PHNOM PENH — Cambodia will receive 8,000 e-scooters from VERYWORDS, a South Korean e-mobility and carbon-neutrality platform company, to help support the country’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on Feb. 7 by the Ministry of Environment, VERYWORDS, and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) will enable bringing high-quality electric scooters in the country.

According to the MoU, public officials will use the donated e-scooters free of charge and conditions. In order to support the initiative, VERYWORDS will set up more than 200 charging stations for the people using them.

According to Minister of Environment Eang Sophalleth, the MoU supports the country’s ambitious transport electrification targets of having 70 percent of the two-wheel vehicles be electric as part of the government’s goals and strategy for carbon neutrality and for the environment during the period 2023-2028.    

“All internationally recognized GHG [greenhouse gas] emission reduction projects must comply with the country’s Operation Manual on Implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change,” Sophalleth said.

In addition to strengthening climate mitigation efforts in both Cambodia and South Korea, VERYWORDS CEO Sungwoo Kim said that the donation aims to accelerate the growth of the e-mobility sector by replacing air-polluting traditional motorcycles with high-quality, environmentally-friendly electric scooters.

Shomi Kim, representative of the Global Green Growth Institute in Cambodia, said that the Global Green Growth Institute was proud to assist through this innovative effort as a trusted advisor to the Cambodian government. 

“With this innovative financing mechanism, following Article 6’s strict environmental integrity standards, I look forward to the rapid implementation of the infrastructure development and deployment of electric vehicles,” Shomi said.

The Global Green Growth Institute has been supporting the ministry so that the country can meet Article 6 of the Paris Agreement through technical assistance and the technical working group on climate change and the environment.  

The e-scooter donations are expected to generate 150 new green jobs and an average annual decrease of 5,040 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) in emissions.