(Kep): His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister Say Samal, Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, and His Excellency Sok Soken, Minister of Tourism and Permanent Vice Chairman of the National Committee for the Management and Development of the Cambodian Coastal Zone, His Excellency Phay Bunchhoeun, Acting Minister of the Ministry of Environment, together with the Governor of Kep Provincial Council, were invited to preside over the ceremony to announce and award the winning beaches and creeks in the 4th Clean Beach Competition and the 1st Clean Creek Competition 2023 on the morning of December 2, 2023 in Kep Province.
His Excellency the Deputy Prime Minister highly appreciated the efforts of the Secretariat General of the National Committee for the Management and Development of the Cambodian Coastal Zone, the private sector, national and international organizations, development partners, and all stakeholders who cooperated well and contributed to making good progress in the management, conservation, protection, and development of the Cambodian coast in a sustainable and responsible manner, as well as actively participating in the 4th Clean Beach Competition and the 1st Clean Creek Competition 2023.
In the 4th Cleanest Beach and 1st Cleanest Creek Competition 2023, there were 30 beaches and 32 creeks from the four coastal provinces. As a result, 14 beaches and 22 creeks won prizes, ranked according to their potential.
In order to transform and orient the development of the Cambodian coastal economic pole in line with its socio-economic and environmental potential and to be worthy of the title of the Rising Star of the Southwest and a full member of the World’s Most Beautiful Beach Club, His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister Say Samal has put forward 6 principles, including:
1. The Secretariat General must cooperate in developing a land management plan by integrating the development of the Cambodian coastal area and the four provinces of the Cambodian coastal area to contribute to achieving the Cambodian Vision 2050.
2. The Secretariat General, in collaboration with the four provinces of the Cambodian coastal region, shall promote the preparation and implementation of a 2.7-kilometer high-end public beach resort development project for the public and tourism in accordance with the original project plan, such as the preparation of roads, stormwater drainage systems, public parking lots, toilets, parks, various infrastructures and support services, etc., and promote the preparation of bicycle paths and pedestrian paths along the Cambodian coastline from Kep province to Sihanoukville province, as well as continue to study and prepare a project to improve the Kep crab market coastal area to be beautiful and of good quality.
3. Continue to strengthen the management and development of Cambodia’s coastal areas in a sustainable and responsible manner by taking laws and legal standards as a basis, especially the Circular on the Development of the Kingdom of Cambodia’s Coastal Areas, and participating in the support and implementation of all relevant parties.
4. Request the Cambodian Coastal Areas Management and Development Committees in the four provinces to continue to promote the management and development of beaches and creeks even better.
5. Request the Secretariat General to continue to provide technical support, monitoring, and evaluation, especially to prepare a clear development management plan for each beach and creek.
6. The Secretariat-General shall cooperate with relevant parties to promote the establishment of a permanent forum for the sustainable management of Cambodia's coastal areas.
The Clean Beaches and Clean Creeks Competition Movement encourages and promotes the development of beaches and creeks by maintaining a balance between the needs of using Cambodia's coastal natural resources and the needs of socio-economic development based on the concept of "conservation for development and development to support conservation".
The competition will also promote the development of beaches and creeks as luxury and green natural tourism destinations as well as a magnet for attracting national and international tourists to relax and enjoy themselves.
