The first Meeting of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Body to the 2001 Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage took place at the Spanish National Museum for Maritime Archaeology (ARQUA) in Cartagena, Spain, on 14 and 15 June 2010.

After lively discussion the Advisory Body adopted the following resolutions and recommendations:

• the creation of a UNESCO electronic form for the transfer of notifications in the framework of the State cooperation mechanism of the Convention;
• to not accredit any NGO for cooperation until NGO accreditation criteria have been adopted;
• to foster the adaptation of national legislation protecting underwater cultural heritage and cooperation in this regard, in particular in small Island States;
• to collect and disseminate accounts of experience with public access and awareness projects;
• to elaborate guidelines for the establishment of national inventories;
• to elaborate ethical standards for divers;
• to provide assistance to States Parties to build capacity in the area of underwater cultural heritage protection;
• to elaborate a study on the benefit of the valorization of underwater cultural heritage;
• to elaborate a study on the most significant factors negatively affecting the conservation of underwater cultural heritage and the identification of remedial measures;
• to recommend the urgent recruitment of additional permanent staff for the UNESCO Secretariat for the Convention and the allocation of additional resources to facilitate the communication with the State Parties and to ensure the effective implementation of the Convention.

Final report and recommendations of the first meeting: EN | FR | ES | AR | CH | RU