US, UK Begin Condom Program

US, UK Begin Condom Program

By Seng Ratana, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
05 May 2008

Khmer audio aired May 04 (614KB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired May 04 (614KB) - Listen (MP3)

The governmental aid agencies of the US and UK have begun a new health program that seeks to reduce the spread of HIV through 100 percent condom use.

 

The project will provide $27 million to Population Services International over five years to help fight the spread of the disease.

 

Mam Bunheng, secretary of state for the Ministry of Health, said the funds will help the government in its fight against HIV and AIDS.

 

A national survey released last week showed an increase in condom use in Cambodia: 99 percent for direct sex workers and 83 percent for indirect sex workers.

 

 

Source: http://www.voanews.com/khmer/2008-05-05-voa3.cfm

 

 

 

 

The United Kingdom Will Grant US$15 Million Financial Support for the Development to Cambodia

Koh Santepheap, Vol.41, #6271, 14.2.2008Thursday, February 14, 2008

“Phnom Penh: The Senior Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Mr. Keat Chhon, and the Ambassador of the United Kingdom, Mr. David Reader, signed an agreement on financial support through a grant of US$15 million to implement the national development strategic plan for the next three years.

“The funds to support this program will be granted to the Royal Government directly through the national budget. The purpose of this program is to provide additional funds to implement poverty reduction programs proposed in the national development strategic plan of the Royal Government of Cambodia, as well as to speed up and strengthen reforms in public finance administration, customs, tax, and land management, allowing wider access to basic services including education, health care, business facilities, the right to land ownership for the poor, and to improve the effectiveness of the grant for government capacity building programs.

“Mr. Keat Chhon, Senior Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, said that the cooperation agreement to reduce poverty and to improve development is the first step of the joint commitment of the grant recipient and the development partners to ensure the effectiveness of the grant, by providing financial assistances through the Royal Government’s system. ‘On behalf of the Royal Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia, I would like to assure you of our commitment to transparently use the assistance donated by our development partners, and to fully assure you that the funds will be used for the expected objectives with transparency, and we take all measures to avoid any misuse of the aid for purposes different from the planned and agreed objectives. We would like to vow to use the development aid efficiently and make sure that it will maximize the benefits for the poor.’

“The British Ambassador Mr. David Reader added, ‘The Royal Government of Great Britain would like to compliment the Royal Government of Cambodia for its initial implementation of the multi-donor budget support program. This kind of direct funding is not only a major step toward the improvement of the ownership of Cambodia of its own development programs, but also an improvement of the cooperation with other development partners. This program will help the Cambodian government to speed up its reform efforts to stimulate growth and eliminate poverty. This program is our main endeavor to support the Cambodian government to achieve our joint commitment: to reduce poverty, to improve governance, to solve the problem of corruption, and to respect human rights.’ This grant will be given in the context of multilateral cooperation for the elimination of poverty and development, funded by the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom, the European Commission, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, and the World Bank.”

 

U.S., Britain provide $27 mil. to support Cambodia’s health sector

(Kyodo) _ The United States and Britain jointly granted Cambodia $27 million Monday to support Cambodia’s health sector and HIV/AIDS program.

 

The project will improve help women access affordable, high-quality contraceptives to be able to better plan the size of their families, space out births and ensure children are healthy.

 

The grant was announced at a ceremony in Phnom Penh in which Marshall Elliot, deputy director for South East Asia of Britain’s Department for International Development, and Erin Soto, USAID/Cambodia mission director, signed on behalf of their governments with Eng Huot, secretary of state of Cambodia’s health ministry.

 

The grant will support work through nongovernmental organizations and the media with groups at high risk of HIV infection to help increase knowledge of key facts around HIV transmission and provide access to condoms for HIV prevention.

 

Soto said, “Under this new project, USAID and DFID will partner with the royal government of Cambodia to support national social marketing systems which promote health products, education and services to prevent HIV transmission, increase birth-spacing and reduce child mortality.”

 

“The project will provide vital support to achieving the objectives of key Cambodian strategic plans for the health sector and the response to HIV,” she added.

 

Under the project, USAID and DFID will jointly fund, and USAID will manage, a five-year program providing support and commodities for achievement of Cambodian strategic plans for the health sector, as well as contributing to Ministry of National Health program objectives in “HIV/AIDS, Reproductive and Sexual Health, and Child Survival.”

 

The program will be implemented through a nongovernmental organization or organizations.

 

Cambodia has one of the highest HIV/AIDS infection rates in the region.

 

Source: http://asia.news.yahoo.com/

U.S., Britain provide $27 mil. to support Cambodia’s health sector

Monday June 18, 2007

(Kyodo) – The United States and Britain jointly granted Cambodia $27 million Monday to support Cambodia’s health sector and HIV/AIDS program.

The project will improve help women access affordable, high-quality contraceptives to be able to better plan the size of their families, space out births and ensure children are healthy.

The grant was announced at a ceremony in Phnom Penh in which Marshall Elliot, deputy director for South East Asia of Britain’s Department for International Development, and Erin Soto, USAID/Cambodia mission director, signed on behalf of their governments with Eng Huot, secretary of state of Cambodia’s health ministry.

The grant will support work through nongovernmental organizations and the media with groups at high risk of HIV infection to help increase knowledge of key facts around HIV transmission and provide access to condoms for HIV prevention.

Soto said, “Under this new project, USAID and DFID will partner with the royal government of Cambodia to support national social marketing systems which promote health products, education and services to prevent HIV transmission, increase birth-spacing and reduce child mortality.”

“The project will provide vital support to achieving the objectives of key Cambodian strategic plans for the health sector and the response to HIV,” she added.

Under the project, USAID and DFID will jointly fund, and USAID will manage, a five-year program providing support and commodities for achievement of Cambodian strategic plans for the health sector, as well as contributing to Ministry of National Health program objectives in “HIV/AIDS, Reproductive and Sexual Health, and Child Survival.”

The program will be implemented through a nongovernmental organization or organizations.

Cambodia has one of the highest HIV/AIDS infection rates in the region.

 

 

British to give Cambodian Muslims radios to help fight terrorism

Thu May 24, 1:52 AM ET

Britain will hand out hundreds of radios to
Cambodia’s Cham Muslim minority, partly in an attempt to combat militancy among some of the country’s poorest people, the British embassy said Thursday.The radio giveaway in rural Kompong Chhnang province is part of a larger effort begun last year to give Cambodian Muslims access to Cham-language programming on development, human rights, health and current affairs.But “it also helps to engage the Muslim community throughout
Cambodia and works to promote peace, democracy, human rights, and to combat terrorism,” the embassy said in a statement received Thursday.Cambodian Muslims make up around one percent of the country’s total population and have traditionally lived in tight-knit but poor fishing communities.While the government says it has no specific concerns that the Chams are leaning towards militancy, authorities claim to have exposed several groups plotting attacks in
Cambodia, including the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah.Most recently, several Cambodians, including Muslims, were arrested for allegedly trying to create an armed force, while Bangkok periodically voices concerns that Cambodians are crossing the border to join the insurgency in southern
Thailand.The government has vigorously denied these accusations, saying Thai officials have never provided proof that Cambodians are involved in the troubled Thai south.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070524/wl_uk_afp/cambodiapoliticsislamminority_070524052646