Phnom Penh: Government spokesman Pen Bona said that giving Cambodia the number one ranking, which has the best natural environment in the world, is a clear message to the opposition, which always uses environmental issues to attack the Cambodian government.
In a statement on the Cambodia-Thailand border situation on May 19, 2026, Mr. Pen Bona said that Cambodia was ranked as the country with the best natural environment in the world in 2026. According to a survey report and global ranking by U.S. News & World Report.
He said the report assessed Cambodia’s efforts to maintain a good balance between development and environmental protection, including good environmental management, clean air, sustainable management of natural resources, and biodiversity conservation.
The spokesperson stated that “the report on ranking Cambodia as the world’s best natural environment is also a clear message to groups that always use environmental issues as a political agenda to attack the Royal Government, completely ignoring the Royal Government’s efforts to protect the natural environment by balancing development and conservation, which has been a key point of the country’s leadership policy since the era of Samdech Techo Hun Sen to Samdech Thip Dei Hun Manet.”
He added that, in fact, the Cambodian Vision 2050 to become a high-income country of the Pentagon Strategy of the Royal Government of the 7th term of the National Assembly also talks about the balance between development and conservation of the natural environment to make Cambodia a society where people live comfortably.
