28 December 2010: The UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) have entered into an agreement to cooperate to facilitate the transfer of environmentally-sound technologies to Cambodia.

Under the agreement, KOICA will provide UNIDO with US$900,000 to establish a trust fund that will be used to identify, assess and prioritize “hot spots,” and transfer environmentally-sound technologies (TEST) in the Cambodian section of the Mekong River. The project is funded by the East Asia Climate Partnership established by the Government of the Republic of Korea to enable developing countries in East Asia to achieve economic growth while addressing climate change. The two-year project will help improve the water quality of the Mekong River and reduce the negative impacts of industrial activities through the introduction of UNIDO’s integrated approach for the TEST. In the course of the project, UNIDO will also recommend mitigation measures, including policy mechanisms and technical solutions. Low-cost technical solutions will be implemented and the financial feasibility of more expensive technical solutions will be assessed. Lessons learned from the project will be disseminated and the possibility of replicating the project in neighboring countries will be assessed. The project is part of UNIDO’s efforts to promote “Green Industry.”

The project will help enhance the knowledge and the capacity of the counterparts in Cambodia to allow them to take decisions on mitigation measures to reduce man-made pressure on the Mekong River. In addition to selected industries, entrepreneurs’ associations, labor unions and the media will be invited to participate in the training workshops that will form part of the project. [UNIDO Press Release]