CAMBODIA OUTLOOK
CONFERENCE 2025

Cambodia's New Growth Strategy: Priorities for High Quality and Sustainable Development

04 MARCH 2025

SOKHA PHNOM PENH HOTEL

The global economic and political landscape is in a state of profound transformation, marked by intensifying geopolitical tensions, the rise of regional power blocs, diminishing confidence in multilateral institutions, rapid digital transformation, and the escalating urgency of environmental sustainability. These dynamics create both challenges and opportunities for Cambodia. Like many other nations, Cambodia must navigate an increasingly complex and unpredictable global environment. Seizing opportunities to realize Cambodia’s vision of becoming a vibrant, advanced, and resilient economyas outlined in the government’s Pentagonal Strategyrequires effective policies and new growth strategies to mitigate potential disruptions. This year's conference is to evaluate Cambodia’s current economic performance and discuss key aspects and new growth strategies that help Cambodia achieve long-term quality growth. It seeks to facilitate dialogues amongst leading experts to better understand formidable challenges and untapped opportunities in aiding Cambodia to effectively implement reform programmes amid a highly unpredictable environment that may impact its future development trajectory.

Our Program Expression of Interest

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Event Highlight

This CDRI's flagship conference will convene over 500+ local and international leaders from national and subnational levels of government, development partners, private sectors, think-tanks, academics, and other civil societies to explore three topics under the main theme:

Cambodia’s Development Performance and Outlook

This opening session will review Cambodia’s economic performance and its vision for resilient, sustainable, and inclusive growth. The discussion will be supported by a presentation of key findings from CDRI’s study on "Cambodia’s New Growth Strategies" which analysing past and current growth trends, identifying key drivers and constraints, and outlining the strategies necessary to achieve long-term prosperity. This session will also draw on valuable insights and lessons learned from global and regional best practices to inform and enrich Cambodia's development approach, enabling the country to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing global context.

Structural Challenges and Urgent Reform Agenda for Long-term Quality Growth

This panel will delve into the structural challenges hindering Cambodia's long-term economic ambition and address the urgent reform agenda in institutional and governance reform, policy implementation and coordination, development of quality human resources, enhancement of logistic and business enabling environment, as well as adaptation to digital technology and climate changes.

Bridging New Growth Vision with Effective Policy Implementation

Building upon the insights and strategies identified in the previous sessions, the final panel will focus on connecting growth ambitions to concrete policy actions and strategies for effective implementation and coordination. This session will emphasise the crucial role of key ministries and entities in driving comprehensive reforms.

Distinguished Speakers of 2025

Our Program

Session Chair

HE Dr Chea Serey

Chairwoman of CDRI Board of Directors and Governor of the National Bank of Cambodia

Speaker

HE Heng Sour

Minister of Labour and Vocational Training

Speaker

HE Hem Vanndy

Minister of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation

Speaker

HE Dr Phan Phalla

Secretary of State, Ministry of Economy and Finance

Session Chair

HE Derek Yip

Australian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia

Speaker

HE Chheang Vanarith

Secretary of State of the Office of the Council of Ministers and the Secretary General of the General Secretariat of Committee on Monitoring and Evaluation of the Implementation of Pentagonal Strategy – Phase I