Vat Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements within the Champasak Cultural Landscape

• Ground transport infrastructure (New infrastructure construction, including new proposed roads)
• Housing (New constructions contributing to the haphazard densification of the main monumental complex)
• Management systems/Management Plan (Lack of a coordinated management mechanism)
• Impacts of tourism/visitors/recreation
• Interpretative and Visitation facilities (Parking lot and visitor centre)
• Human resources (Lack of sufficient professional staff)
• Water infrastructure related to water supply

Total amount provided to the property: UNESCO Japanese Funds-In-Trust project: USD 379,040 (1996-1997); Italy-funded projects through Lerici Foundation: USD 482,194 (1996-2004; 3 project phases):
Phase I (1996-1997) = USD 161,124; Phase II (1998-1999) = USD 164,000; Phase III (2003-2005) = USD 157,070; UNESCO/France Cooperation Agreement: 20,000 EUR (2020-2021) jointly for Vat Phou and the Plain of Jars

On 18 March 2021, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/481/documents and provides information on the implementation of Committee’s previous decision as follows:

• The provincial Building Codes for the Land Use Plan of the Vat Phou Champassak, adopted in 2016, are enforcing effectively the Monument Zoning Plan (MZP) in the Zones 3 and 4. In Zone 4 (Monument Management Zone), new buildings are not allowed, and the new tourism facilities and conservation laboratory have been cancelled. Access to the temple complex is only allowed through electric buggy service;
• While the traffic management scheme is ready to be issued to restrict traffic along Route 14A to light vehicles, funds are still lacking to proceed with the required upgrade to the bypass Route 14B and the completion/repairs of Route 14A. Work on Route 14A, located in the middle of the property, is reported to be suspended, with two bridges decaying; USD 25 million are required to upgrade the bypass Route 14B (55 km), in line with the World Heritage Committee’s decision. As mthe poor conditions of the current transport would impact investment in the zone, the State Party considers the completion of the roads as a regional priority and seeks to fulfil this objective;
• With the support of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and funding from the French Ministry of Culture through UNESCO, the State Party is commissioning a special expert team to elaborate and update the Management Plan. The team will be led by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MICT) and will involve academics and practitioners in the fields of heritage and tourism development. The revised Management Plan will be submitted to UNESCO by the end of 2021;
• More time, funds and technical support are needed to create more detailed topographic maps of the property, as part of the Vat Phou Champasak Landscape Master Plan project;
• The extension project of the water pipeline by Champasak Water Supply State Enterprise was undertaken and completed in 2019 without a Heritage Impact Assessment, but close monitoring was conducted during the operation by the authorities of Vat Phou.

The Committee may wish to note that the updating of the Management Plan has been progressing with the support of the AFD and funding from the French Ministry of Culture via UNESCO, with a view to integrating existing management tools into a comprehensive and adapted framework. However, concrete elements, such as the descriptions of the contents and materials to ensure a more mission/challenge-oriented approach to inform all activities concerning the property, have not been submitted. The Committee may also wish to acknowledge the enforcement of the control measures in Zones 3 and 4, notably ensured by prohibiting new buildings and using electronic vehicles to move within the archaeological zone. Funds have not been secured for repairs to Route 14A and the upgrading of Route 14B, which would ensure decent transport conditions for inhabitants and influence possible investment opportunities. The Committee may further encourage the State Party to pursue its efforts in approaching international and multilateral stakeholders to mobilise the necessary funds.

The updated topographic map of the property as inscribed in 2001 remains to be completed and submitted in due course for its subsequent examination by the Committee.

It is noted that the Champasak Water Supply State Enterprise implemented and completed the extension of the existing water supply into Champasak town from the southern perimeter of the property at Dontalat in 2019 without carrying out the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) requested by the Committee. While recognizing the legitimate need to supply clean, disinfected and safe water to the 14 villages in the area and over 10,000 people in Champasak town, the Committee may regret that the project was already at an advanced stage of completion when it adopted its previous Decision and was subsequently completed without either a thorough investigation of its potential risks prior to implementation or any consideration for possible mitigation measures, both of which would have been addressed through the HIA. In the follow-up report of this project, dated June 2019, it is shown that the Vat Phou Heritage Authority intervened to monitor the operation, especially regarding the design, the alignment and depth of the pipelines, and by urging the operators to pay attention to the size of water conducts and the methods and depth of the digging works. While acknowledging these efforts, and considering the other issues with development in or around World Heritage properties in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, notably near Luang Prabang, the Committee may wish to encourage the State Party to consider establishing a legal framework requiring appropriate Impact Assessments to be carried out proactively for all development planning that may have potential impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value of World Heritage properties in the Lao PDR, depending on the specific contexts.

Finally, it remains unclear whether the mitigation measures suggested by the ‘Critical Review of a Water Supply Project (WSP) Implemented in the World Heritage Complex of Vat Phou Champasak’, submitted in 2018, have been executed, as requested by the Committee, and the Committee may request the State Party to provide this information.