H.E. Mr HAB Touch
Secretary of State, Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, Cambodia
Excellencies, Heads of Delegations,
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great honour and privilege for me on behalf of H.E. Dr. Phoeurng Sackona, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia, to participate in the ACCF 2022, which also marks the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
First, on behalf of the Cambodian delegation, I would like to thank the Hong Kong Government for inviting Cambodia to the conference and for the warm hospitality extended to us. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude for making this in-person event possible, after the last two difficult years dealing with the challenges and restrictions imposed on us by the COVID-19 pandemic. These new challenges require even more multilateral action, more exchanges, and more sharing of experiences for promoting the development of arts and culture in the region.
For this special occasion, I would like to highlight Cambodia's National Cultural Policy in the context of building a national identity, preservation, and protection of national cultural heritage as well as investments in the cultural sectors for economic growth and sustainable development.
Cambodia is blessed by its diverse wealth of cultural heritage and world heritage sites, including thousands of ancient temples and intangible art forms. This cultural wealth is our soul and plays a key role in driving economic growth and sustainable tourism. We remain committed to protect and safeguard our cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, as well as to promote cultural and creative industries, as emphasised in our national cultural policy, which envisages national cultural conservation and development as a key component of socio-economic development.
It is particularly important to note that in the Statement of the 40th and 41st ASAEN Summits, held in Phnom Penh in November 2022 under the Chairmanship of Cambodia, the ASEAN Leaders strongly recognised the roles of culture and the arts in making invaluable contributions to the social, economic, human, and sustainable development of ASEAN, manifested through tangible and intangible cultural heritage, cultural and creative industries and heritage tourism. In addition, the ASEAN Leaders adopted the Siem Reap Declaration on Promoting a Creative and Adaptive ASEAN Community to Support the Cultural and Creative Economy.
In accordance with this vision, we underline the importance of strengthening cultural cooperation with Asian nations and other international partners. Furthermore, in the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and a long history of traditional friendship, Cambodia and China have built a comprehensive cooperation partnership in a number of significant areas of culture.
In 2014, Cambodia and China entered into the Executive Programme on Cultural Cooperation, in the fields of handicrafts, museums, performing arts, film, exhibitions, as well as underwater archaeology and maritime silk road research, and other areas. In 2019, the Memorandum of Understanding on Cultural Cooperation was signed between Cambodia and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, in the fields of arts, museums, music and theatre, dance, libraries, cultural heritage, films, visual arts, and human resource development. The Cambodian Film Commission (CFC) has also regularly participated in the Hong Kong Film Mart since 2013, enabling Cambodia to further promote and develop our film industry in the regional and international film market.
In the field of heritage preservation, a number of international organisations are involved in the research, preservation and restoration of temples and other sites in Cambodia, particularly in Angkor, the World Heritage Site. Here I would like to highlight the cooperation project under the framework of the Apsara National Authority and the Chinese Government Team for Safeguarding Angkor (CSA), which carried out restoration work on the temple of Chao Say Tevoda in 2000-2008, and Takeo in 2011-2018. In addition, China together with India are co-chairs of the International Coordination Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the World Heritage Site of Preah Vihear (ICC-Preah Vihear).
In respect of cultural heritage protection, Cambodia has made extraordinary efforts to combat the illicit trafficking of cultural property and to recover its national treasures. Over past decades, Cambodia witnessed massive cultural heritage destruction and losses due to armed conflicts and disasters that gave rise to large-scale organised looting and the illicit trafficking of cultural objects. In recent years, we have promoted international action and played an active role in the combat against illegal trade, calling for the return and restitution of cultural property by reinforcing national legislation, raising public awareness, and establishing an international network based on the UNESCO 1970 Convention and its associated mechanisms.
In this campaign, Cambodia has entered into bilateral agreements related to the protection of cultural heritage with Thailand, the United States, China, as well as several other nations. These bilateral and multilateral agreements have met with notable success and a considerable number of looted objects have been returned. Cambodia is dedicated to exploring the feasibility of creating a regional platform to deepen cooperation in the promotion of cultural property protection for tackling this cross-border issue.
In concluding my remarks, I would like to reiterate Cambodia's commitment to strengthening cultural cooperation among Asian nations and beyond, in moving the arts and culture towards a more vibrant and sustainable future.
Thank you