Article
The 4th Intergovernmental Conference for the safeguarding and the development of Angkor
Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. Stretching over some 400 km2, including wooded areas, Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of the various capitals of the Khmer Empire, dating from the 9th to 15th centuries. In 1992, Angkor was inscribed on the World Heritage List and immediately placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, in order to address urgent safeguarding and conservation issues. The following year, the first Intergovernmental Conference on Angkor was held in Tokyo in October 1993, where the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC-Angkor) was established.
The ICC-Angkor convenes biannually to coordinate all national and international activities on the site. Quadripartite Meetings are organized periodically between France, Japan, the APSARA National Authority and UNESCO to examine technical matters concerned with the functioning of the ICC-Angkor. The 4th Intergovernmental Conference on Angkor will take place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, on 15 November 2023, during the General Conference.
This important event attended by high-level representatives of the ICC-Angkor member countries, shall, in particular, evaluate the progress made over the third decade and define a strategy for the decade to come by identifying practical and conceptual approaches on the priority areas for the preservation and sustainable development of the historic sites of Angkor and Sambor Prei Kuk, and their surrounding environment.
More specifically, the Conference shall focus on the following points:
Protecting measures for the integrity and authenticity of the two World Heritage sites against the pressures of urban and population expansion while meeting environmental, economic and social demands,
Assessing the use of science and technology for cultural heritage conservation, and
Strengthening the management capacities and human resources of the APSARA and Sambor Prei Kuk National Authorities, to ensure a continuous transfer of knowledge and heritage management methods.
