29TS.20 24PS

 

20. Angkor Community Heritage & Economic Advancement (ACHA) Project:

1. Commends the relevance and appreciates the results the Angkor Community Heritage & Economic Advancement (ACHA) project funded by the Government of New Zealand and achieved on the Angkor hydraulic network, jointly conducted by APSARA National Authority and Live & Learn, to guarantee a diversification of the economic resources of communities living in the park while preserving the monuments;

2. Encourages the parties affected by the ACHA project to continue these actions in the framework of its implementation, in particular in relation to:

a. the work on the hydraulic system and the promotion of multiple uses of water for both monuments protection and communities’ sustainable development by participatory approach involving all stakeholders; reliable data on ground water systems are needed to support this process;

b. the promotion of domestic biodiversity: animal breeds (especially poultry) and local crops varieties (“Heritage crops”), by organizing animals and seeds exchange patterns and genetic improvement, with the support of experts in participatory breeding;

3. Encourages the ACHA project partners to identify possible next steps after mid-2019, once it will have come to an end, in particular:

a. Suggests to identify typical local products that could benefit from a label related to their exclusive production on the “World Heritage Site”, with the support of APSARA National Authority and other competent administrations;

b. Invites them to set up a better organization of the producers beforehand, and as a consequence, favor access to fair prices of their production on the Siem Reap market of hotels, restaurants and other distributors, which are enduring tough competition from imported products, often produced thanks to industrialized agriculture.