via Unesco, a web platform listing the government policies related to culture published between 2012 and 2018. Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia are represented in the map.
Source: Policy Monitoring Platform | Diversity of Cultural Expressions
via Khmer Times, 29 November 2018: Cambodia’s Lkhon Khol is listed in Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Thailand also intends to list its version of the dance.
Lkhon Khol. Source: Khmer Times, 20181129
Unesco yesterday added Cambodia’s Lkhon Khol on its list of “intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding” during an annual meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in the island nation of Mauritius.
Prime Minister Hun Sen then praised the move on Facebook.
“The decision by the committee is a big national pride,” Mr Hun Sen said. “It happened because of efforts by the government, local artists, civil society and encouragement from the public, which brought us successful results.”
Source: Unesco recognises Lkhon Khol – Khmer Times
See also:
Just a reminder for the MOWCAP-Asia Culture Center Grants Program – the deadline is this week!
The MOWCAP-ACC grants program supports the efforts of the many groups and organisations that collect, and preserve and provide access to documentary heritage from the Asia-Pacific region. It aims to encourage collaboration and partnerships to undertake projects (e.g. preservation of materials, digitizing, exhibitions, publications etc) as well as to develop skills and resources (eg. workshops, training programs, expert assessments etc).
Grants of up to $US 10,000 are available for the preservation and sharing of the documentary heritage of the Asia-Pacific. Grants are required to be fully expended, and the project completed and acquitted, within a 6-month period (July-December 2018). The grants are administered through the MOWCAP Office, Asian Culture Center, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
via Frontier Myanmar, 29 April 2018:
As UNESCO prepares to decide on the ancient site’s status as a World Heritage destination, conservation efforts would benefit from a unified approach that includes the myriad actors involved.
If you are a Samoan National or have a legal right to work in Samoa as per the law of the country, who is passionate and committed professional interested in administrative and programme support work of our Organization in the Pacific States, the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) would like to hear from you.
UNESCO is calling for consultancy to prepare a review of current Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH)-related policies/legislation and programmes/initiatives in the five countries in Micronesia.
More information can be found in the Terms of Reference.
Expression of interest should contain the following information: Details regarding the consultant, including CV, referees, past experience in the area of work, and demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and the requirements of this consultancy; availability; detailed workplan and budget; proposed consultancy fee. The expression of interest should be sent via email to: a.takahashi@unesco.org COB 19 March 2018. UNESCO will only contact the successful bidder.
See posting here
via Khmer Times, 15 December 2017: Interview with Unesco Cambodia chief Anne Lemaistre
Khmer Times spoke with Unesco’s Cambodia bureau chief Anne Lemaistre to discuss the challenges and new threats that face Cambodia’s wonders.
via Unesco, 21 September 2017: I was in Makassar last week to attend this meeting organised by Unesco and ASEAN. On the agenda was the 2001 convention on Underwater Cultural Heritage (of which only Cambodia is signatory to).
A recent announcement to include Phnom Kulen in the Angkor World Heritage property means an uncertain future for the some 300 people who live on the mountain.
Communities on Phnom Kulen. Source: Phnom Penh Post 20160705
UNESCO push will clear villagers off of Kulen Mountain
Phnom Penh Post, 05 July 2016
Hundreds of villagers living on Siem Reap’s historic Phnom Kulen are reeling after the government announced they would be relocated as part of a scheme to secure a UNESCO World Heritage Listing for the site.
Poung Lyna, the head of the Siem Reap environment department, yesterday confirmed the news villagers received over the weekend. “About 300 families, most of which are army and newcomers’ families who live near the Preah Ang Thom area on Kulen Mountain, will be relocated to a new place soon as their presence is affecting the environment of the national park,” Lyna said.
However, he added that those who had “lived there a long time” – upwards of 20 years – would not be moved. But uncertainty shrouds the ministry’s plans, with Lyna admitting he did not know when the villagers would be moved, or to where. However, he claimed it would be near their former homes.
“They will maybe be moved to the foot of the mountain, and we might give them a piece of land larger than what they currently have,” he said, making no mention of monetary compensation. “We will move their houses, but we will keep their businesses on the mountain untouched.”
Full story here.
UNESCO Jakarta is looking for an intern! Applications close on 13 April 2016.
UNESCO Office Jakarta, Culture Unit, welcomes interns in the field of Culture. The purpose of the UNESCO Internship programme is to offer selected graduate and postgraduate students in the field of Culture, the opportunity to supplement their academic knowledge with practical work assignments and to enable them to gain a better understanding of UNESCO’s mandate and programmes. The duration of an internship in UNESCO Office Jakarta generally ranges between 4 and 6 months
Full details here.
Luang Prabang is one of my favourite places in Southeast Asia, but the increased tourism caused by its World Heritage site status is one of the things that is destroying its essence. It’s not just Luang Prabang, however, this article is a critique of tourism management at World Heritage sites.
The Haw Pha Bang temple. Source: Skift.com 20160128
UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the Downside of Cultural Tourism
AP, via Skift, 28 January 2016
It is officially described as the best-preserved city in Southeast Asia, a bygone seat of kings tucked into a remote river valley of Laos. Luang Prabang weaves a never-never land spell on many a visitor with its tapestry of French colonial villas and Buddhist temples draped in a languid atmosphere.
But most of the locals don’t live here anymore. They began an exodus from this seeming Shangri-La after their hometown was listed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, and sold itself wholesale to tourism.
It’s not an uncommon pattern at some of the 1,031 sites worldwide designated as places of “outstanding universal value” by the U.N. cultural agency: The international branding sparks mass tourism, residents move out as prices escalate or grab at new business opportunities, hastening the loss of their hometown’s authentic character to hyper-commercialization. But locals may also prosper and some moribund communities are injected with renewed energy.
Full story here.