Phnom Penh, May 31, 2013 –The Chair of Cambodia’s National Climate Change Committee (NCCC) H.E. Senior Minister Dr. Mok Mareth and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Mission Director Ms. Rebecca Black today signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to cooperate on Low Emission and Climate Resilient Development in Cambodia.

This MOU outlines specific areas for cooperation in the agriculture and forestry sectors and strengthens support to Cambodia for a rigorous greenhouse gas inventory, climate change capacity building, international coordination for green growth, and integrating climate change adaptation into green growth strategies.

Cambodia is the 19th country to sign an MOU on “Enhancing Capacity for Low Emissions Development Strategies” (EC-LEDS) and to become an official EC-LEDS partner country with the United States. This important agreement was developed as part of President Obama’s Global Climate Change Initiative. Other Asian countries partnering with the United States on EC-LEDS include Vietnam, Bangladesh, and India.

As a least developed country, Cambodia is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. Over the past 10 years, the country has made significant progress in addressing climate change challenges. These include important policy and plan development activities such as the 2013-2030 National Policy and Strategic Development Plan on Green Development which the Government launched in March.However, many challenges remain, due to the country's limited institutional, technical and financial capacity to fully address climate change.

In his welcome remarks, H.E. Senior Minister Mok Mareth expressed his appreciation to USAID for a number of key climate change initiatives in Cambodia and urged close cooperation in implementing concrete actions under this MOU.

“We are very excited about forging a new partnership with Cambodia’s National Climate Change Committee to promote economic growth activities that simultaneously minimize greenhouse gas emissions,” said Rebecca Black, USAID’s Mission Director in Cambodia. “Climate change will continue to affect economic growth opportunities in Cambodia and around the world, and this new MOU opens the door to identify and support the best practices for green growth.”

The MOU is effective until September 30, 2018. It reaffirms the pivotal role that climate change plays in economic development and lays the framework for future USAID programmingin the environment sector.

In Cambodia, USAID supports a broad range of programs designed to benefit all Cambodians in areas such as economic growth, agriculture, natural resource management, democracy,governance, human rights, and anti-trafficking in persons. USAID provided approximately $65 million in assistance to Cambodia in 2012.