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As adopted in the first session of the Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on 26-27 March 2009 in Paris and amended in its fifth session on 28-29 April 2015 in Paris, seventh session on 20-21 June 2019 in Paris and ninth session on 13-14 June 2023 in Paris.

(a) The Advisory Body 

(i) shall appropriately assist the Meeting of States Parties to the Convention in questions of a scientific or technical nature regarding the implementation of the "Rules concerning activities directed at underwater cultural heritage", as referred to in Article 33 of the Convention (hereinafter “the Rules”); 

(ii) may be consulted for the elaboration, in consultation with the Bureau of the Meeting of States Parties, of draft Operational Guidelines directly related to the Rules; 

(iii) shall give guidance in questions directly related to Rules in the framework of the practical application of the State cooperation mechanism contained in the Convention (Articles 8 to 13). 

(b) The Advisory Body shall assist the Meeting of States Parties by: 

(i) making technical and scientific recommendations in relation to the Rules to the Meeting of States Parties for discussion and adoption; 

(ii) identifying and monitoring practical common and emerging issues in underwater cultural heritage sites protection and materials conservation; 

(iii) identifying means of improving/developing best practices with regard to material and site conservation in addition to proposing standards of and means to promote them; 

(iv) proposing the organization of workshops and seminars on specific technical issues;

(v) proposing, monitoring, and facilitating actions to further the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. 

(c) Upon decision by the Meeting of States Parties, or by delegation to its Bureau, the Advisory Body may provide scientific and technical advice to States Parties on the implementation of the Rules through: 

(i) missions to the requesting States Parties; 

(ii) presentations during the Meeting of States Parties to the Convention;

(iii) any other appropriate means. 

(d) The Advisory Body shall report on its activities at each Meeting of States Parties; 

(e) The Advisory Body shall consult and collaborate with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) having activities related to the scope of the Convention, in particular with NGOs accredited by the Meeting of States Parties, namely ICUCH, with the UNESCO Unitwin Network for Underwater Archaeology, the UNESCO Chairs associated to the Convention and Category II Centres working under the auspices of UNESCO and that are connected to the Convention; 

(f) The Advisory Body may also be assisted in its work by certified international experts selected by it; 

(g) To that effect, the Advisory Body shall establish a list of experts, whose competence is recognized and who assist on a voluntary basis, including also from amongst those proposed by States Parties.

(a) The Advisory Body shall be composed of fourteen Members. The Meeting of Parties may increase this number to up to twenty-four depending on the number of States Parties. They shall have a scientific, professional and ethical background at the national and/or international level, in particular, in the field of underwater archaeology, international law, materials science (metallurgy, archaeo-biology, geology), and conservation of underwater cultural heritage sites and/or archaeological underwater artefacts. 

(b) The members of the Advisory Body shall work impartially and in compliance with the principles of the Convention. 

(a) Members of the Advisory Body are elected by the Meeting of States Parties to the Convention in conformity with Rules 36-39 of its Rules of Procedure. 

(b) The Advisory Body shall elect its Chairperson and its Vice-Chairperson(s) as well as a Rapporteur. The latter shall elaborate the reports of the meetings and of the electronic work of the Advisory Body in cooperation with the Secretariat and submit these rapports for adoption to the members of the Advisory Body. Following their adoption, the reports shall be submitted timely by the Rapporteur to the Meeting of States Parties.

(a) The Director-General shall convene a session of the Advisory Body once a year. In exceptional circumstances, he/she may convene an extraordinary session if funds are available. 

(b) The Director-General shall establish the agenda for the sessions of the Advisory Body after consultation with the Bureau of the Meeting of States Parties and the Chairperson of the Advisory Body. 

(c) Attendance of members at Advisory Body meetings is required. Upon notification by the STAB, the Meeting of States Parties may replace a member of the STAB who has been absent from two consecutive meetings.

(d) In addition to members, experts or representatives of organizations, whose duties and qualifications make them suitable for assisting the Advisory Body, may be invited by it to address a meeting of the Advisory Body. 

(a) Upon receipt of the decision of the Meeting of States Parties or its Bureau that the Advisory Body may provide advice to a State Party, the Secretariat shall inform the Chairperson about the decision, the details of the request of the State Party concerned and the financing available to answer the request. Usually the State Party requesting the assistance shall cover its cost. 

(b) The Chairperson in consultation with the Secretariat and the requesting State Party will then propose the measures of action that shall be taken and circulate the request and the suggestions to the members of the Advisory Body. In the case that a mission shall be sent to the requesting State Party, the Chairperson proposes also the designation of a head of mission to the requesting State Party. The Advisory Body members shall decide on the actions to be taken. 

(c) Missions shall be supported by the Secretariat, the Advisory Body and the UNESCO Field Office responsible for the requesting State Party. The designated head of mission shall report in a timely manner and in writing on the results of the mission, if possible by electronic means, to the Chairperson and the Secretariat. Appropriate security measures shall be taken, among other things by providing all mission members with the opportunity to profit from the appropriate UN security training. 

(d) The Secretariat shall then collect the opinions of the Advisory Body members on this report and prepare a draft Advisory Body Evaluation Report in close cooperation with the Chairperson of the Advisory Body. The Chairperson shall then circulate this report to all members, for their contributions, comments, and agreement. 

(e) Upon adoption of the report by the Advisory Body members, it shall be submitted to the requesting State Party and published on the Advisory Body website, in case this State Party has not expressly requested confidentiality.

The Director-General shall appoint a member of the UNESCO Secretariat to represent him/her on the Advisory Body, without a right to vote. The Secretariat of the Advisory Body is ensured by the UNESCO Secretariat. 

(a) Recommendations of the Advisory Body are adopted by consensus, or, if no consensus emerges, by majority vote of the members present at a meeting. 

(b) The sessions of the Advisory Body shall be held with a majority of its members being present. 

(a) States Parties should endeavour to provide appropriate funding of the Advisory Body. UNESCO shall make all reasonable efforts to identify funding from regular and extra budgetary sources. 

(b) Only the members of the Advisory Body from developing countries and countries in transition shall benefit from financial assistance in order to participate to the meetings of the Advisory Body. Whenever possible, the members of the Advisory Body should work electronically. 

The Statutes of the Advisory Body may be amended by the Meeting of States Parties to the Convention.