On the morning of Wednesday 21 March 2018, the Parliamentary Institute of Cambodia (PIC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations (NIDIR). The purpose of this MoU is to provide a basic framework in which PIC and NIDIR can develop and undertake collaborative projects based on mutual agreement and respective policies and procedures.
The purpose of this MoU is to provide a basic framework in which PIC and NIDIR can develop and undertake collaborative projects based on mutual agreement and respective policies and procedures.
Under the agreement – signed by the Executive Director of PIC Mr. Dararith Kim-Yeat and Dr. Chhiv Yiseang, President of NIDIR – both parties have agreed to collaborate in broad areas including:
- The exchange of academic materials and academic publications
- The conducting of joint research projects on particular topics related to diplomatic matters
- The co-organization of academic debates, seminars, workshops, and conferences
- The exchange of expertise and training opportunities for staff of the Cambodian Parliament, officials and diplomats
- Any other activities of mutual benefit for capacity building.
Speaking at this important event, H.E. Oum Sarith, the Secretary General of the Senate and President of PIC, warmly welcomed the members and chairpersons of the Cambodian Parliament, high ranking officials from government institutions and development partners, and all the distinguished guests.
H.E. Oum Sarith said that the roles of the Parliament are becoming ever more crucial in parliamentary diplomacy in order to contribute to strengthening regional and international cooperation. Moreover, he added, the Parliament had a mandatory role in ratifying treaties and other international agreements. He reiterated the background behind the establishment of PIC and its two main missions — capacity strengthening of the Cambodian Parliament and sharing experiences with other Parliaments in the region.
He also emphasized the fact that, for the time being and in the future, the Parliament is truly in need of experts in international affairs to help in providing in-depth and comprehensive analyses that can be used for discussion, experience sharing and debate to reach strategic solutions to common issues in the region and in the wider world, as well as to protect national interests in the international arena.
H.E. Oum Sarith continued that: “The establishment of the National Institute of Diplomacy and the International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on 22 February 2018 is a great opportunity for the Parliamentary Institute of Cambodia to start its cooperation in training and in exchanging experience and skilled resources in diplomacy and international relations.”
He concluded that the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding heralded the beginning of technical cooperation between the two institutes, aiming at providing training and to strengthen capacity in diplomacy and international relations. The research methodology and provision of information in the form of parliamentary research is specifically tailored to the relevant parliamentary staff and is, therefore, different from the procedures employed by other institutions.
In his response, H.E. Dr. Chhiv Yiseang said that the signing of this MoU was exceptionally important because both Institutes undertook activity that was important in contributing to the strengthening of institutional capacity and human resources for a common goal – which was to promote the prestige and the interests of Cambodia.
H.E. Dr. Chhiv Yiseang added that the Institute had a mandate to build professional capacity among Cambodian diplomatic officials to become outstanding. This would enable them to respond to the needs of the world in which diplomacy had become increasingly complex, both regionally and internationally, especially to promote the important and active roles of Cambodia. It was necessary for the sake of the nation as a whole and for its individual citizens for Cambodia to build prestige and to secure equal rights in the international arena.
The President of the National Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations stressed his strong belief that the cooperation and partnership between both Institutes, through the signing of the MoU, would create a synergy through the exchange of instructors, pedagogic experiences and research, the sharing of publications and the organization of joint events. This synergy would boost training activities and research among both institutes, and contribute to strengthening the institutional capacity and human resources of both important bodies.
H.E. Dr. Chhiv Yiseang reported that, under a legal framework, the National Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations was created in December 2016. It was the first organization focusing on training for diplomatic officials in the history of Cambodia. The construction of the Institute’s building finished at the beginning of 2018 and the Institute itself was officially inaugurated on 22 February 2018.