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International Coordination Committee meeting for the Preah Vihear

Organized by the National authority of Preah Vihear (NAPV), some 150 participants attended the International Coordination Committee meeting for the Preah Vihear World Heritage property (ICC) on 19 September, 2019.

Led by H.E. Dr. Phoeurng Sackona, the Minister of Culture and Fine Arts and two co-chairs of H.E. Mr. Zhou Jiagui from China and H.E. Mrs. Manika Jain from India, the ICC received participants from central and local government officials, a number of Embassy officials to Cambodia (China, India, Japan, France, Bergian, Thai and the US), professors in universities in Cambodia and abroad, heritage experts, UNESCO and culture-related NGO/institute staff members. The aim of the ICC PV meeting is to provide guidance on heritage related projects including infrastructure and sustainable development plans of the Government of Cambodia for Preah Vihear and Koh Ker in the short and long term. Given this, wider discussions took place on the broader spectrum of heritage management challenges facing these heritage sites, their surrounding areas and local community.

After the opening session, six presentations were delivered by the national officials. They updated with the ICC members on-going interventions and future actions at the sites of Preah Vihear and Koh Ker which included; archaeological study and conservation works; heritage education; study of hydraulic system; a risk map; and development of a tourism management plan.

After the presentations, a number of recommendations and advice were expressed by the ICC members, notably concerning conservation methodology of the northern part of stair cases at Preah Vihear; adoption of traditional measures for water management system for the sustainable use at Preah Vihear; a holistic approach to integrate efforts for sustainable development of the both sites; centralization of all reports and collected data to NAPV's data archive; and so forth.

Toward the end of the meeting, a signing ceremony between the NAPV and Hungarian South and Southeast Asian Research Institute was organized. This agreement aims to establish a joint initiative concerning research and community development related to the historic site of Koh Ker.

The ICC meeting concluded with production of unanimously adopted recommendations addressed from the ICC members to the Cambodian authorities.

The next ICC PV will be organized in the middle of March, 2020.