Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen speaks during the celebration of the International Women's Day in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on March 8, 2017. Hun Sen on Wednesday pledged to appoint more women into key positions in the government and the armed forces. (Xinhua/Sovannara)
PHNOM PENH, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Wednesday pledged to appoint more women into key positions in the government and the armed forces.
Currently, the government has appointed women for the positions of deputy prime minister, minister, secretary of state and undersecretary of state, as well as deputy governors of all 25 provinces and municipalities. However, women have never been named as a provincial or municipal governor or as deputy commanders in the armed forces, he said.
"To date, there is no a female-governor for any province or municipality, so we should reserve at least one position as the provincial or municipal governor for women," the prime minister said during the celebration ceremony of the 106th anniversary of the International Women's Day here, attended by some 3,000 people.
Also, Hun Sen said that there should be at least a woman for the position of deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, the position of deputy provincial or municipal military commander, and the position of deputy commander of the National Military Police.
The prime minister said that in the National Police, a woman had already been appointed as the deputy National Police chief.
"We hope that our women will play a bigger role," he said. "However, I'd like to appeal to women to increase their own capacity and to support their fellow women for the positions in those institutions."
Minister of Women Affairs Ing Kanthaphavi said that about 40 percent of the kingdom's civil servants are now women, up from 32 percent in 2007.
