new cities with an opportunity to set up a plan to use their land are better than the old cities because the new cities’ infrastructures are still broadly.
   • The new cities should take the first opportunity to ensure the coherence of architecture along the buildings to keep the cleanliness persist in the cities.   
   • It should take account of the construction of their physical infrastructures (roads, schools, parks for children, sport arenas…) because these physical infrastructures are the starting point—leading to other development (Responding to the Royal Government’s policy on physical infrastructure development, in particular, roads and educational enhancement).

Last but not least, I would like the whole workshop to kindly contribute to support the Clean City Contest, and assist in continuing to promote this contest more broadly, be ready to participate in the official announcement “The Clean City Contest”, highly presided over by Samdech Techo Prime Minister HUN SEN.

Finally, May I wish Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, Distinguished National and International Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen with the four gems of Buddhist blessings: Longevity, Nobility, Health, and Strength.

I declare today’s workshop close from now onwards.

Thank You!

H.E Dr. THONG Khon on the Occasion of the Workshop on "Clean City Contest Movement"	Meeting at workshop on "Clean City Contest Movement"	Speech by Mr. Neb Samuth	H.E Dr. THONG Khon in meeting at workshop on "Clean City Contest"