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UNESCO is active through the Secretariat of the 2001 Convention as well as through its multiple field offices throughout the world. The Secretariat fosters:

• Protection, through helping States to ratify the 2001 Convention, adapt their laws, administering an Advisory Body, and improve operational measures.
• Research, through promoting scientific conferences, providing rules and facilitating a university network.
• Education, by organizing trainings and preparing training materials, fostering school initiatives and youth education.
• Heritage Access, by promoting best practices, in situ visits and museums.
• International cooperation through the network of national authorities of States Parties to the Convention as well as its partners and accredited NGOs. 

Practical tools available in Resources support these efforts.

In recent years, underwater cultural heritage has attracted increasing attention from both the scientific community and the general public. For scientists, it represents an invaluable source of information on ancient civilizations, maritime practices, human use of land and marine environments and climate change. For the general public, it offers an opportunity to understand its history, to pass on the memory of it to future generations, to strengthen its sense of community and to develop a sustainable tourism economy.

91�鶹������Ʒ���� developed awareness-raising activities targeting all these stakeholders - members of the scientific community, heritage managers, the general public and local communities.

Furthermore, the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage encourages responsible public access to underwater cultural heritage sites. In order to promote best practices in the protection and management of underwater cultural heritage, the Meeting of States Parties designates Best Practices every two years upon proposal by States Parties. Finally, the Secretariat organizes exhibitions around the world to increase the visibility of underwater cultural heritage and to raise awareness of its importance and the need to protect it.

The Secretariat of the 2001 Convention has also developed various tools for children and teachers to make young people aware of the importance of underwater cultural heritage and the need to protect it. Among these tools, you can download our .

Missions of the STAB

The Scientific and Technical Advisory Body to the 2001 UNESCO Convention provides advice and assistance to the Meeting of States Parties on technical and scientific issues relating to protection of underwater heritage

States, in the exercise of their sovereignty, have the exclusive right to regulate and authorize activities directed at underwater cultural heritage in their inland waters, internal waters, archipelagic waters and territorial sea.

Beyond territorial waters, the jurisdiction of States is however strongly decreased and in international waters reduced with some exceptions only to jurisdiction over their own nationals and vessels flying their flag. This means that it becomes increasingly difficult to pursue pillagers or regulate industrial activities, the further an archaeological site lies out at sea. 

Within international waters, i.e. the exclusive economic zone (“EEZ”), the continental shelf and the Area, the 2001 Convention establishes hence an international cooperation scheme. It is based on a share of information and a cooperative protection effort. It allows an effective protection of underwater cultural heritage, while respecting international law of the sea. It offers a solution to jurisdiction gaps by legal assistance given from one State Party to the Convention to the other.