The ultimate goal of unescos normative action is to. Hayley roberts the unesco convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage 2001 came into force in 2009, providing a muchneeded international legal framework for the protection of underwater cultural heritage uch. Capacity development for safeguarding underwater cultural. The protection of the underwater cultural heritage. Today underwater cultural heritage is however endangered and still insufficiently protected, known and researched. Convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage paris, 2 november 2001. Report international conference underwater cultural. The protection of underwater cultural heritage program report of the rapporteur spring meeting 2003, washington d. Key documents on 2001 convention on the protection of. Its most important tool to do so is the convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage of 2001. Convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage, in. Euunesco information meeting on underwater cultural. Convention on the protection of underwater cultural heritage. Negotiating the convention on underwater cultural heritage.
Improving the protection of underwater cultural heritage. The convention is intended to protect all traces of human existence having a cultural, historical or archaeological character which have been under water for over 100. The richness of the worlds underwater cultural heritage is often underesti mated. The convention on the protection of the underwater cultural. Convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage. Title, convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage.
The negotiating history of the provisions of the convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage, roberta garabeo, 5. The most frequently asked questions concerning underwater cultural heritage and the. United nations educational, scientific and cultural organization. The concept of heritage evokes images of monuments, historic buildings and other cultural property on terrestrial sites. However, under the 1972 world heritage convention, it includes natural and cultural resources and sites which are so special that there is interest in preserving them for future generations. Furthermore, the convention strictly prohibits the commercial exploitation of underwater cultural heritage. Unescos convention on the protection of the underwater.
Unesco convention for the protection of the underwater cultural. The us had one of the largest delegations and perhaps the most controversial, as in addition to representatives of various government agencies, museums, archaeological institutions and recreational dive organizations, it also included representatives of the. The unesco convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage, adopted in 2001, is intended to enable states to better protect their submerged cultural heritage. Underwater heritage maritime and underwater cultural. Ulrike guerin, editor of the manual for activities directed at underwater cultural heritage. In situ preservation of underwater cultural heritage as an. In situ preservation of underwater cultural heritage.
The protection of underwater cultural heritage program e. The inclusion of underwater cultural heritage is suggested, as this heritage provides the. The united nations organization for education, science and culture unesco was founded on 16 november 1945 as the united nations specialized agency. The convention emphasises the significance of the underwater cultural heritage as part of the shared cultural heritage of peoples and countries. Introduction in a historic moment that culminated almost a decade of negotiations, the convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage uch convention was adopted on 2 november 2001. The unesco convention on underwater cultural heritage and the. Activities, such as intergovernmental meetings, regional trainings and technical assistance missions as well as awarenessraising campaigns are scheduled to further the protection of underwater cultural heritage worldwide. The unesco conventionon underwater cultural heritage and. The unesco convention on the protection of the underwater. The unesco conventionon underwater cultural heritage and the international law of the sea markus rau i. The secretariat, headed by the directorgeneral, implements the decisions of these two bodies. According to the conventions key protection principle, culturehistorical discoveries should primarily remain at their discovery location. Chinas maritime silk road initiative and the protection.
Underwater cultural heritage can provide vital evidence about how human populations have adapted to, or been affected by climate changes in the past. She was supported by the able arturo da silva as organizer and facilitator. Towards ratification australias underwater cultural heritage. Culture organizes an international conference underwater cultural heritage in europe today from the 25th to 26th october 2018. It defines underwater cultural heritage as all traces of human existence having, historical or archaeological character. This unique heritage is protected by the underwater cultural heritage act x v w uch act in australia which superseded the historic shipwrecks act w. Underwater cultural heritage encompasses all traces of human existence that lie or have lain underwater and have a cultural or historical character. The protection of underwater cultural heritage in international law lowell bautista1 1. The convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage is a treaty that was adopted on 2 november 2001 by the general conference of the united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization unesco. We can find the definition of uch, within the follow specific international instrument. Internationally, the united states strongly supported the convention on the protection of underwater cultural heritage which would be developed under the auspices of unesco convention and would, inter alia.
Examples of intangible cultural heritage and place the unesco convention article 2 defines five domains in which intangible cultural heritage can be manifested, noting that different categories may be developed to suit other purposes or cultural contexts. International experiences in the legal protection and. Our attention then turned to the lack of proper legislation for the protection of underwater cultural heritage within territorial waters and how this could, and should, be improved. Underwater cultural heritage united nations educational. The 2017 conference will discuss among other topics issues associated with the ratification of the unesco convention. The international conference is under the auspices of the unesco directorgeneral ms. But to indeed save the underwater cultural heritage, many more urgent actions are needed.
While over the last century, archaeological sites on land have yielded. The british ratification of the underwater heritage. The underwater cultural heritage of the federated states. Article 4 states that any activity relating to underwater cultural heritage should not be subject to the law of salvage or law of finds, unless authorised by the competent authorities. Pdf underwater cultural heritage and international efforts to. Unescos international cultural heritage conventions. Perhaps if there had been a format for consultation and action between a number of. The draft was forwarded to unesco for consideration and formed the original basis for discussion leading to the convention on. Unescos convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage, five years on. Convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage, adopted. The ultimate goal of unescos normative action is to safeguard. Here are some australian examples that illustrate intangible cultural heritage and place. Pdf the rms titanic struck an iceberg and sank 1415 april 1912.
Where underwater cultural heritage is concerned, treasure. International protection of underwater cultural heritage. Underwater cultural heritage sustainable development. Garabello r 2003 the negotiating history of the convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage. Australia supports the principles as stated in the annex to the convention. Underwater cultural heritage underwater cultural heritage convention came into force. There are also sunken ruins and cities, like the remains of the pharos.
The unesco convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage is the international communitys response to the destruction of submerged archaeological sites by treasurehunters and industrial activities. It is governed by the general conference and the executive board. The unesco convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage is the foremost international treaty concerning submerged heritage adopted by the unesco general conference in 2001. Internationally, underwater cultural heritage uch is protected by the unesco convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage 2001 the convention. On top of that, ther e is the search for documented wrecks and document ed episodes in national history. The crucial compromise on salvage law and the law of finds, guido carducci, documents, bibliography. Pdf the 2001 unescoconvention on the protection of the. Convention unequivocally applies to all underwater cultural heritage.
The current situation of maritime cultural property under the interna tional law of the sea 1. This includes three million shipwrecks such as titanic, belitung and the 4,000 shipwrecks of the sunken fleet of kublai khan. Chinas ratification will ensure the international protection of underwater cultural heritage on the maritime silk road. Unesco convention on the protection of the underwater. On november 2, 2001, the unesco convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage was adopted by the plenary session of the general conference. The convention provides a standard for managing activities directed at underwater cultural heritage wherever it is located. Garabello r, scovazzi t eds the protection of the underwater cultural heritage, before and after the 2001 unesco convention. Rmst, and to respond to any motion for salvage award that rmst might file. Natural heritage 1972, the convention for the protection of the underwater cultural heritage 2001, the convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage 2003, the convention for the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions 2005. Ensuring the preservation of submerged treasures for the. The conference is a forum for discussion of technical and ethical issues related to underwater cultural heritage and underwater archaeology. Pdf the unesco 2001 convention on the protection of the. Protection of the underwater cultural heritage 2001 unesco convention okeefe 2002.