Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001)
- Drafted: 2 November 2001 (Paris)
- Entry into force: 2 January 2009
- UK status: The UK has not ratified the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.
Underwater Cultural Heritage encompasses all traces of human existence, such as shipwrecks and underwater ruins, which lie or were lying underwater and have a cultural or historical character.
In recent years these sites have become increasingly accessible through improvements in technology and training. While these advances have helped professional underwater exploration they have also made underwater sites increasingly vulnerable to exploitation and looting.
The 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage is a key legal instrument for the protection of this underwater cultural heritage. It sets a common standard for the protection of such heritage, with a view to preventing its looting or destruction. The Convention aims to ensure the universal protection of underwater heritage, the facilitation of State Party cooperation and the setting of professional standards. It does not intend to change the sovereignty rights of States or to regulate the ownership of cultural property.
Find out more about underwater cultural heritage by downloading the UK National Commission for UNESCO’s (UKNC) underwater cultural heritage position statement here.
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UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Heritage
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