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Thirty senior Cambodian government officials met with their Singaporean counterparts in Phnom Penh on Friday to learn about public administration reforms and ways to strengthen Cambodia’s civil service through leadership development, digitalization and interagency cooperation.
Both parties met at a reception on Strategic Leadership and Public Governance (SLPG) hosted by the Singapore Embassy in Phnom Penh, which included participants from the second SLPG Programme held in August in Singapore. The Singapore event was conducted by the Civil Service College under the Singapore Cooperation Program (SCP).
At the Phnom Penh event, parties reflected on their learning experience, underscoring their partnership in human capital development and public sector leadership development.
According to Singaporean Ambassador to Cambodia Steven Pang, they are committed to supporting reforms in Cambodia’s public administration through capacity-building and knowledge exchange, as both sides mark the 35th anniversary of the SCP.
He said it is an important milestone in Singapore’s commitment to sharing its development experience with partners, including Cambodia.
The SLPG Program gave officials practical insights into Singapore’s governance approach, whole-of-government coordination, digitalisation and public service delivery for Cambodia to adapt, but not as solutions.
“Effective public administration requires more than good policies on paper. It also depends on capable people, sound institutions, and strong leadership,” he said.
Pang said knowledge from any programme has a “shelf life”. Policies change, circumstances evolve, and “what is best practice today may need revisiting tomorrow”.
Youk Bunna, permanent secretary of state at the Civil Service Ministry, said Cambodia and Singapore have strengthened partnership through decades of diplomatic relations and cooperation in areas including human resource development, digital transformation and renewable energy.
“This year marks the 61st anniversary of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and Singapore,” he said, adding that Cambodian officials had benefited from capacity-building programs under the SCP.
He said the training brought together senior government officials, including secretaries-general of various ministries, to exchange experiences and gain firsthand insights into Singapore’s governance and public administration reforms.
“Through this program, we have learned not only from Singapore’s success stories but also challenges it faced in transforming its public administration into a modern, agile and innovative public service,” he said.
The knowledge gained from the training aligned with Cambodia’s vision of building a more capable, effective and transparent public administration.
He added that Singapore’s whole-of-government approach, which promotes coordination across agencies, could offer valuable lessons for Cambodia, particularly as it strengthens cooperation among ministries and government institutions.
“This training marks an important milestone in the longstanding cooperation between our two countries to promote good governance and public administration reform,” he said.
“I strongly believe that this training program will be the first of many,” Bunna said.
He anticipates future opportunities to deepen bilateral cooperation, facilitate the exchange of expertise and best practices, and strengthen collaboration among civil service institutions. “Civil service is the backbone of national development.”
Sharing his experience, Phan Oun, secretary-general of the Ministry of Commerce, said Singapore’s whole-of-government planning system, the role of the Committee of Permanent Secretaries, and its merit-based approach to people management are key takeaways with practical applications for Cambodia.
He said the training highlighted the importance of anticipating change, using technology and artificial intelligence, promoting merit-based recruitment and adopting a whole-of-government approach to improve public services.
“Civil service reform must focus on efficiency, effectiveness and economy in the use of public resources to better serve citizens,” he said.
Since its establishment in 1992, more than 19,000 Cambodian officials have participated in Singapore’s capacity-building programs.
In Phnom Penh, the Cambodia-Singapore Cooperation Centre (CSCC), set up in 2002 and upgraded in 2018, continues to offer programs tailored to evolving needs in Cambodia.
Friday’s reception cemented close bilateral partnership, professional networks and people-to-people ties built through the program.
