Khammouane Province commits to Free Prior and Informed Consent for the transboundary World Heritage Nomination of Hin Nam No National Park

On 21 January 2022, the Hin Nam No Provincial Steering Committee endorsed a number of solutions for addressing key challenges faced by communities living in Hin Nam No region as part of the Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) Process for the World Heritage Nomination – for “prototyping”: These solutions were developed through a well-crafted consent-building process that started in 2020. The process builds on the Hin Nam No collaborative management system and experience. It is sensitive to cultural diversity and the needs of vulnerable groups and includes design thinking as means to empathize with local people and to develop tangible solutions that effectively address the challenges on the ground. The process was chaired by Ph.D Somsa-art Ounsyda, Deputy Governor of Khammouane Province, included representatives from the Department of Heritage under the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, and was technically led by Mr. Khamkeo Lathanyod, the Hin Nam No Park Director. As a next step the Hin Nam No National Park Administration will consult with communities for the implementation of the identified solutions in the framework of the 5-year co-management plan (2021-2025) of the park.