Priorities in Protection: Assessing the Impact of International and Domestic Cultural Heritage Preservation Policy in Cambodia

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Cambodia is a land rich with cultural heritage, from the sweeping temples of ancient Angkor to the harrowing testimony of twentieth-century genocide.

Cambodian and international authorities have made major efforts over the last few decades to improve the preservation of that cultural heritage. These efforts were part of a larger, global movement to preserve human culture and operate within a framework of both international and Cambodian law.

With so much money, time and attention going into cultural heritage preservation, some questions arise. Are these efforts working? And who is benefiting from them?

A new report, commissioned by the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam), seeks to answer those questions.

It begins with a discussion of the cultural heritage preservation legal framework and then goes on to analyse different cultural sites in ten case studies.

Each site is different, but the cultural heritage preservation regime in Cambodia does generally work to promote the physical preservation of important sites, according to the report.

However, it warned that efforts seem too often to prioritise physical preservation and the tourism economy over cultural benefits to locals.

To remedy this, policymakers should adopt a more balanced approach and prioritise local needs in their efforts going forward, it concluded.

JP Leskovich is with the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam). The views and opinions expressed are his own.

-The Phnom Penh Post-