Die doppelte Verantwortung der UNESCO. zur zwiespaltigen Ernennung des Tempels von Preah Vihear zum Weltkulturerbe

In: Vereinte Nationen: Zeitschrift für die Vereinten Nationen und ihre Sonderorganisationen, Band 57, Heft 6

Abstract

When in July 2008 UNESCO inscribed the Temple of Preah Vihear in its World Heritage List, it revived a decade-old boundary dispute between Thailand & Cambodia. The recognition of a site as a world heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization is generally regarded as an enhancement of the situs state's prestige. But in the case of the Temple of Preah Vihear the listing restarted an armed conflict. As, on the one hand, the protection of cultural property, which is mainly maintained by the World Heritage Convention of 1972, is one of the major tasks of UNESCO, the authors examine the significance of the listing decision for UNESCO & its organs with regard to its responsibility for the maintenance of international peace. The authors conclude that it is at least questionable if UNESCO lived up to this responsibility for maintaining international peace when it accepted the Cambodian application. Secondly, the authors take into consideration the legal remedies at UNESCO's disposal to settle or mitigate the conflict & find that there are only very few limited retroactive options for the safeguarding & promotion of peace between the parties. Adapted from the source document.