AKP Phnom Penh, May 11, 2026 --   

Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, on Monday received Mr. Flavio Bonetti, UNESCO Representative to Cambodia, at the Peace Palace for a courtesy call and working discussion.

On the occasion, Mr. Bonetti expressed deep appreciation to the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) for its continued support to UNESCO, which has contributed to many notable achievements in recent years.

He highly valued the strong cooperation between the RGC and UNESCO in the preservation of cultural heritage and the development of the education sector in Cambodia. Mr. Bonetti reaffirmed UNESCO’s commitment to further strengthening and expanding its partnership with Cambodia.

The UNESCO representative also briefed Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet on UNESCO’s contributions in providing experts and mobilising international funding to support the management and preservation of Cambodia’s cultural heritage, which he described as one of UNESCO’s key priorities.

In addition, Mr. Bonetti highlighted UNESCO’s long-term partnership with Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, particularly in education policy development, teacher quality improvement, and curriculum enhancement aimed at contributing to human capital development in line with the RGC’s Pentagonal Strategy-Phase 1.

In response, Samdech Thipadei highly appreciated the close cooperation between the RGC and UNESCO, noting that it has played an important role in Cambodia’s socio-economic development.

He stressed that the preservation of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage is not only important for the Cambodian people and future generations, but also holds significant value for humanity as a whole.

Samdech Thipadei reaffirmed that cultural heritage preservation remains a major priority for Cambodia, adding that the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts continues to prepare documentation for the inscription of additional Cambodian cultural heritage sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Before concluding the meeting, Prime Minister Hun Manet encouraged UNESCO to continue strengthening relations and expanding cooperation with relevant Cambodian ministries and institutions to deepen the partnership further for the mutual benefit of the Cambodian people and the international community.

By C. Nika