WELCOMING SPEECH BY
H.E SAR KHENG, Deputy Prime Minister, co-Minister of Interior To Samdech HUN SEN, Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia, on the Opening Ceremony of the National Conference on Civil Registration On December 19, 2005

My respects to:

- Samdech HUN SEN, Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia,
- Samdech, Your Royal Highnesses, Excellencies and members of the Royal Government of Cambodia,
- Excellencies, Court Presidents of all levels,
- Excellencies, Ambassadors to the Kingdom of Cambodia,
- Representatives from national and international organizations to the Kingdom of Cambodia,
- H.E Governors, Provincial/Municipal Governors, District Governors, Commune Chiefs, Quarter Chiefs, Clerks, and civil servants who are all present here

The Ministry of Interior has the great honor with the highest presidency of Samdech HUN SEN, Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia, here today at the opening ceremony of the National Conference on Civil Registration which is being held to sum up the results from the previous implementation and to set up targets for the next stage.

On this auspicious occasion, in the name of Samdech Norodom Sereyvuth, Deputy Prime Minister, co-Minister of Interior, leaders of all levels from the Ministry of Interior, and on my own behalf, I would hereby like to extend my cordial welcome and profound thanks for the noble presence of Samdech Prime Minister who has taken his valuable schedules in carrying out important and busy mission in leading the nation to preside over the conference today, thus making this ceremony more enthusiastic, grander and more significant.

In the name of the leadership of the Ministry of Interior and all the participants of the whole conference, I would hereby like to wish Samdech HUN SEN, Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia, good health, longevity, strength and success in the mission of leading the country towards achieving development and progress in every sector.
In the name of the leadership of Ministry of Interior, I would hereby like to ask for permission to inform Samdech Prime Minister and the whole conference of the report on the following process of this 2-day conference commencing from the 19th to 20th of December, 2005:

The presence of the conference is due to the attendance of H.E Provincial/Municipal Governors, H.E Director General and Deputy Director General of General Department of Administration, General Commissioners and Deputy General Commissioners of General Commissariat of National Police, Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General of the Secretariat, Director and Deputy Director of Sub-Departments, General Department of Ministry of Interior, Cabinet Chiefs from all the provinces and cities, District Governor from each province/city, Commune Chiefs and Quarter Chiefs from each district, some communal clerks and representatives from Commune Council Development Project (CCDP) of Asian Development Bank, PLAN International Cambodia, UNICEF and other local and international NGOs with the total number of 300 participants.

- Samdech Prime Minister!
- Samdech, Your Royal Highnesses and members of the whole conference!

The conference and the scheduled programs of its process are:

1. To listen to the summary of results from the previous civil registration in which approximately 8,000,000 people representing about 66% have been registered in all kinds of civil records, of whom 4,100,800 are women. Therefore, a roughly 34% of the other citizens have not yet, up to the present, been registered in birth certificates and birth certifications. In order to make sure that each of these remaining people has been registered, especially in birth certificate, the Royal Government of Cambodia has decided to continue the mobile civil registration campaign till the coming August 31, 2006.

2. To listen to the reports made by the representatives from various provinces, cities, districts, communes/quarters, who have so far successfully completed civil registration in Kompong Thom province, Svay Leu district, Siem Reap province, Preah Bat commune and Stung Treng province, and those made by the representatives from some national and international organizations.

3. To thoroughly examine and discuss the guideline on the mobile civil registration at the second stage based on the experiences from which each province, city, district, commune, and quarter has previously accomplished. In addition, to identify the defect and other challenges so as to explore proper solutions to encourage all citizens to get registered in civil registration, especially birth certificate through the mobile civil registration campaign which will be carried out until August 31, 2006. At the same time, the conference will also talk about strategies and other priority actions for the coming three-year civil registration work (2006-2008) with a view to strengthening and ensure effective and sustainable civil registration in Cambodia after this mobile civil registration campaign is over.

Therefore, on this wonderful occasion, I would hereby like to humbly welcome Samdech Prime Minister to launch his speech to open the conference and to kindly give precious recommendations so that we all can successfully carry out our own individual duty as planned.

Finally, in the name of the leadership of the Ministry of Interior and on my own behalf, I would hereby like to wish Samdech Prime Minister as well as Excellencies, national and international distinguished guests and all the members of the whole conference, the five Buddhist benedictions: Longevity, unfading beauty, peace, power, and intelligence.

Please kindly welcome Samdech Prime Minister to open the conference!

THANK YOU