Phnom penh: At the invitation of the Cambodian State Party and with coordination from relevant Cambodian authorities, a report on the damage to Preah Vihear Temple has been officially published on the website of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts said on Sept. 9. The public can access the 'Joint WHC-ICOMOS Advisory Mission to the Temple of Preah Vihear (Cambodia)' report through the UNESCO World Heritage Centre website at: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1224/documents/
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the Joint WHC-ICOMOS Advisory Mission to the Temple of Preah Vihear, conducted from March 1 to 6, 2026, highlighted that the 2025 strikes, particularly those in December, caused extensive damage throughout the property. The State Party identified 142 damaged areas resulting from the July 2025 strikes and 420 damaged areas from the December 2025 strikes.
The report noted that armed conflicts had previously affected the property since its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2008, with damages recorded during clashes in 2009 and 2011. However, the devastation from the recent conflict is described as 'incomparable in scale.' The impacts have severely affected the integrity and authenticity of the temple, threatening its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV).
The report clarified that the section on damage assessment was not comprehensive. Under insecure conditions, the National Authority for Preah Vihear (NAPV) had already conducted damage assessments following the 2025 strikes. The International Coordinating Committee for Preah Vihear (ICC-PV) and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) also assessed the impacts on the temple and ongoing conservation projects.
Due to security measures, the mission was only able to remain on site for a few hours on March 3, 2026, making a thorough inspection impossible. Despite this, the visit was sufficient to confirm the devastating situation and the accuracy of the damage reports prepared by NAPV. The NAPV teams systematically documented each incident of damage, providing a clear measure of the severity and an effective tool for establishing restoration priorities.
The mission emphasized the urgent need for action to secure unstable structures, complete documentation, and protect fallen structures and fragments, underscoring the critical state of the cultural heritage site.