Cambodia's capital city of Phnom Penh. (Photo: International Residental)Hanoi (VNA) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved over 29million USD in loan for Cambodia to help the country improve service deliverythrough key reforms in public financial management and decentralization, said apress statement on September 23.
TheSecond Decentralised Public Service and Financial Management Sector DevelopmentProgramme includes a 20-million-USD policy-based loan that will support aprogrammatic approach to strengthening local governments' fiscal planning andmanagement, as well as public administration, the statement said.
Italso includes a 9.35-million-USD project loan to help build the National Schoolof Local Administration, a dedicated training center for local governmentofficials, it added.
"Theproject aims to help local governments across Cambodia provide sustainable,effective, and efficient delivery of basic public services, while also bridgingthe urban-rural divide," said ADB senior public management specialistJhelum Thomas.
"Theproject is much needed, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has seensignificant numbers of people move from urban to rural areas," she said."This will put more pressure on local governments to provide socialassistance and basic services such as roads, water supply, and sanitation tosupport inclusive and equitable growth."
Accordingto the statement, more than 70 percent of Cambodians lived on less than three USDa day and access to basic services has been uneven. Poor and vulnerable households are especially at risk amid theCOVID-19 pandemic, which has led to a significant decline in key sectors ofCambodia's economy and losses in livelihoods./.
VNA
