Issues:
Illicit traffic at the site. Inadequate monitoring of the work undertaken on the entrance porch of the central monument and the collapsed tiers of the western moat of the Angkor Vat Temple. Furthermore, a plan for tourism development at the site and the development of infrastructure should be put in place, with particular reference to the question of the transfer of the Siem Reap/Angkor airport.
New information:
The plenary session of the International Coordination Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic site of Angkor (CIC), for which UNESCO ensures the Secretariat, met on 6 July 2001. The CIC examined all the dossiers prepared by the permanent Secretariat in consultation with the two co-presidents and the new President Director General of the “APSARA” authority.
I – Main information and decisions of the CIC
- Administrative reorganization of the APSARA
The new President Director General, H.E. Mr Bun Narith, introduced the new management team. It comprises 5 Deputy Directors General, responsible, respectively, for the following domains:
1 Archaeology and monuments
2. Urbanism and construction
3. Tourism
4. Economic development of the Angkor region
5. General administration.
H.E. Mr Vann Molyvann was appointed Counsellor to His Majesty the King of Cambodia for Angkor.
2. Appeal to the International Community for the Development of the Angkor region
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the appeal of His Majesty the King of Cambodia for the safeguarding of Angkor (May 1991), H.E. Mr Sok An, Minister of State, launched an appeal to the international community for the decade 2002-2012 to be devoted to the development of Angkor. To this end, it was decided:
- to organise a round table of experts in Angkor, in 2002, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the inscription of Angkor on the World Heritage List;
- to organise a second intergovernmental conference, in 2003, which could be convened in Paris, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Intergovernmental Conference of Tokyo, October 1993.
3. Presentation of the conclusions of the cultural tourism seminar
Based on the report “Culture, Tourism and Development” submitted by UNESCO, and contributions from experts meeting during the “National Seminar on Cultural Tourism at Angkor and in Cambodia”, which was organized by UNESCO in cooperation with the Cambodian authorities on 2 and 3 July 2001 at Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, it is proposed to elaborate and implement a Master Plan for the development of cultural tourism at Angkor in order to combat poverty and ensure strong economic growth, whilst preserving the quality of life.
II – Development of tourism infrastructures
The ad hoc Expert Commission, created by UNESCO at the request of the Cambodian authorities to monitor the project for the creation of a new airport at Siem Reap/Angkor, submitted its technical opinion regarding the selection of the site of the new airport in August 2001. While awaiting the construction of this equipment, the Royal Government decided, in September 2001, to strengthen the infrastructures of the present airport, and it entrusted this activity to a private operator.
III – Monitoring of emergency assistance for the moats of Angkor Vat
The I.Ge.S. Company has been chosen as the constructor for the restoration works of the collapsed tiers of the west moat of the Angkor Vat Temple, for which an emergency assistance request had been submitted to the World Heritage Fund. The APSARA Authority has decided to provide additional funding for an amount of US$ 10,000 for this operation.
The next session of the CIC (technical session) will be held on 19 and 20 December 2001 at Siem Reap. It will be preceded by the sixth international symposium on the Bayon organized by the Governmental Team of Japan for the Safeguarding of Angkor, in close cooperation with APSARA and UNESCO (17 and 18 December 2001 at Siem Reap). During these meetings, the ad hoc group of UNESCO experts will meet.