The opening ceremony was led by the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of Cambodia, H.E. Sudirman Haseng. Mr. Noam Lazuardy, The First Secretary of the Embassy in charge of Economic Affairs shared information on Indonesia-Cambodia Bilateral Economic Cooperation and Outlook for 2020.

Mr. Tan Yuvaroath, Representative from Ministry of Commerce shared business opportunities in Cambodia and Mr. Oktavianus, Country Head of Kalbe International, among others, explained about Kalbe’s experience entering the Cambodian market as well as ICBC towards 2020. Besides that, there were also presentations about tourism promotion and investment opportunities by Jepara Regency and a product presentation from an Indonesian company for building materials, GRC Board.

H.E. Sudirman Haseng, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, said “The goal of the event was to create a platform for Indonesian and Cambodian entrepreneurs to meet, create more business opportunities, and foster trade cooperation between the two countries”.

The Business Forum was attended by around 80 people who were from Indonesian companies, the Indonesia-Cambodia Business Club (ICBC), and delegates from Jepara Regency in the northeast of the Indonesian province of Central Java. These companies operate in tourism, batik, furniture, beauty, fashion, and building materials, among other sectors. And representatives from Ministry of Commerce of Cambodia, Cambodia Commercial Attaché to Indonesia, Cambodian Chamber of Commerce, Cambodia Footware Association, Cambodian Young Entrepreneur, FASMEC and CWEA also participated.

Photo by: Sakura

The programme presented by Dy Chan Sreymom and Jimmy Kiss pairs local ‘experts’ with those experiencing problems to explain how simple steps can lead to life changing results. Topics covered include early warning flood systems for flash flooding, rain water storage for coastal areas and grafting plants together to make them more resilient to drought and pests. The programme also meets a female farmer whose crops have been periodically washed away by flood waters and who learns how to build a raised vegetable garden to grow food for herself and family undisturbed by flood water.

Alex Baxter, Head of Production of BBC Media Action Cambodia said “By showcasing people who are struggling because of the weather and introducing them to those who have an answer, I hope we will not only encourage people to adapt themselves to build their resilience in the face of a changing climate.”

The TV show was developed following extensive research carried out by BBC Media Action generate a nationally representative picture of how people in Cambodia live and deal with change. This Large scale research told us about the barriers that were preventing people in Cambodia from taking action to reduce their risks from extreme weather conditions including a reliance on external support lack of resources and crucially a lack of information and gaps in knowledge about how to best prepare.

Khuon Chandore, Research Manager of BBC Media Action said “Based on research conducted by BBC Media Action 43% of people in Cambodia have reported to taking some level of action to address challenges as result of weather and environment change, yet interestingly 75% are willing to make changes. Therefore a key driver of Don’t Wait for Rain was to inspire people to take action for themselves. We hope that by providing information, showcasing people who have already taken some action as ‘role models’ and who have seen an economic benefit from this action, we can then take steps towards this.”

 The project is funded by the Government of Sweden.
Maria Sargren, Swedish Ambassador to Cambodia said “If we can increase understanding about why it is important for people to prepare for extreme weather conditions, and provide realistic and relevant adaptations for people we can support our goals of contributing to greater resilience to climate change at local level.”

By getting people talking about climate change and how it affects them both individually and in their communities BBC Media Action hopes to encourage people to take small steps towards preparing for the effects of climate change so that they can thrive, whatever the weather.

“Don’t’ Wait for Rain” is on CTN, every Sunday from 17th February 2019, 4:30-5:00pm, and every Thursday on MYTV from 21st February 2019 at 8:30 -9:00pm and repeated on Saturday on CTN from 10:00-10:30am and on Friday on MyTV from 4:30-5:00pm.

Viewers are also invited to learn more about the “Don’t Wait for Rain” TV show through the official social media channels:

Facebook: fb.com/klahan9
YouTube: youtube.com/klahan9cambodia