Cambodia hosts regional seminar on peaceful, sustainable societies

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia on Monday hosted a regional seminar on the role of parliaments in promoting peaceful and sustainable societies in Southeast Asia.

The political stability and the sustainable development would not have been possible, if there was a dearth of responsibility, willingness, and strong commitment of the people in the country for the cause of peace and national reconciliation and to join the support from international communities, said Chea Sim, Cambodian President of Senate, in the opening remark of the two-day long meeting.

After the war ended in the country in 1998, the Cambodian government made an effort to strengthen peace, security, social order and political stability in a bid to stabilize macro-economy and to integrate Cambodia into the regional and international framework, he said.

In the context of the post war society like Cambodia, matters of women, gender equity, human rights as well as education, culture, health and social work needed to receive special attention, he said.

"Even Cambodia is in peace, we have still faced with these matters," he said.

"We cooperate with the government to fulfill the obligations of our state in an extensive regional and international cooperation in the age of globalization especially in the battle against drug, cross border crimes, and terrorism," he added.

Lawmakers, researchers and policy makers from Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Vietnam, Australia and Switzerland attended the seminar.