UNESCO, alongside the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, organised a recent workshop in Siem Reap. UNESCO CAMBODIA
In a strategic move to enhance emergency preparedness and safeguard underwater cultural heritage in Southeast Asia, UNESCO, alongside the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, organised a recent workshop in Siem Reap.
UNESCO office in Cambodia stated in a social media post on November 13 that discussions addressed issues related to natural and human-induced hazards, climate change and the promotion of enhanced cooperation and knowledge exchange among professionals throughout the region.
The conference benefited from the insights of experts hailing from Australia, Guam, Hungary, and Japan.
The workshop, jointly led by Sardar Umar Alam, UNESCO representative to Cambodia, and Prak Sonnara, secretary of state at the cultural ministry, served as a platform for a regional dialogue addressing challenges affecting underwater cultural heritage sites across Southeast Asia.
This initiative, supported by the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund (HEF) and the UNESCO Secretariat, attracted 61 policymakers, heritage professionals and conservationists from nations across the region.
Umar Alam stressed the urgent need to bolster preparedness for safeguarding cultural heritage in the face of contemporary challenges, notably climate change.
“It is imperative to fortify our policy framework, allocate resources, improve operational capabilities, encourage coordination and foster regional cooperation to elevate the comprehensive protection of all heritage, with a specific focus on underwater cultural heritage,” he said.
Sonnara highlighted that the workshop provided an opportunity to consider the establishment of both sub-regional and regional models aimed at enhancing the protection of cultural patrimony. This focus extends to underwater cultural heritage, aligning with UNESCO Conventions.
“The distinctiveness of Southeast Asian heritage and the challenging reality of escalating threats to this heritage underscores the necessity for regional collaboration and the formation of disaster risk reduction plans,” he added.
UNESCO underscored the region’s rich cultural heritage and numerous underwater archaeological sites, serving as invaluable resources for researchers. These sites facilitate a deeper understanding of past culture, history and science. However, they face specific threats of destruction and looting.
