Chea Laichea
Chea Laichea is presently serving as Director of International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Commerce. His responsibilities include mobilizing resources from donors and development partners to implement and manage trade related projects at the Ministry of Commerce and in collaboration with the Government’s agencies and development partners. He involved in the process of designing and formulating trade strategies and policies including the E-Commerce Strategy. In addition, he is currently leading and managing the implementation of an E-commerce project called “Go4eCAM” with the objective to increase the economic opportunities for Cambodian MSMEs in e-commerce through various activities with the Ministry and collaboration with implementing agencies such as UNDP Cambodia and E-Commerce Association including CEA & CDTA. He has also fully engaged with the second review of e T Ready from UNCTAD.
Prior to his current role, Mr. Laichea was a Commercial Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the WTO in Geneva for three years where he involved in WTO works and its related activities, through participating in trade negotiations and observing all WTO committees, goods and services councils, General Councils and its related issues. He participated in several discussions of WTO new issues and reforms as well as observed closely the WTO E-Commerce Joint Statement Initiative (JSI).
Before that, he was a Deputy Director of Notifications and Legal Compliance and Chief of WTO Affairs Bureau. His roles included reviewing laws or regulations, participating in the drafting review process of Cambodian laws and regulations to ensure compliance with WTO obligations, coordinating with Cambodian inter-ministry groups to work on Cambodia’s trade policy reviews, and assisting in assembling government teams to participate in international trade negotiations.
He has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Economics from the National University of Management in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and a Master of Laws in International Economic and Business Law from Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan.
Board Member, Cambodia
Comoros, daring to win against the odds
Since beginning its partnership with the Government of the Union of Comoros in 2011, the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) has provided around USD 7.4 million in funding – a significant proportion of the total average of USD 40 million in Aid for Trade (AfT) from various partners between 2008 and 2019. The EIF also contributed to increased AfT from other development partners, helping to finance 18 priority areas identified by the Government's Medium-Term Plan for Trade Integration for Comoros (2012-2015) and within the framework of the island's Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper 2010-2014 (DSRP). This was achieved through a multi-donor roundtable organized by the Government through the NIU and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and with the support of France as the donor facilitator.
Strengthening productivity, institutions and e-commerce in Senegal
The Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF)'s support in Senegal focused on five key areas: better integration of trade into national development strategies; strengthening of institutional capacities in the public and private sectors; improvement of the business environment; development of agricultural value chains, mainly in the mango and cashew nut sectors; and development e-commerce capability.
Empowering women in Mauritania: From the margins to the centre of ecotourism development
Since 2017, the EIF has focused on measures to support institutional capacity to integrate Mauritania into global trade. This has included improving coordination among agencies related to trade policy; mainstreaming trade into development strategies; implementing DTIS priorities; and strengthening dialogue and coordination between development partners through a National Trade Facilitation Committee. To deepen the economic reforms being undertaken by the Government of Mauritania, more than 780 public, private, and civil society officials were trained, with 68% of these being women.
Uganda pursues diverse routes to strong economic performance
The EIF programme has been supporting Uganda since 2009. The collaboration aims to realize the country’s trade policy vision and help Uganda better integrate into the global economy. Improved trade capacity and performance, fostered by in-country development programmes such as that of the EIF, have undoubtedly supported Uganda’s ongoing economic achievements.
