The National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) successfully concluded the 6th Training Programme on Public Policy and Governance for the civil servants of Cambodia on Friday in New Delhi. The 2-week program was organized from September 23rd to October 4th, 2024 in collaboration with Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and had participation of 39 senior and mid-level civil servants from Cambodia, representing the Ministry of Economy & Finance and the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovations. The participating officers hold positions such as Joint Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Director, Under Secretary among others. 

The valedictory session was chaired by Shri V Srinivas, Director General, NCGG & Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India. In his valedictory address, he emphasized on the importance of longstanding collaboration between India and Cambodia and discussed how the challenges faced by both the nations are common and developments in the area of science and technology, infrastructure development and the vision for development envisaged by both the nations is also similar. Highlighting the impact of transformative initiatives like Aadhaar, which have revolutionized subsidy transfer, he reflected on India's vision for inclusive governance & prioritizing governance reforms, which focus on digital transformation for better service delivery so as to bring citizens closer to government. He outlined that the goal is to create digitally empowered citizens and technologically transformed institutions and consequently the nation. He also encouraged the officers to try and replicate the best practices learnt here especially for increasing infrastructure growth, building digital platforms like PM Gati Shakti for which both nations are committed to help each other through bilateral cooperation. 

The participating officers gave three very elaborate and insightful presentations on “Review of National Science Policy for Cambodia”, “Rationalizing Expenditure Plan for Infrastructure and Growth”, and “Governance Reforms in Cambodia and Digital Transformation” showcasing the knowledge and learnings gained during the programme.

Mr Ith Hunly, Deputy Director, Ministry of Science and Technology Innovations, and Head of Cambodia’s delegation, shed light on the historical and cultural relations between the two nations. He expressed gratitude to the Indian government for organizing a comprehensive programme. He acknowledged that the learning’s from the sessions were very useful and would help participants implement good governance practices in Cambodia. He urged that such meaningful and comprehensive programmes should be regularly organized for more officers as the experience gained was excellent.

Dr B S Bisht, Associate Professor, NCGG and Course Coordinator of the programme gave detailed overview of the programme. He highlighted that the programme is structured for two weeks wherein first week delved into academic session and second week focused on exposure visits.

The NCGG has trained civil servants from 33 countries including Bangladesh, Maldives, Kenya, Tanzania, Tunisia, Seychelles, Gambia, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Laos, Vietnam, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, South Africa, Indonesia, Madagascar, Fiji, Mozambique, Cambodia, Madagascar among others. The Centre’s increasing global engagement is visible in the programmes conducted this year, NCGG welcomed delegations from numerous countries and initiated several first-time programmes, including capacity-building initiatives for nations under the FIPIC (Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation), IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association), and Latin American regions. Additionally, NCGG is planning to organize specialized capacity-building programs for BIMSTEC and ASEAN countries, further expanding its international outreach.

The valedictory programme was graced by Ms Prisca Poly Mathews, Chief Administrative Officer, NCGG. The 6th CBP on Public Policy and Governance for Cambodian Civil Servants was coordinated by Dr B S Bisht, Course Coordinator along with Dr Sanjeev Sharma, Co-Course Coordinator, Shri Brijesh Bisht, Training Assistant and Ms Monisha Bahuguna, YP along with the NCGG’s capacity-building team.

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