The Scientific and Technical Advisory Body

• Objects recovered from a wreck © UNESCO/U. Koschtial

The first session of the Meeting of States Parties to the 2001 Convention, which took place from 26 to 27 March 2009 in Paris, established a Scientific and Technical Advisory Body, as foreseen by Article 23.4 of the Convention.

The Advisory Body is composed of twelve members. The Meeting of States Parties may increase this number to up to twenty four depending on the number of States Parties.

A State Party may nominate an expert for elections to represent it in the Advisory Body. Such experts shall have 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.

Among others, the Advisory Body

• will 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’ (the Annex of the Convention); 
  
• 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 Annex of the Convention;
  
• gives guidance in questions directly related to Rules in the framework of the practical application of the State cooperation mechanism contained in the Convention.

The Advisory Body consults and collaborates with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) having activities related to the scope of the Convention, namely ICUCH, as well as other competent NGOs accredited by the Meeting of States Parties.

The Advisory Body reports on its activities at each Meeting of States Parties.

It is expected that the first members of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Body will be elected at the second session of the Meeting of States Parties.