Church and Cambodian Government Formalize Cooperation for Humanitarian and Community Care
សាសនាចក្រ និង​រាជ​រដ្ឋា​ភិបាល​កម្ពុជា ចុះ​ហត្ថលេខា​លើ
​កិច្ច​សហប្រតិបត្តិការ​ជា​ផ្លូវការ​សម្រាប់​ការថែទាំ​ផ្នែក​មនុស្សធម៌ និង​សហគមន៍

ដើម្បីអានជាភាសាខ្មែរ សូមចុច នៅទីនេះ

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cambodia’s Ministry of Cults and Religion on August 13, 2026, establishing a formal framework for long-term collaboration with the government on community development, humanitarian efforts, and supporting initiatives for religious laws. The signing ceremony was held at the Ministry’s premises with an audience of senior Ministry officials and civil servants, along with Church representatives and Church members gathered to witness this milestone in the Ministry’s partnership with religious institutions.  

Marking over three decades of the Church’s presence in Cambodia since 1994, the agreement further solidifies its official standing to engage with the Ministry, building on a previous memorandum signed with the Ministry of Interior in 2014. The timing was also momentous as it followed the day after Minister of Cults and Religion H.E. Chay Borin’s visit as the representative of Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, to the official viewing of the Church’s Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple. 

Presiding over the signing ceremony, H.E. Chay Borin recognized the Church’s efforts in directly supporting the government’s social and economic development initiatives. He noted that the Church’s humanitarian work aligns with the government’s Pentagonal Strategy priorities to help reduce poverty and improve living conditions in Cambodia. The Church has fulfilled these through initiatives such as emergency disaster relief assistance, school construction and renovation projects, and the provision of clean water wells and rural water systems.  

The Minister also noted that Cambodia’s peace and national unity have enabled all sectors, including religious institutions, to flourish. Under the national motto of “Nation, Religion, King”, all religions can become valuable contributors to national development under the leadership of the Royal Government. He added that the memorandum not only reflects the country’s commitment to peace, political stability, and freedom of religion, but also ensures equal rights for all citizens under the Constitution. 

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“Although the MoU does not specify individual projects, it provides the foundation for the Ministry and the Church Association to collaborate on future initiatives,” said Mickey Lui, the Church’s Asia Area Director for Temporal Affairs, who attended the ceremony. 

“This cooperation can help facilitate the movement of people and resources into Cambodia for charitable, religious, educational, and humanitarian purposes. As a result, future projects in these areas can benefit from government support and achieve greater impact.” 

Lui expressed confidence that the reinforced agreement will enable the Church to further expand its long-term positive impact in the country and help build more trust through transparency, accountability and effectiveness in project implementation. The Ministry may also coordinate with other government agencies to support specific initiatives.  

The new MoU establishes a sustainable framework for cooperation in several key areas, specifically humanitarian and community development projects in compliance with coordination, monitoring, evaluation and reporting mechanisms, whilst supporting the development of Cambodia laws and regulations relating to religion. Other focus areas include sustainable community development, access to clean water, education and agricultural support.