To further strengthen the commitment to protect the cultural property, Cambodia as the current Chair of ASEAN is dedicated to work with other ASEAN Member States to potentially develop action plan to enhance cultural property protection mechanism in the region, said H.E. Ms. Phoeurng Sackona, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia and Chairperson of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture and Arts (AMCA).

The ASEAN’s commitment to cultural heritage protection is enshrined within the ASEAN Community Vision, the 2000 ASEAN Declaration on Cultural Heritage, the 2016 ASEAN Vientiane Resolution, the 2017 ASEAN Declaration on Culture of Prevention for a Peaceful, Inclusive, Resilient, Healthy, and Harmonious Society, and the 2020 Narrative of ASEAN Identity, she said yesterday in Siem Reap province at the Opening Ceremony of the International Conference on Cultural Property Protection: The Prevention of the Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Properties.

H.E. Ms. Phoeurng Sackona underlined that cultural property is the foundation of the past, present and future of every nation. It reflects the identity, culture, wisdom, knowledge, and pride of a nation. At the same time, cultural property contributes to the world and enriches our lives through the scientific knowledge, and owing to its historic value and fragility, it could be a unifying force for the peoples.

As the current AMCA Chair, Cambodia would like to propose to ASEAN to further strengthen our cooperation so that we could develop an effective and coordinated response to the protection of cultural property, and mitigate the ill effects of the illicit trafficking of cultural property, H.E. Minister said, adding that to this end, Cambodia is proposing a Joint Ministerial Statement on Cultural Property Protection with the view to work together to develop a long-term strategy that addresses the root causes of the illicit trade in cultural property.

H.E. Ms. Pen Monimakara, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and Chair of SOMCA (ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting for Culture and Arts), said through the protection of cultural property, communities stand to benefit from its economic value as it provides for livelihoods and income generation.

Before the pandemic, the arts and culture sector worldwide generated an estimated US$2,250 billion in annual revenue while supporting 29.5 million jobs. Heritage tourism is especially critical for ASEAN’s economy, and it is projected to be an important driver to the rebuilding of the region's post-pandemic economy, she stressed.

“It is important that we develop stronger cross-sectoral coordination and information-sharing among individual Member States, within ASEAN, and between ASEAN and dialogue partners, intergovernmental organisations, and private stakeholders, through the possibility of forming a regional platform to coordinate our regional responses, and also explore the development of a sustainable, multi-year action plan that tackles the illicit trade from all angles,” the SOMCA Chair said.

Source: Agency Kampuchea Press