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Adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 2 November 2001, the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage provides a framework for protection and management of underwater cultural heritage.  

Over the past 20 years, the 2001 Convention achieved a considerable improvement of the research and protection of underwater heritage through fostering international cooperation, knowledge exchange and the promotion of best standards. Since the adoption of the Convention, UNESCO supported its implementation through the organization of capacity building workshops worldwide. Over 500 participants were trained in underwater archaeology, conservation and management of this unique heritage. The 2001 Convention was ratified by over 70 States and is today supported by a wide network of partners including NGOs, universities and research centers as well as national authorities, museums and institutions. They work together with UNESCO and the Convention’s States Parties to promote and implement the Convention and its Annex which is recognized as the most important scientific standard for underwater archaeology.  

Often invisible and seemingly inaccessible, submerged heritage may be yet insufficiently known to the general public. However, under the waves, the conditions of preservation of artefacts and archaeological sites can be outstanding, allowing us to (re)discover the traces of human past and enrich our understanding of past cultures and societies. This heritage is varied and rich, and yet largely unexplored. 

A maritime past: Underwater cultural heritage recalls a history of daring and of sea fare

Whether simple dug-out canoes or sophisticated ships, wrecks offer an invaluable opportunity to look at a snapshot of time, the moment of shipwreck. Cargoes inform us about the commodities that our ancestors traded, maritime routes they took and ports they frequented. The objects of the sailors, sometimes very intimate, reveal the hardship of life at sea. The hulls of the ship itself provide us with information about naval engineering and architecture as well as maritime traditions and intangible heritage. Last but not least, these sites also reveal stories of migration, slavery and tragic loss. 

Swallowed by the rising sea and climate change :

The waters, however, did not only swallow ships. Due to rising sea levels sometimes up to 130 m in difference and natural disasters, built evidence of past societies, burial and archaeological sites also lie under water. This includes port structures, coastal dwellings, sites in submerged caves as well as entire prehistoric landscapes. 

Water, a condition for life : 

Yet, underwater cultural heritage is not only to be found in the ocean. Human beings have always lived close to resources of fresh water. The bottom of lakes and rivers has preserved the traces of this long interrelationship between humans and their environment. The traces that have been discovered bear witness to the essential role of water for navigation, fishing, hydraulics, and last but not least, veneration and religious beliefs. This kind of heritage includes impressive musical instruments, mummies and offerings. 

ICOMOS International Committee of Underwater Cultural Heritage (ICUCH) organizes a  which is dedicated to the 20th Anniversary of the 2001 Convention. It contains different subjects related to underwater cultural heritage presented by 28 experts, all members of ICUCH, every month from the December of 2020 to February 2022. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary, ICUCH also published a special edition of ICOMOS’ Heritage at Risk series: â€œ" to advocate for better legal protection, preservation and professional standards relating to underwater cultural heritage.

Africa 

• UNESCO in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Namibia co-hosted the ,10-11 March 2021. The meeting brought together experts from African countries and international experts, to increase awareness of the 2001 Convention and its value, and to improve collaboration at national and regional level to ensure strengthened protection of underwater cultural heritage. The Regional Meeting in line with the objectives of the 2001 Convention and with SDG 14, helped to integrate oceanic history and underwater cultural heritage into global efforts for conservation and sustainable use of the ocean. Namibia discovered the Oranjemund shipwreck in 2008 and has since taken practical steps towards capacity building, with the training of the first maritime archaeologist under the government programme in 2010.

Arab States 

•  was organized in two sessions on 14-16 December 2020 and 8-10 March 2021 in partnership with the Centre for Maritime Archaeology and Underwater Cultural Heritage (CMAUCH) at Alexandria University in Egypt, member of the UNESCO University Twinning Network (UNITWIN) for Underwater Archaeology. Eight Arab countries participated in this training (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Sudan, Tunisia), which aimed to strengthen capacities of national trainers on UCH management and underwater archaeology in the Arab States.

Asia and the Pacific 

• In the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the 2001 Convention, a  was jointly organized by UNESCO Beijing Office and the Ministry of Culture in Mongolia on 22-23 September 2021.  The workshop strengthened the national capacity and understanding of the Convention and recommended further action towards the ratification.  The meeting encouraged the ratification of the Convention in the region.

• in June 2021 bringing together key stakeholders representing government, industry, development partners and international experts to examine the protection of underwater cultural heritage. A draft Gap Analysis was prepared by experts to compare Solomon Islands’ legislation to the requirements of the 2001 UNESCO Convention, as well as a National Interest Analysis detailing the benefits and obligations to the Solomon Islands. A broader advocacy campaign was developed in consultation with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Solomon Islands and in partnership with the Major Projects Foundation to ensure public awareness and interest in the protection of underwater cultural heritage.

Europe and North America 

• UNESCO elaborated with a historian and prominent influencer.  It is posted on UNESCO’s social networks as well as through her YouTube channel Â«â€¯C'est une autre histoire » which enjoys more than 500,000 subscribers. 

• In 2021, the International Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Zadar, Croatia (UNESCO Category 2 centre) launched a new programme focusing on periodic monitoring and 3D documentation of the state and condition of protected underwater sites in order to be able to act and take appropriate measures if substantial degradation is noticed. In situ protection is one of the main principles of the 2001 Convention and monitoring of the protected sites gives opportunity to define different processes that affect underwater cultural heritage, which would be the first step in identifying further methods of protection that should be implemented. 

• On 9 December 2021, the International Conference: ‘’ was organized by Italy in collaboration with UNESCO on occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. Speakers at the Conference included internationally recognized specialists and scientific experts involved in significant initiatives with regards to the protection of underwater cultural heritage. The Conference debated various status and perspectives for safeguarding and presenting submerged heritage

Latin America and the Caribbean 

• In cooperation with the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands / Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE), the UNESCO Virtual Course on the  was organized in August 2021. It welcomed the participation of 86 students from 28 Member States, of which 11 are from the Caribbean.

• In the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, a : Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, was organized by the UNESCO Office in San José in collaboration with the Central American Integration System (SICA) and its Educational and Cultural Coordination (CECC/SICA). The virtual exhibition was hosted and launched on the  on 22 November 2021, through an event open to the public. The exhibition included photographs contributed from the eight countries, as well as other neighboring countries such as Cuba, Jamaica, and Mexico. The exhibition contributed to raise awareness of the diversity and richness of the submerged cultural heritage in the region, as well as the challenges faced for its protection and, above all, to show its potential to promote the fulfillment of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The initiative also sought to position cultural heritage as a tool in favor of cooperation and dialogue between countries that share a common cultural legacy.

• The to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 2001 Convention was organized on 23-24 November 2021, marking the end of , jointly organized by UNESCO offices in Havana, Quito and San Jose, with the financial and technical support from the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands.  This training course aimed at enhancing regional capacity for the protection of underwater cultural heritage and was participated by 80 students from 24 Member States, including 11 from the Caribbean.