AKP Phnom Penh, September 11, 2025 — 
The newly appointed Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Cambodia, Mr. Enrico Gaveglia, identified the informal economy, innovation and small and medium enterprise (SME) development as strong opportunities to accelerate Cambodia’s progress during a courtesy meeting with H.E. Hem Vanndy, Minister of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation.

Mr. Gaveglia commended Cambodia’s leadership in implementing the National Strategy for Developing the Informal Economy 2023–2028 and highlighted UNDP’s support in developing the monitoring and evaluation framework launched in July, according to the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation (MISTI).

“We are here to listen and understand the government’s challenges and identify areas where UNDP can add the most value,” said Mr. Gaveglia.

Minister Vanndy stressed the importance of support to sustain Cambodia’s momentum toward LDC graduation by 2029 and to boost the competitiveness of local SMEs.

He noted the MISTI’s ongoing reforms to enhance public services, strengthen national quality infrastructure, and promote regulatory compliance as a strategic investment for long-term growth.

“Cambodia must strengthen its industrial base and innovation ecosystem to compete globally. Our priority is to nurture SMEs, enhance standards, and promote science and technology so that our enterprises can grow sustainably and play a central role in the economy,” Minister Vanndy said.

The Minister also encouraged UNDP to continue aligning its development programming, technical assistance and resource mobilisation with national priorities, suggesting areas such as access to finance for MSMEs, sustainable green financing, digital transformation in manufacturing, and skills development for the future workforce.

By C. Nika