SIEM REAP, Cambodia, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- The International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC-Angkor) on Thursday held its 36th technical session and 29th plenary session here in northwest Cambodia.
Both meetings were attended by Cambodian Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona and Sardar Umar Alam, representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to Cambodia.
The two-day meetings will focus on the progress and results of conservation, restoration, and sustainable development in the Angkor site and activity reports on conservation and archaeological research, according to the schedule.
Speaking at the event, Alam praised the Cambodian government for its leadership and commitment to the promotion and protection of cultural heritage.
UNESCO will continue to support Cambodia and the APSARA National Authority (ANA) in preserving this heritage, and in providing opportunities for communities living in Angkor, associating them to the tourism economic growth for poverty reduction, he said.
The ICC-Angkor is an international mechanism for coordinating all assistance extended by different countries and organizations for preserving and developing the Angkor site.
It was established after the Angkor Archaeological Park was inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1992.
Situated in Siem Reap province, the 401-square-km Angkor Archaeological Park is the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian country. ■
