To disseminate and share updates on Green Productivity (GP) and its impact on overall productivity among Cambodian government officials and industries, the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) recently concluded a five-day Training of Trainers in Green Productivity course in Phnom Penh, 26–30 March 2018. It included a half-day National Conference on GP.

Secretary of State, Ministry of Industry and Handicraft and APO Director for Cambodia Phork Sovanrith delivering opening remarks during the opening session of the Training of Trainers in Green Productivity in Phnom Penh, 26 March 2018.

The course was implemented by the National Productivity Centre of Cambodia (NPCC) and attended by over 60 high-level government officials, productivity practitioners from the NPCC, and private-sector representatives. APO-assigned international expert from Singapore Kelvin Chan, Director and Principal Consultant of Teian Consulting International, led the training, while Deputy Director Um Serivuth served as lead facilitator on behalf on the NPCC.

The initiative was part of efforts to develop a pool of APO-certified GP specialists to assist the NPCC in promoting GP nationwide. The NPCC is an agency under Cambodia’s Ministry of Industry and Handicraft which functions as the national productivity organization, offers consultancy and support services to the public sector and industry, and works closely with the Ministry of Environment to enhance awareness of the impact of environmental performance on socioeconomic development.

Since 2008, the Government of Cambodia has been promoting Cleaner Production (CP), a concept similar to GP, to make enterprises more efficient and less polluting. CP is defined as the continued application of an integrated, preventive environmental strategy for processes, products, and services to increase efficiency and reduce risks to humans and the environment.

The Training of Trainers in Green Productivity course under the APO National Follow-up Program (NFP) strengthened the capacity of the NPCC to develop certified GP specialists. While providing participants with updated knowledge on GP methodologies, tools, and techniques, the NFP course was specifically tailored to help the NPCC promote GP among Cambodian enterprises, especially SMEs.

Photos: Rann Reuy, APO Mass Media Alumni