PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA – September 2019 – The National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD) recently obtained funding for a “Readiness and Preparatory Support Project” from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) aiming to promote green mobility through electric vehicles. The project will be executed with the support of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) as a delivery partner.

Gasoline motorcycles currently dominate Cambodia’s national vehicle market, although the total cost of ownership of electric motorcycles including lifetime operating costs is often lower than that of gasoline motorcycles. With strong economic growth in recent years, the number of vehicles has been growing rapidly in Cambodia. In 2016, more than 3.2 million vehicles were registered; with motorcycles accounting for 84% of the total registered vehicles. Transforming the growing fleet of motorcycles into low-emission motorcycles will contribute to achieving Cambodia’s international climate commitments.

The new project aims to promote the shift from gasoline to electric motorcycles by undertaking a thorough situation and market study, studying the economic, environmental and social implications of the electrification of motorcycles, analyzing policy and regulatory gaps and designing a financing mechanism to promote the deployment of electric motorcycles.

GGGI – a treaty-based intergovernmental organization, based in Seoul, South Korea– has been nominated by over 20 countries around the world as a Readiness delivery partner, under a framework agreement between GGGI and the GCF. It was founded to support developing countries and emerging economies in the transition to a model of economic growth that is both environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive. Cambodia is a founding member of GGGI.

The NCSD was established in 2015 with the Prime Minister as its Honorary Chair and the Minister of Environment as its Chair. Its General Secretariat, named the General Secretariat of the National Council for Sustainable Development (GSSD), is mandated to coordinate and implement the daily work of the NCSD by supporting the development of legal documents, policies, strategic plans, action plans, programs and projects related to sustainable development. The NCSD also support the Minister for Environment in his role as the “National Designated Authority” for the GCF.