Having only become a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1999, Cambodia urgently needs to develop a pool of professionals in the economic sphere to cope with the liberalized market-economy environment of AFTA, the ASEAN Free Trade Area. This project sought to provide the professionals dealing with the Cambodian economy with knowledge and a better understanding of the policy tasks involved in the transition to a market economy and the roles played by each economic sector, and also to offer them opportunities to become familiar with the economies of other ASEAN members.
Last year the project focused on a group of 30 professionals in economic fields, including government officials, scholars, and business leaders. To provide them with basic knowledge of the principles of the market economy and regional economic integration as well as to acquaint them with the current state of neighboring economies, the project hosted domestic training sessions in Phnom Penh (October 9-11, 2002) and field training in Kuala Lumpur (February 1-19, 2003).
This year the two segments of the project were enhanced, with the domestic training lasting longer and using more lecturers and the field training offering more places to visit. In the selection of the trainees, the project received the assistance of the Institute of Economy and Finance, an organ under the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
During the domestic training in Phnom Penh October 13-17, 2003, the sessions dealt with such topics as trends in regional economic integration, prospects for AFTA, and the economic policies of ASEAN's members. There were 36 trainees, mostly government officials, business leaders, and scholars and researchers. The government officials were people in charge of economic policy at the Ministries of Economy and Finance; Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Industry, Mines, and Energy; Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries; Education, Youth, and Sports; and Rural Development; and also at the National Bank of Cambodia. During the field training in Kuala Lumpur February 8-15, 2004, 23 of the trainees, mostly government officials and economists, visited such places as development planning and implementation agencies and palm oil farms. They learned about the realities of the modern market economy and the policies of the Malaysian government.
As a result of these activities, it is hoped that Cambodia will seek to formulate market-economy policies framed with a broader vision of international cooperation and the free trade system.