HE Van Dana said, “Peace is the oxygen of development. Peace drives development. Development strengthens peace.” at the 6th ASEAN-EU Policy Dialogue on Human Rights 2025.
HE Van Dana said, “Peace is the oxygen of development. Peace drives development. Development strengthens peace.” at the 6th ASEAN-EU Policy Dialogue on Human Rights 2025.
HE Van Dana said, “Peace is the oxygen of development. Peace drives development. Development strengthens peace.” at the 6th ASEAN-EU Policy Dialogue on Human Rights 2025.
Kuala Lumpur: HE Keo Remy, Senior Minister, President of the Cambodian Human Rights Committee (CHRC) and Cambodia’s Representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), assigned HE Van Dana, CHRC member, to participate as a speaker at the 6th ASEAN-EU Policy Dialogue on Human Rights 2025 on 15-17 October 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The dialogue aims to strengthen policy discussions and collaboration on human rights between the EU and ASEAN and promote fundamental freedoms, facilitate the exchange of perspectives and best practices regarding human rights promotion and protection, and deepen the relationship between the EU and relevant ASEAN organisations.
Meanwhile, under the theme “The Right to Development and Peace,” HE Van Dana, CHRC member, said, “Peace is the oxygen of development. Peace promotes and strengthens development.” He emphasised that peace and development are interdependent and are fundamental to human rights. For example, he presented Cambodia’s experience in national development after achieving peace for more than 26 years after the war, under the Win-Win Policy and the Pentagonal Strategy-Phase I (2023-2028).
He highlighted Cambodia’s progress in development and maintaining peace as follows:
• Development progress: reconstruction, development towards resilience and sustainability, transition from aid-based to self-reliance, poverty reduction, improvement of education, health, infrastructure and many other sectors.
• Respect for international mechanisms: Cambodia is committed to resolving disputes peacefully in accordance with international law and has accepted UN peacekeeping missions since 2006.
• Border disputes have been resolved peacefully to maintain long-lasting peace.
• Peace allows Cambodia to have schools, hospitals, a thriving economy, and young people to grow up in peace.
Overall, he gave the message that “peace promotes development and development strengthens peace” which is Cambodia’s vision for promoting human rights.
