Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) and the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (EuroCham) on March 16 entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to foster closer cooperation between the two associations and their members, and to support European garment companies and fashion brands in the Kingdom.

The MoU comes just days after Cambodia and the EU renewed their pledge to enhance bilateral trade and investment ties in spite of the lingering economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The MoU was signed within the premises of the Cambodian Garment Training Institute (CGTI), in Phnom Penh. Under the deal, EuroCham will set up a public training programme with the CGTI, focused on sustainable textile sourcing, Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and compliance.

EuroCham will also coordinate support from German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) under the FABRIC project – a multi-year programme that seeks to promote sustainability and social responsibility in the textile and garment industries in Asia – to fund the training initiative.

At the signing ceremony, GMAC chairman Kong Sang noted that Cambodia and the EU are major trading partners, suggesting that the “success and exponential export growth” of the Cambodian garment industry can be attributed in large part to preferential market access to the bloc granted under the Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme.

Sang underscored the importance of updating and adapting strategies to unlock new growth potential and ensure that economic benefits are maximised.

“The MoU signed today is an invaluable partnership to further strengthen the industry’s competitiveness through capacity building in the many areas [set out in the deal] and joint advocacy to influence relevant policies.

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Author: May Kunmakara

Source: The Phnom Penh Post

Publication date: 16 March 2022