Decision 45 COM 7B.152

Angkor (Cambodia) (C 668)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add.2,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.139 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Commends the State Party for making steady progress implementing various activities in the field of conservation, research, environmental conservation and management for the attributes of Angkor, with a growing ownership ensured by the national authorities, benefitting from the expertise of the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Sustainable Development of Angkor (ICC-Angkor) and strong support of a number of international partners;
4. Recalling paragraph 6 of Decision 44 COM 7B.139, welcomes the updated Tourism Development Plan and requests that it be further revised in accordance with the findings of the ICOMOS technical review, including by clarifying its relationship with the 2012 Tourism Management Plan (TMP), the integration of guidelines for future tourism projects in line with the 2015 Policy Document for the Integration of a Sustainable Development Perspective into the Processes of the World Heritage Convention in order to guide the scale, scope and nature of future tourism projects and avoid potential impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and also requests the State Party to instigate a carrying capacity assessment for the property, as provided for in the 2012 TMP, as a matter of priority, and to revise the 2012 TMP accordingly to ensure its alignment with the Tourism Development Plan;
5. Notes with satisfaction that the State Party has addressed the issue of disturbances to the wildlife caused by social media content producers, and further requests the State Party to keep monitoring the situation and applying lawful measures, as well as to consider means to avoid impacts from wildlife on the security and safety of the property’s attributes and of visitors;
6. Takes note that the State Party has been acting to enforce zoning regulations and has relocated families who settled illegally in the property, taking into account the threats that may be posed to the integrity and authenticity of the property and its OUV, and therefore requests the State Party, taking into consideration the living conditions and the rights of local communities and inhabitants affected by these relocations and those already living lawfully within the property boundaries prior to inscription, to continue implementing appropriate measures for the management of the World Heritage property and its OUV, as well as to reinforce awareness of zoning regulations for all local populations;
7. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2024, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for review by the Advisory Bodies and examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 47th session.