Town of Luang Prabang

• Lack of enforcement of the Luang Prabang Conservation Plan (PSMV), illegal constructions and long-term conservation and management of wooden structures
• Public works (proposed new town, airport extension, pedestrian bridge, Nam Khan riverbank protection project and Nam Khan bridge replacement)
• Luang Prabang Hydropower Project (LPHPP) which may affect the Outstanding Universal Value
• Condition of historic buildings requiring physical conservation works
• Need for urban design guidelines

Total amount provided to the property: USD 200,000 (France / UNESCO Cooperation Agreement).

On 1 February 2024, the State Party provided a report on the state of conservation of the property, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/479/documents and indicates the following:

• The State Party continues its efforts to support conservation of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property and to support the wellbeing of associated communities;
• The World Heritage Office in Luang Prabang has become the World Heritage Management Division of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism (MICT)’s provincial branch;
• An Urban Environment Improvement Investment Project, funded by the Asian Development Bank, will support sustainable, inclusive and resilient urban development to improve infrastructure and services, foster disaster resilience, and promote inclusive urban planning and women’s leadership;
• A Luang Prabang Smart and Integrated Urban Strategy includes projects such as electronic ticketing, real-time monitoring, and support for sustainable infrastructure and management of tourist attractions;
• Condition assessments confirm that 142 mostly privately-owned buildings are not yet restored, with 110 in a moderate state of deterioration, and 32 severely deteriorated;
• Restoration work has occurred to seven ponds and wetlands within the inscribed area;
• The final design for the Nam Khan Bridge reconstruction will consider the ICOMOS Technical review and findings of the 2022 mission;
• Nam Khan River protection works will retain the vegetation and gardens along the riverbank;
• The State Party supports the establishment and application of Urban Design Guidelines for development projects;
• A comprehensive Tourism Management Plan has been initiated by the MICT and the World Heritage Centre will be advised of future developments for tourism management;
• National Law prevents the re-establishment of the Heritage Fund requested by the Committee;
• A report on the update of the Luang Prabang Conservation Plan (“Plan de sauvegarde et mise en valeur” - PSMV) is included as an annex to the State Party report, noting new GIS & CAD datasets that will support management and development planning;
• Anthropological investigations and engagement with local communities informed the revised Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) for the Luang Prabang Hydroelectric Power Project, prepared in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit on Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context, which was submitted to the World Heritage Centre in January 2024;
• Information is provided about planned and potential development projects, including a new Mekong Bridge, the ‘Riverside Tourism Development Project’, the ‘Hillside Tourism Development’, the Mekong Footpath Project, and the Airport Upgrade;
• The Committee’s request to integrate the principles of the World Heritage Convention within the broader context of territorial and developmental planning for World Heritage properties in Lao PDR remains under consideration.

The State Party’s report is accompanied by extensive annexes providing information about new projects and studies.

The State Party expresses its commitment to conserving the OUV of the property, while supporting the social and economic well-being of people in the context of a major programme of proposed development projects.

Following the Committee’s decisions and the recommendations of the 2022 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission, the ongoing update of the monitoring mechanism by strengthening GIS and including policy guidelines within the PSMV is welcome, and it would be appropriate for this work to be formally reviewed by the Advisory Bodies.

The Committee may acknowledge the State Party’s efforts to strengthen data collection concerning the ecological attributes relating to the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers, their riverbanks and environments, enabling long-term monitoring of the environmental setting of the property, in particular considering the numerous infrastructure constructions in the vicinity of the property.

Increased attention regarding intangible values, pond and wetland restoration, and the commitment to improving the protection of the Nam Khan Riverbank and the Park projects should be acknowledged, noting that both projects are subject to further recommendations arising from an ICOMOS Technical review. However, noting the methods used in the actual riverbank protection operation, the Committee may wish to request again that the State Party align the intervention modalities with ICOMOS’ recommendations. While the management department provided advice to the private owners of the traditional houses, it is regrettable that a sustainable financial mechanism has not been identified for their maintenance and repair and that the resumption of the Heritage Fund, which supported maintenance of traditional local architecture, is prevented by national law.

A number of the Committee’s decisions and of the recommendations from the 2022 mission are not yet implemented. The Committee may therefore wish to request the State Party’ specific response to its previous requests regarding the Infrastructure  Development Plan, support for deteriorated buildings, design of the replacement Nam Khan River Bridge, preparation of Urban Design Guidelines, to be in line with the UNESCO 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL Recommendation), parameters for the tourism management plan, the roles of the National and Provincial Committees, and the need to integrate the principles of the Convention within the broader context of territorial and development planning for World Heritage properties.

Major infrastructure and tourism projects continue to pose potential threats to the OUV of the property. The submission of a new HIA for the Luang Prabang Hydro Power Project (LPHPP) is welcome, but the HIA should be further reviewed to address issues concerning the potential impact on attributes that support the property’s OUV, in accordance with the findings and recommendations of the most recent ICOMOS Technical Review and the comments of the World Heritage Centre. The Urban Environment Improvement Investment Project and the Luang Prabang Smart and Integrated Urban Strategy have potential to make significant contributions to the management of the property, but also to affect attributes that support its OUV; therefore, each should be formally submitted to the World Heritage Centre, in conformity with paragraphs 118bis and 172 of the Operational Guidelines, for review by the Advisory Bodies prior to finalisation and implementation. Moreover, the State Party has reported significant tourism and infrastructure projects, including a new Mekong Bridge, the ‘Riverside Tourism Development Project’, the ‘Hillside Tourism Development’, the Mekong Footpath Project and the Airport Upgrade, all of which also warrant referral in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines.

It would be appropriate for the Committee to remind the State Party that, documentation for all such projects, including HIAs prepared in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context, should be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies, in conformity with Paragraphs 118bis and 172 of the Operational Guidelines, before any decision is made that would be difficult to reverse.

A worrying and persistent issue relates to the functioning of what is now the World Heritage Management Division. Formerly autonomous and operational with 30 qualified staff, the Luang Prabang World Heritage Office has been incorporated within the provincial Department of the Ministry of Culture and Information and the number of personnel has been reduced from 30 to 14, with little functional and budgetary autonomy, despite the Committee’s request, in Decision 45 COM 7B.43, that it remain a unified technical entity overseeing the various aspects of the management of the property, equipped with the necessary human and financial resources. This critical situation sharply contrasts with the obvious need for enhanced management capacity for the property in view of the number, scale and complexity of the challenges that it is facing.

Considering all of the above, it would be appropriate for the Committee  to request a new Reactive Monitoring mission that could consider the status and resourcing of the World Heritage Management Division, the suite of proposed projects, and assist the State Party in strengthening governance relating to the World Heritage management, ensuring that development projects be designed, evaluated and implemented in a manner that provides sustainable social and economic benefits while ensuring that the OUV of the property is conserved.