Cambodia is a member of a variety of international organizations. The United Nations was founded in 1945 and is made up of 193 member countries. Cambodia joined the United Nations on December 14, 1955, before the Cambodian genocide took place. Cambodia does not have much influence in its budget since it is a smaller, still developing nation. Sovann Ke has been Cambodia’s representative in the United Nations since August 13, 2018. However, Cambodia has never been a member of the United Nations Security Council which has non-permanent member nations rotate on two-year terms. In addition, Cambodia’s membership in the United Nations has never been suspended despite the genocide that took place after about thirty years of membership. Cambodia has had a large role in the Peacekeeping Operations of the United Nations which has strengthened Cambodia’s global credibility.
The International Monetary Fund was established in 1945 with the purpose of assisting in the money matters of countries. Any country can apply to be in the IMF, and Cambodia joined on December 31, 1969. Cambodia receives 3,215 votes, which is only 0.06% of the total amount of votes among the 189 member countries.
The World Trade Organization was established in 1995 with the purpose of dealing with trade policies between countries. The WTO currently has 164 members, Cambodia joined on October 13, 2004. Cambodia has not been a complainant or a respondent of any dispute through the IMF. Prime Minister Hun Sen visited the IMF this past July to discuss current trade tensions and barriers for least-developed countries with Director-General Roberto Azevêdo.
The Gini coefficient measures income inequality in a nation. A coefficient of one corresponds to one person having all of the wealth; a coefficient of zero corresponds to complete income equality. Cambodia currently ranks 78th with a coefficient of 0.379. Cambodia’s GDP per PPP (or per capita) was $4,000 in 2017. In relation to other countries, Cambodia ranks 177th. Cambodia’s GDP per PPP has been steadily increasing over the past few years, but the Gini coefficient has also been increasing which means income inequality is increasing. While the growth of Cambodia’s economy is a positive, the increase in inequality is not ideal for the people in Cambodia.
At the beginning of September, massive flooding required major roads to be shut down, and about fifty homes have been relocated. The increase in flooding has been due to the rise in the water level of the Mekong river. If the water level rises another three meters, then a dangerous emergency warning will need to be issued. The riverbanks have been collapsing, so authorities have resorted to using sandbags to prevent more riverbanks from collapsing. Continued rainfall is concerning officials in the Water and Meteorology Ministry, so officials have decided to open four water gates to help decrease flooding. Current flooding has not yet reached the southern capital city of Phnom Penh, but the Mekong River flows through the city and may cause issues as the water level continues to rise. Because Cambodia is still a developing country, it lacks the resources to effectively prevent natural disasters, so Cambodia must work harder to keep damage from getting worse. Unfortunately, Cambodia must wait for the storm to pass before it can recover.
- khmertimeskh.com/106882/cambodias-62-years-membership-un/
- imf.org/external/np/sec/memdir/members.aspx#C
- wto.org/english/thewto_e/countries_e/cambodia_e.htm
- un.org/en/about-un/
- wto.org/english/news_e/news19_e/dgra_03jul19_e.htm
- cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cb.html
- khmertimeskh.com/50639674/mekong-river-floods-hit-tboung-khmum/
Globalization: Asia 