Venerable Monks,
Excellencies Ambassadors,
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen distinguished national and international guests,
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen board of directors,
Civil Servant Trainees, lecturers and all officials of the school,
Today, I am pleased to be here to confer certificates to 107 high-ranking civil servant students and 75 middle-ranking civil servant students of the academic year 2010 and to open the academic year 2011. This event allows ex-students from all over the country to reunite and revive their joint memory of capacity building which remains the priority component of the Royal Government in socio-economic development in the era of globalization categorized by fierce competition and fast advancement of IT.
Today’s outcome of the Royal School of Administration reflects our response to training requirement for civil servants in all ministries – institutions. This effort is an appropriate and timely response to the strategic policy of the Royal Government in modernizing its administration and integrating itself into the region and the world, a task which requires knowledgeable and competent human resources to gain competitive advantage in the labor market and maximize economic efficiency.
Taking this opportunity, I personally and on behalf of the Royal Government would like to congratulate all the achievements of the school. As raised by H.E. Ly Kimsok, Director of the Royal School of Administration, since its opening, 620 students (including 102 females) have been admitted to the initial training programs and 2,915 trainees (including 259 females) have been admitted to continuation programs. This result reflects the Royal Government’s attention to human resource development and provision of additional training to its officials so that they become the key contribution to socio-economic development, especially poverty reduction and better standard of living.
Along with this, I sincerely praise the board of directors, the management, lecturers, officials and students of the school for their utmost attention towards training, study and strengthening of discipline and code of ethic to realize what we see today. In this sense, I would like to commend the school for its successive achievements in human resource development and strengthening of civil servants which make this public institution proud of. Moreover, I would like to thank and welcome the cooperation provided by development partners, national and international organizations as well as other training institutions to exchange experience and programs to further strengthen program quality.
The Rectangular Strategy highlights many intertwining tasks. By implementing this strategy attentively, the Royal Government has proudly realized numerous achievements. Standing out among them is good governance which is the backbone of public administration reform and ensures that the running of all governmental institutions is transparent, accountable, efficient and predictable. Along with this, the public financial management reform has been strengthening budget credibility and financial accountability. We are gradually linking budget to policy and strengthening financial accountability. As a result, we have moved from cash shortage and arrear-ridden system to a budge system with cash surplus. These are essence of reform program for effective and efficient public financial management. At the same time, we have continued strengthening existing mechanism that requires all public institutions to take public interest a priority, all government officials to adhere to value and professional ethic by changing attitude from being commander to service providers and for that citizens are public service consumers. In addition to strengthening existing mechanism, the government has promoted and encouraged participation from development partners, non-governmental organizations, civil society, private sector, particularly participation from people in good governance strengthening process. Indeed, this task will enable our people better understand work and management structure in public sector and state agencies, and these factors will contribute strengthening approach for citizen engagement in decision making process. Obviously, this concept will make public service nearer to the people and more efficiently catered the people, and create a favorable environment for ensuring macroeconomic stability, supporting economic diversification and achieving sustainable economic growth at 6%-7% per annum standing on broader base and strengthened competitiveness.
In this spirit, I am of the view that we must provide more training to officials and stakeholders on public governance which requires appropriate change in working attitude and continues implementing procedure for transparent recruitment which is a mechanism ensuring capable government official in the future. Facing this, I would like to encourage and support bolstering existing and new mechanism for active learning, sharp willingness to understand role and profession, constantly capacity building and preparing oneself to be good government official serving nation and people. Therefore, all ministries/institutions must have capacity development plan with concrete strategic objectives, cooperation with domestic and international training institutes, especially providing cooperation to Royal School of Administration, Council for Administration Reform, State Secretary for Public Functions and relevant partners. At the same time, we must balance and ascertain that our expenditure must target for policy priorities and key, necessary and effective activities. These tasks will allow all levels of public institutions to provide public service with transparency, efficiency and high responsibility, contributing to promotion of state of law, justice, social equity as well as active, comprehensive and deepened the promotion of reform programs.
As what we have already known, effective administration will contribute to quality improvement of public services delivery, poverty reduction, and it is a mechanism for strengthening institutional capacity, welfare of the people and the progress of the society. In this regard, I am of the view that we need a mechanism motivating government officials to serve with determination, adhere to career ethics, accountability, transparency, and effectiveness and transforming oneself from a manager to a respectable service provider and respond to the need of the people so that we can achieve the vision of public administration: “Better servicing the people”.
Based on this ground, in the past we have worked hard accomplishing many achievements in the public administration reform program such as conducting census campaigns on civil servants nationwide in order to set up a main database for human resource management through information technology system, the promulgation of a new pension system, the use of new salary lists and the retiring of government officials through information technology system, the promulgation of the strategic rationalization for public function and the establishment of standard letters for government officials management, the 1st and 2nd establishment of governance action plans for 9 priority sectors, and the promulgation of public service delivery policy and the implementation of priority cluster and the provision of remunerations based on the results of the tasks as such. As a result, in the implementation of the strategy for “decentralization and de-concentration” within the strategic reform framework for decentralization and de-concentration adopted in 2005, the Royal Government has set up the National Council for Democracy and Development at the sub-national level. This success is a new proof that reflects the will of the Royal Government for strengthening the democracy at the sub-national level, which is aimed to ensure long-lasting economic growth based on a wide base and better competitive advantages as well as strengthen the management and the delivery of pubic services with quality so that we can respond to the needs of our people and the enhance the welfare of our people.
Indeed, the implementation of decentralization and de-concentration policy and the laws on the organizations have contributed to the strengthening of gender equity, the promotion of the roles of youths for both sexes, especially for women in the decision-making involvements of the administration at the sub-national level. In this spirit, I would like to support the Royal School of Administration for the cooperation with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in the development projects for women who are leaders at the national and sub-national levels. Taking this opportunity, I would like to further appeal to ministries, institutions, development partners, national and international organizations to continue supporting and providing cooperation in promoting training, exchanging experience and development programs that would ensure quality, and strengthen capability and scope of training actions for government officials and research study on public administration, commerce and diplomacy with capability, talents, confidence and wide communicating network. All these contributions will promote the mission of the Royal School of Administration and help achieve its target such as modernizing the public function and transforming it to vocational public function with capability, upholding codes ethics of government officials, dignity and effectively fulfill tasks for serving the society.
Once again, on behalf of the Royal Government I would like to express my admiration and congratulations to all the soon-graduates who have finished your training sessions, achieved brilliant results will receive study certificates shortly. In this spirit, I would like to encourage all successful graduates to have high aspirations for the cause of national advantage, upholding career ethics and adhering to the culture of public services deliverers as well as continue research study and expand further knowledge in order to steadily maintain and promote your capability to be in line with the evolution of the world situation. Along with this, I would like express high valuation for the management group, government officials, professors, and all personnel of the Royal School of Administration for working hard fulfilling your duties toward achieving the mission of building intellectual resources for our society, as what we have already known quality and effectiveness of the public service delivery practices in Cambodia depend on the quality and effectiveness of work with the proper efforts of advisory boards, the management along with the government officials and all professors of the Royal School of Administration. All these successes will provide an opportunity for the Royal School of Administration to be better recognized for providing superior trainings.
Finally, along with “the Conferment of Certificates to the Executive and Mid-level Civil Servant Trainees 2010, and the Opening of Academic Year of the Promotion of Executive Civil Servant Program and Promotion of Low-Level Civil Servant 2011” at this time, I would like to wish the venerable monks, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen as well as the advisory boards, the management, professors, personnel and all interns the four gems of Buddhist blessing: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.
