World bank calls on Cambodia to curb child labour

The Cambodian government must do more to help more than 1.4 million of the country's children estimated to be working, many for 50 cents a day or less, the World Bank said in a report released Wednesday.

The bank said that although rates had probably improved on 2001 estimates of 52 per cent of seven to 14 year olds already at work, the number was still too high and urgent action was needed. It said children active in the labour sector had a drastic effect on school enrolment and school performance, and that could have negative impacts on the economy for years to come if the trend was not reversed.

"Cambodia has made a number of important legal commitments in the area of child labour, but important ambiguities and gaps in legislation relating to child labour remain," the report, entitled Children's Work in Cambodia: A Challenge for Growth and Poverty Reduction, said.

The report, dated December 2006, said of particular concern was that most of the child labour appeared to be concentrated in informal and family settings where the Cambodia Labour Law has not been extended. "This means family-based agriculture and domestic service are not covered by legislation," it noted.

"The Law also does not specifically define what constitutes child labour in terms of type of work, conditions of work, or work hazards. The enforcement of child labour laws is another major challenge facing the government."

It said that the government by its own admission currently does not have the capacity to properly enforce and monitor laws relating to child labour but that it should be made a priority for the heavily aid dependent nation if its development goals are to be reached. Read more!

Russia to negotiate WTO accession with Cambodia

07/ 02/ 2007

MOSCOW, February 7 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will start negotiations on its long-awaited accession to the global trade body with Cambodia in two weeks, Moscow's top negotiator said Wednesday.

To join the World Trade Organization, Russia must complete bilateral talks and sign bilateral protocols with all its trading partners in the organization. Moscow hopes negotiations with the Southeast Asian nation will mark the end of its 13-year marathon toward WTO membership.
"Cambodia has shown an interest in the Russian market," said Maksim Medvedkov, who heads the trade negotiations department in Russia's economics ministry.

Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref said Cambodia, which became a WTO member in October 2004, had requested bilateral negotiations on Russia's WTO bid.

Trade between Russia and Cambodia currently totals only $5 million, with Russia importing Cambodian textile products and exotic fruit and vegetables, Medvedkov said.

Russia has completed bilateral talks with all 56 interested members of the 150-nation WTO, and plans to sign a protocol with Guatemala in the next two weeks, the official said. It is unlikely that any of the remaining 94 members will request talks with Moscow, he added.

"Most countries with which we have not conducted negotiations either have no interest in our market or agree to the current terms of entering our market," he said.

In late January, Russia completed talks in Geneva with another WTO trade partner and former Soviet ally, Georgia, which had withdrawn its signature from a bilateral protocol after Moscow banned key Georgian exports last March.

An official in Russia's economics ministry said after the Geneva talks that Georgia had removed all its objections but one - the closure of what it calls illegal customs checkpoints on the Russian border with Georgia's two self-proclaimed republics. Tbilisi says Russia must stop trading with the breakaway regions, and that all goods must pass through checkpoints run by the central government.

Medvedkov said the issue of Russia's trade with Abkhazia and South Ossetia was related more to customs administration than market access.

Russia signed a WTO deal with Moldova, another Western-leaning ex-Soviet nation that is already a member of the trade body, late last year after lifting a similar ban on Moldovan wine and meat exports.

In November, Russia secured a long-desired bilateral agreement with the United States, removing the last major obstacle to its WTO membership.

Russia also signed bilateral protocols with El Salvador and Costa Rica January 24, but has yet to sign a protocol with Guatemala.

The Economic Development and Trade Ministry expects to complete multilateral talks on the country's admission to the WTO by mid-2007. Read more!

World Bank will resume funding for Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: The World Bank said Wednesday it will resume disbursing money for three development projects in Cambodia after suspending aid last year due to alleged corrupt practices.

In a news release Wednesday, the World Bank said it decided to lift the suspensions after it had reached agreement with the government on frameworks for improving implementation of the projects, which dealt with land management and administration, provincial and rural infrastructure, and provincial and suburban water supply and sanitation.

In June last year, the bank froze US$7.6 million (€5.8 million) in funding for the projects, saying it had discovered evidence of fraud and corruption in the procurement process.

The government of Prime Minister Hun Sen angrily denied the allegations, saying there was no proof of wrongdoing.

"Implementation of these frameworks should reduce the fiduciary risks associated with World Bank financed projects and ensure that the funds are being used for their intended purposes," Ian Porter, the bank's country director for Cambodia, was quoted saying in the bank's statement.

It added that the government is also establishing anti-corruption action plans for all World Bank financed projects.

They include measures to strengthen procurement procedures, financial management processes, staff conduct, complaint mechanisms and disclosure and internal controls. One of the key measures is the delegation of procurement for World Bank-financed projects to an independent international firm, the statement said.

Khieu Kanharith, the chief government spokesman, could not be immediately reached for comment. Read more!