The Royal Government of Cambodia through the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) and Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MLVT), the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) reached here yesterday a Memorandum of Understanding on “Better Factories Cambodia Programme 2023-2027”.
H.E. Ith Samheng, Minister of MLVT, H.E. Pan Sorasak, Minister of MOC, Oknha Kong Sang, President of GMAC, and Mr. Graeme Buckley, Director of ILO Country Office for Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, were the signatories.
The MoU aims to continue the cooperation in bettering the working conditions for workers and employees in the fields of garment, textiles, travel goods and bags through compliance with Cambodian labour law and related laws as well as internationally recognised core labour standards, especially occupational safety and well-being.
Speaking at the function, Labour Minister H.E. Ith Samheng spoke highly of the Better Factories Cambodia Programme which has significantly contributed to boosting Cambodia’s garment exports, and thus the Kingdom’s economic growth.
Fully supported by the Royal Government of Cambodia through the MLVT and MOC, the Better Factories Cambodia Programme has been running smoothly for the past 21 years, he said, stressing that the success of this project in Cambodia has become a model for countries in the region through the creation of the “Better Work” programme.
For his part, H.E. Pan Sorasak said that thanks to the policy of linking trade with labour standards, Cambodia has built more trust among famous brand buyers to add orders for key products like clothing, textiles, footwear, and bags from Cambodia.
According to the commerce minister, in the first nine months of this year, Cambodia’s exports under the preferential trade system to foreign markets totaled US$17,578 million, a year-on-year increase by 24.23 percent. The exports of garments and textiles rose by 23.16 percent and travel goods and bags by 36.31 percent.
Oknha Kong Sang welcomed the signing of the five-year MoU, while Mr. Graeme Buckley reaffirmed the BFC’s commitment to continue to act as a facilitator of industry stakeholders as well as international buyers, who also play a key role in improving the sector through their responsible business practices.
Source: Agency Kampuchea Press