By JP Leskovich
Written for the Documentation Center of Cambodia, with financial support from the Center for International Legal Education at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law
December 25, 2025
Cambodia is a land rich with cultural heritage, from the sweeping temples of ancient Angkor to the harrowing testimony of twentieth-century genocide. Cambodian and international authorities have made major efforts over the last few decades to improve the preservation of that cultural heritage. These efforts were part of a larger, global movement to preserve human culture, and operate within a framework of both international and Cambodian law. With so much money, time, and attention going into cultural heritage preservation, some questions arise. Are these efforts working? And who is benefitting from them? This report, compiled at the request of the Documentation Center of Cambodia based on legal and field research in Cambodia, seeks to answer those questions. It begins with a discussion of the cultural heritage preservation legal framework and then goes on to analyze different cultural sites in ten case studies. Each site is different, but the cultural heritage preservation regime in Cambodia does generally work to promote the physical preservation of important sites. However, efforts seem too often to prioritize physical preservation and the tourism economy over cultural benefits to locals. To remedy this, policymakers should adopt a more balanced approach and prioritize local needs in their efforts going forward.