Latest draft proposal submitted for Mrauk-U as UNESCO World Heritage Site 

By DMG 16 Sep 2021

DMG Newsroom 
16 September 2021, Mrauk-U  

The latest draft proposal for the designation of Mrauk-U as a UNESCO World Heritage Site was submitted this month, according to the Department of Archaeology and National Museum. 

The proposal was sent to the World Heritage Committee in Paris during the second week of September, said U Than Zaw Oo, director of the World Heritage Sites division of the Department of Archaeology and National Museum. 

“The draft proposal includes maps and photos of Mrauk-U and writings about the area of Mrauk-U. We sent a soft copy,” he said. 

A final proposal will be submitted in January 2022, and relevant experts are expected to visit the area to conduct field inspections before a determination is made on the bid. 

Following field inspections, meetings will be held in June and July of 2023 to decide whether Mrauk-U should be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, said U Than Zaw Oo. 

“The result can be known in September 2023, when the World Heritage conference is held,” Daw Khin Than, chairperson of the Mrauk-U Heritage Trust, told DMG last month. 

Daw Khin Than subsequently said the area has faced some difficulties — such as people squatting in the designated archaeological area, and residents digging up the land and taking earth from the area — despite the pending UNESCO bid.  

“A lot of people are living in the area of the ancient city. Some people dig the land on the mountain and take the earth. There will be difficulties when the relevant experts conduct field inspections to list the region as a World Heritage site. Authorities need to provide public awareness to stop such activities and to take action against them if they keep doing so,” she said.  

She added that local authorities, civil society organisations and residents need to work together to protect the area in line with international standards, so that it can be successfully designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.  

If the area makes the World Heritage Site list, the ancient city’s economy, transportation and tourism industry will be bolstered, local boosters say.  

Submission of the proposal has been delayed for a year as field inspections could not be carried out due to the Covid-19 pandemic and political instability in 2020.