via Unesco, 17 February 2021: Unesco officially responds to the planned construction of a mega-resort in Siem Reap near the Angkor monuments (previously mentioned here and here). A few news outlets have picked up on the Unesco statement and they are indexed below as well.
UNESCO is closely following plans for a 75-hectare amusement park under discussion near the World Heritage site of Angkor in Cambodia.
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre has also received numerous appeals from third parties expressing their concern.
The plenary session of the International Coordinating Committee for Angkor (ICC), held virtually on 26 and 27 January, addressed this project with particular attention, and the technical opinions of experts in the fields of conservation and sustainable development were clearly unfavourable to it.
The proximity of the project to the protected buffer zones of the site as well as the scale, scope and concept of the planned activities could indeed have an impact on the outstanding universal value for which Angkor was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including its setting, the surrounding landscape, the environment and the archaeological remains, all of which are an integral part of this World Heritage property.
See also:
- Angkor World Heritage Site Threatened by Waterpark Development | Art & Object, 18 Feb 2021
- UNESCO Alarmed Over $350 Million NagaCorp Resort Near Angkor Park | VOA, 18 Feb 2021
- UNESCO alarmed over NagaCorp scheme near Angkor Wat | GGR Asia, 19 Feb 2021
- Angkor Wat not enough? Theme park planned near site of ancient Cambodian temple | South China Morning Post, 19 Feb 2021
