Opening Speech by H.E Dr. THONG KHON on the Occasion of Training Course on Clean City and Signing Ceremony on the Memorandum of Understanding between N.C.C.A, Ministry of Tourism, and Relevant Partners

Opening Speech by
H.E Dr. THONG KHON, Minister of Tourism, and
 President of the National Committee for Clean City Assessment on the Occasion of Training Course on Clean City and Signing Ceremony on the Memorandum of Understanding between N.C.C.A, Ministry of Tourism, and Relevant Partners
Cambodiana Hotel, February 18, 2013

- H.E HUN MANY, President of the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia,
- Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, Ladies and Gentlemen, Master of Ceremonies, and Youth!

First of all, on behalf of the National Committee for Clean City Assessment, Ministry of Tourism and on my own behalf, I would like to express my profound thanks to Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, Master of Ceremonies, Representatives of Televisions and Radios, in particular youth for spending their valuable time to attend today’s important training course on clean city and signing ceremony on the Memorandum of Understanding between the National Committee for Clean City Assessment, Ministry of Tourism, and relevant partners.

I would like to express my deep thanks to the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia, both state-and-private-run media for having made a good cooperation and actively supported all the campaigns in the cause of clean city.

The organization of training course on clean city is to encourage the participation of all relevant stakeholders in the clean city contest and to be prepared to step forward the organization of ”National Clean City Day” to be held on February 27, 2013 at the Diamond Island Hall. Moreover,  the preparation of the training course reflects the importance and invaluable role of the Cambodian youth’s strength, as well as state-and-private-run media in actively participating in the cause of clean city, particularly takeparting together in the implementation of the sound recommendation of Samdech Techo Prime Minister, ”Clean City, City without Plastic Bags in the Air” prior to 2015. The meeting at this time is the third that the Ministry of Tourism, National Committee for Clean City Assessment have prepared with master of ceremonies, representatives of all televisions and radios in line with the agreed spirit of gathering every 3 months in order to raise awarness about the Clean City Contest and tourism development in Cambodia.

- Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, Ladies and Gentlemen,
- Master of Ceremonies, Youth!

Along with the proud tourism development, the Royal Government of Cambodia with the Ministry of Tourism being as agency has defined the Cambodian tourism devellopment with sustainability and responsibility as a main vision at present and in future.

While the whole world is stepping forwards the Green Era, the green tourism development which is culturally, naturally, and environmentally-friendly development model is very important in line with the current time and needs in ensuring the sustainability. In this sense, green tourism development is in line with the Green and Clean Development Model which is a wise and proper choice at present, through ensuring the socio-economic, environmental sustainability and balance.

In respond to the new trend, the Ministry of Tourism laid down the campaign of “Clean City, Clean Resort, Good Service”, which is an appropriate strategic choice for contributing to the green tourism development and making Cambodia Clean and Green. In this spirit, our efforts to get all cities/khan, public gathering places, tourist sites, villages and communes to be clean and green are the long-term vision of the Royal Government of Cambodia with Samdech Techo Prime Minister being a brilliant leader of making Cambodia prosperously developed through adhering the concept of “Current development is for both all of us at present and the next generation.

Certainly, the city is a tourist product and a main tourist destination for tourists, in particular youth tourists. And cleanliness creates attractiveness and preferences of all people, and national and international tourists. Cleanliness creates comfort, sanitation for all people’s living standards.

Obviously, the clean city contest is an efficient tool for pushing for urban tourism development. The urban tourism is gathered by culture, tradition, history and economic-commercial hub which is a famous tourist product for tourists at present. The clean city contest will contribute to improve the beauty, sanitation, environment, and people’s welfare, particularly make all the cities become the destinations with warmth for living, doing business, trading, relaxing, and turn Cambodian to be a green destination at international standard level, especially moving forward the green economic development in Cambodia through:

• - Encouraging supporting infrastructure development of all sections
• - Strengthening security and social safety
• - Improving public service and tourist service qualities.
• - Contributing to green tourism development in Cambodia
• - And contributing to integrating Cambodia into the region and the world.

-Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, Ladies and Gentlemen,
-Master of Ceremonies, and Youth!

In order to make the clean city contest movement success, it requires our participation both public, private, people and partnership, that’s to say clean city is for all of us, we are all for clean city. In this sense, the participation of youth and media is a key factor to ensure the triumph of the clean city contest.

Seizing this auspicious opportunity, I would like to voice my support and congratulate the signing ceremony on the Memorandum of Understanding between the National Committee for Clean City Assessment, Ministry of Tourism, and relevant partners in a comment in order to encourage promoting and implementing the campaigns supporting the clean city contest movement such as:

• Setting of “Clean City Program” on Apsara Television and Radio, Bayon Television by broadcasting every week.
• Conducting the “One Tourist, One Tree” program in Siem Reap province in cooperation between the Ministry of Tourism, National Committee for Clean City Assessment, and Excellence Capital Group.
• Promoting the clean city on Cambodia tourism magazine.

In order to get this MoU to be efficiently implemented and to be ready to step forward the organization of the National Clean City Day next week, I would like to propose the following recommendations:

1. Propose to establish Eco-club along schools, educational establishments, firms, factories, and radio and television stations to get the youth, MCs, workers to be promoters and re-educators in the cause of clean city and to declare and explain the details on the occasion of clean city on February 27, 2013.
2. Propose the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia to push the Union of Youth Federation of Cambodia’s youth along the capital-provinces to cooperate and participate in the clean city program through reporting and discussing the clean city issue regularly.
3. Propose the youth, master of ceremonies to partake in the activities and campaigns in the cause of clean city, particularly spread out to the surrounding people.
4. Propose the state-and-private-run media to further promote the clean city contest, particularly help in broadcasting the organization of the National Clean City Day on February 27 next week (including pre-events and post-events) in order to cause the participation of all relevant stakeholders.

-Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, Ladies and Gentlemen

-Master of Ceremonies, Youth!

Once again, I would like voice my profound thanks to the invaluable participation of Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, Ladies and Gentlemen, MCs, Representatives of Televisions and Radios, in particular youth for having cooperated closely with the Ministry of Tourism, National Committee for Clean City Assessment in making all the cities, khan, public gathering places, tourist sites of the Kingdom of Cambodia become “Clean City, City without Plastic Bags in the Air” prior to 2015. And I would like to convey the essence of today’s important training course to spread out to the public and all relevant stakeholders to gather the support to cause the preference for cleanliness, and greenness to be aimed right at encouraging the contribution to the clean city cause, namely making all the cities improved better for the people’s living standards and become the attractive and warm tourist destinations for national and international tourists.  

Last but not least, I would like to wish Excellencies, Ladies, Gentlemen, Master of Ceremonies, Representatives of Televisions and Radios, and Youth  the four gens of Buddhist blessings: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.
May I declare the training course on clean city and signing ceremony between the National Committee for Clean City Assessment, Ministry of Tourism, and relevant partners open from now onward.

Thank You!