Government-Private Sector Forum
The Government-Private Sector Forum (G-PSF) improves the business environment, builds trust, and encourages private investment through a demand driven process with the private sector identifying issues and recommending solutions. By fostering capacity and a strong relationship between the government and private sector, the G-PSF is considered a key pillar in improving the investment climate in Cambodia.
The Government Private Sector Forum (G-PSF), was established in 1999 at the initiative of the Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia to provide a reliable dialogue mechanism for consultation between the government and the private sector on investment climate issues ranging from long range policy to day-to-day operations to encourage private sector initiatives. The G-PSF provides a reliable platform for the business community to raise and resolve problems with the Government of Cambodia. The Council of Development of Cambodia (CDC) acts as the secretariat of the G-PSF. CDC facilitates dialogue within and among the joint government/private sector Working Groups, and broadly between the Government and the business community.
Throughout the year, ten private sector working groups (PSWGs) meet regularly to identify and prioritize common problems, and negotiate solutions with Government counterparts. These groups are currently as follows:
1. Working Group on Agriculture &Agroindustry;
2. Working Group onTourism;
3. Working Group on Manufacturing and Small and Medium Enterprises and Services;
4. Working Group on Law, Tax and Governance;
5. Working Group on Banking and Financial Services;
6. Working Group on Transport and Infrastructure;
7. Working Group on Export Processing and Trade Facilitation;
8. Working Group on Industrial Relations;
9. Working Group on Unhusked Rice-Rice; and
10. Working Group on Power and Mining Resources
The private sector and Government meet as often as necessary, and at two levels:
(i) Private sector-only working group (PSWG) meetings, which are open to business associations and company representatives, allow members to discuss and agree internally on issues to raise with their Government counterparts. These PSWGs meet every month or so. The agenda of issues to discuss with Government is prepared following broad consultation.
(ii) Joint Government-Private Sector Working Group (WG) meetings take place at the request of the private sector or the Royal Government of Cambodia to discuss problems, find solutions, and share information raised by the parties. Each Government-Private Sector Working Group is co-chaired by a Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia (the Government Co-chair) and a representative from the private sector (the Private Sector Co-chair). These WG meetings are inter-ministerial meeting as they are attended by representatives of the line ministries who have been invited by the Government co-chair so that these Government officials can provide solutions to the problems raised by the private sector and report progress back to their senior management.
The WG meetings discuss an agreed-on agenda of problems and recommendations related to either law or policy (e.g. laws, sub-decrees, prakas, decisions) or direct operational impediments experienced by the private sector (e.g. road conditions, unofficial fees, damaged infrastructure). Outstanding issues that are not resolved within the WG dialogue can be referred to the Prime Minister for resolution during the twice-yearly Forum plenary sessions.
As the WG meetings are attended by top ranking representatives of relevant ministries, the G-PSF plays a key role in fostering intra-governmental coordination and information exchange on private sector development matters.
CAMFEBA’s Role of this Forum:
One of the eight working groups, CAMFEBA plays as a secretariat in the Industrial Relations Working Group or it is known as the 8th Working Group to coordinate the dialogue between the private sectors and the government counterpart to find for the harmonious business environment in Cambodia.
This Working Group is co-chaired by:
Working Group
• H.E. Ith Samheng
• Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MoLVT)
• Co-Chairman (RGC)
• Title: Minister
Private Sector Working Group
• Oknha Dr. Nang Sothy
• Phnom Penh Chamber of Commerce
• Co-Chair (PS)
Overview of the Working Group on Industrial Relations
The Working Group on Industrial Relations shall have the following main tasks:
- Consider and settle the demands by workers/employees and employers based on existing laws and regulations;
- Collaborate with the private sector to set up a permanent mechanism of clustered factories to serve the Working Group in
developing measures to deal with and to prevent negative incidents in an prompt manner;
- Collaborate and coordinate with the private sector within the framework of existing relevant laws and regulations in order to clearly
ensure smooth production operation, and to expand the implementation of the labour standard in Cambodia;
- Initiate to develop policies and implement other necessary tasks that are of interests to all parties concerned within the labour framework.