Frequently Asked Questions on the UNESCO 2001 Convention

• Wreck, Papua-New Guinea ©UNESCO/A. Vanzo

The most frequently asked questions concerning underwater cultural heritage and the 2001 Convention are answered in the present document.

While cultural heritage on land has increasingly benefitted from national and international safeguarding measures, underwater cultural heritage still lacks sufficient legal protection. The UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, adopted in 2001, intends to enable States to better protect this heritage.