Programming mission discussed priorities for the next period

The mission was led by Petr Gandalovič, the Director of the Development Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, which is also responsible for humanitarian aid, who was accompanied by Michal Minčev, the Director of the Czech Development Agency. The delegation was received at eight ministries at the level of ministers or state secretaries, and similarly received at other institutions, including the National Paediatric Hospital, the Institute of Technology and the Royal University of Agriculture, the most important partners of the Czech projects. In addition to meetings with representatives of the donors represented locally (AFD, GIZ, WFB, ADB, UNIDO) and colleagues from the EU Member States embassies, meetings were also held with the European Delegation and the Cambodian Development Council. Three days were dedicated to monitoring existing projects in Kampong Speu, Kampong Chhnang and Kampong Thom provinces. The monitoring of the projects was followed by discussions with local implementers, especially the Czech NGO People in Need, which has an office in Cambodia, a representative of Diakonia ČCE, which works closely with the local organization Life with Dignity, and a certified obstetrician who represents the Vita et Futura Endowment and has been working at the National Pediatric Hospital.

The main priorities of the Czech Development Cooperation in Cambodia are education and health. In line with the priorities of the Cambodian government, considerable attention is paid to the development of rural areas. Activities in education will continue to have an overlap with agriculture, focusing in particular on technical education and the processing of food and agricultural products. In addition, the country has long provided government scholarships. In the health sector, the focus on mother and child remains a priority sub-sector.