Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 5^th December 2024: The European Union Ambassador to Cambodia, H.E. Igor Driesmans, and the Minister of Planning (MoP), H.E. Bin Troachhey, with Team Europe representatives from Italy, France, Poland and Lithuania have officially launched the EU Twinning Project with the National Institute of Statistics (NIS) titled "Enhancing the Quality of the Statistical System in Cambodia."

Speaking at the event, EU Ambassador to Cambodia, Igor Driesmans, explained this first-of-its-kind EU initiative in Cambodia and Asia. The initiative creates a platform for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and technical expertise between Cambodian and European statistical institutions. “This institutional collaboration offers practical knowledge and best practices in areas such as regulatory and institutional frameworks, data infrastructure and technology, data quality standards, and professional development for statisticians," said the Ambassador. He emphasized the importance of official statistics for good governance, evidence-based policy-making, and sustainable development. He called on the Royal Government of Cambodia to invest further in this sector, given its pivotal role for transparency and informed decision-making.

H.E. Bin Troachhey, Minister of Planning, underscored the Royal Government of Cambodia’s commitment to inclusive and high-quality statistics. "The National Institute of Statistics plays a vital role in supporting the government’s data-driven and evidence-based policymaking. This is crucial for development directions to be appropriate, context-specific, and meet the real needs of the Cambodian people, in line with the “leave no one behind” principle. This Twinning partnership with the EU will harness the power of data to shape development policy in Cambodia”, said the minister.      

In a pre-recorded video message, Prof. Francesco Maria Chelli, President of the Italian      National Institute of Statistics (Istat),      leader of the Twinning consortium, lauded the collaborative efforts and pledged the consortium’s commitment to sharing Europe’s expertise in official statistics with Cambodia. He emphasised the importance of the European Statistics Code of Practice and the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics as key pillars for the development of a modern statistical system that will support evidence-based policymaking.

Mr. Dominik Rozkrut, President of Statistics Poland, emphasized the significance of the first Fundamental Principle of Official Statistics, "Relevance, Impartiality, and Equal Access     ",     highlighting the role of unbiased information in helping society make decisions, understand itself, and monitor key economic, social, and environmental processes. He stressed the importance of serving all users equally, ensuring no privileges in access to information.

He emphasized the importance of international collaboration, as outlined in Principle 10 of the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, citing the EU consortium’s partnership with Cambodia as an example. This collaboration focuses on strengthening both the organizational and methodological components of Cambodia’s national statistical system. He further highlighted that global statistical harmonization is essential for generating internationally comparable data which also promotes cross-country understanding

Mr. Aurelio Flacco, Honorary Consul of Italy, also delivered a welcoming speech and extended warm greetings to the attendees.

Mr. Julius Pranevičius from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania also delivered a speech.

The event also featured a panel discussion highlighting EU and Cambodian experiences and practices in key areas: National Statistical System Coordination and Data Exchange, System of National Accounts, and Career Development for Official Statisticians. These topics align with the primary focus areas and Mandatory Results of the Twinning Project. EU experts described European best practices, and the discussion focused on how these practices could benefit Cambodia and be applied by the NIS and within the National Statistical System.

With a total budget of EUR 2 million over a 30-month implementation period, the initiative is led by Italy in a consortium with France, Lithuania, and Poland. It has three main components: i)     Strengthening institutional coordination within the national statistical system (NSS); ii) Enhancing methodologies for the collection, production, and dissemination of statistical products; iii) Upgrading the training and professional development system for statisticians.