International Conference to mark the 20th Anniversary of the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, Rome/online, 9th December 2021
Italy in cooperation with UNESCO will organize on 9 December 2021 an International Conference on occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.
On 2 November 2021, the international community celebrates the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.
The Conference sheds light on this Convention, its successes, challenges and application. It will allow participants to debate the status and the perspectives for safeguarding and presenting submerged heritage. Speakers will be internationally recognized scientific experts from organizations and institutions involved in significant initiatives with regards to underwater cultural heritage. The Conference is promoted and coordinated as part of the activities of the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Culture, Service II - UNESCO Office, and is addressed both to the technical staff of the Bodies involved, as well as to a wider audience of experts and stakeholders (Universities, Museums, Local Administrations, Maritime Authorities). It is organized in cooperation with UNESCO.
Italy played a significant role in the birth of the 2001 Convention, not only by its active role in its drafting, but also by its contribution to the development of modern underwater archaeology in the second half of the twentieth century. The 20th anniversary of the Convention provides thus an opportunity to make an initial assessment of the effectiveness of the Convention, looking at the example of Italy and a variety of other States at the moment of the launch of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). The Conference will also and in particular debate the role of underwater cultural heritage for the sustainable development of the ocean and the important place culture and heritage should play in the Decade.
The year 2021 moreover marks the beginning of the next phase in the life of the 2001 Convention thanks to the start of the first multi-lateral cooperation process for the protection of an underwater cultural heritage area in international waters, the Skerki Banks in the Strait of Sicily, launched through the initiative of Italy. These banks are emblematic for their rich heritage, which have preserved a place of memory of the Mediterranean history for centuries, from Roman times to the present day. The status of this cooperation will equally be presented.
The Conference will be broadcast on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter through the Ministry of Culture’s channel.