Cambodia Investment Review
As regional seismic activity raises new concerns about construction resilience in Southeast Asia, the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (EuroCham Cambodia) has convened a high-level public-private dialogue to strengthen the country’s approach to earthquake preparedness.
The event, hosted by EuroCham’s Real Estate & Construction Committee in partnership with the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (MLMUPC), brought together more than 100 experts, officials, and developers to address Cambodia’s seismic risk in the wake of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar in March.
Aligning Policy with Regional Seismic Realities
The forum began with remarks from Michel Cassagnes, Chairman of EuroCham’s Real Estate & Construction Committee and Managing Director of Archetype Cambodia, who called for urgent, coordinated action. “The responsibility to act lies with all of us,” Cassagnes noted, “across both the public and private sectors.”
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Senior government officials, including H.E. Lao Tipseiha, Secretary of State at MLMUPC, provided updates on Cambodia’s current seismic safety strategies. H.E. Chhan Sorphal, General Director of the General Department of Construction, and H.E. Nhar Heng, Director General of the National Construction Laboratory, also outlined measures under review to integrate risk mitigation into national construction practices.
Their remarks come amid growing calls for Cambodia to align with regional seismic building codes. According to ASEAN Disaster Monitoring reports, Cambodia remains one of the few countries in the region without comprehensive seismic construction standards, despite being within reach of active fault lines.
Expert Insights: Monitoring, Soil Stability, and Standards
Technical presentations throughout the morning featured a mix of international and Cambodian experts. Dr. Francesca Brighenti of NPLUS introduced advanced structural health monitoring technologies, while Dr. Hor Boramy from Menard detailed soil improvement strategies to better anchor buildings in quake-prone zones.
Dr. Angkeara Svay, Chief Technical Officer at LBL International, provided an in-depth risk assessment of seismic hazard probability in Cambodia, proposing updated seismic design factors. These are particularly timely as Cambodia updates its building regulations following increasing urban density in Phnom Penh and other growth corridors.
Adding a regional dimension, Dr. Nguyen Hong Minh of Archetype Reality compared seismic regulations across ASEAN, highlighting the gaps in Cambodia’s framework versus more established systems in Vietnam and Thailand.
Collaboration Key to Resilience
The forum concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Serge Pak, Vice-Chairman of EuroCham’s Real Estate & Construction Committee and CEO of Block, Béton and Pave. Participants examined how collaboration, innovation, and clearer regulatory guidance could help Cambodia proactively address earthquake vulnerability.
The session underscored the need for stronger public-private partnerships to push forward updates to the Cambodian National Building Code, which has been under review for several years. Industry professionals voiced support for clear technical guidelines and practical training for engineers and developers.
EuroCham stated the event was “a valuable platform for connecting local construction professionals with international best practices,” and emphasized that earthquake risk mitigation must become a core part of Cambodia’s infrastructure planning as investment accelerates.
Building for a Safer Future
As Cambodia aims to attract more foreign direct investment into its booming real estate and infrastructure sectors, ensuring the structural safety of high-density developments has become an increasingly urgent policy issue.
The forum comes at a time when urban resilience is also drawing international donor attention. The Asian Development Bank and UNDP have both recently launched regional programs on disaster risk reduction that could support Cambodia’s capacity-building in this area.
EuroCham Cambodia, which represents over 400 companies from across 23 European countries, reaffirmed its commitment to supporting evidence-based policymaking in Cambodia’s construction sector.
For more information on EuroCham’s policy activities, visit: www.eurocham-cambodia.org
