First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage

From 26-03-2009   to   27-03-2009
 (Paris - France) 

• UNESCO Paris

The 2001 Convention entered into force on 2 January 2009. The Director-General convened therefore the First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention from 26 to 27 March 2009 at UNESCO Headquarters.

19 States Parties to the Convention attended the Meeting as participants with the right to vote. Albania, Grenada, Slovakia and Tunisia, having ratified the Convention less than three months before the Meeting of States Parties, participated as observers, as Article 27 of the Convention foresees a delay of 3 months for the Convention to enter into force for a State that deposits its instrument of ratification.

Furthermore 71 States non-Parties to the Convention participated as observers, as well as 5 intergovernmental, and 23 non-governmental organizations.

The Meeting was opened by the Director-General, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations Javier Perez de Cuellar, the president of the UNESCO General Conference and Prof. Thijs Maarleveld, president of the ICOMOS International Committee for the Underwater Cultural Heritage.

After a festive opening act the States Parties to the Convention discussed and adopted the Rules of Procedure of the Meeting of States Parties and decided on the functions and responsibilities of this Meeting, which is the most important organ of the Convention.

The Meeting furthermore established a Scientific and Technical Advisory Body, to be composed of experts nominated by the States Parties with due regard to the principle of equitable geographical distribution and the desirability of a gender balance, and adopted its Statutes. This Body will in future assist the Meeting of States Parties in questions of a scientific or technical nature regarding the implementation of the “Rules concerning activities directed at underwater cultural heritage” (Annex of the 2001 Convention) and other issues.

The Meeting furthermore decided that Operational Guidelines for the Convention will be elaborated and fixed the first week of December 2009 as the time for its next ordinary session.

Speeches held at the Meeting:

• Intervention of the UNESCO Director-General
  
  
• Intervention of J. Perez de Cuellar
  
  
• Intervention of the President of the General Conference
  
  
• Intervention of the President of ICUCH
  
  

Reports:

• Oral Report of the Rapporteur
  
  
• Final Report of the Meeting
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Results of the Meeting:

• Resolutions of the Meeting of States Parties
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• Rules of Procedure of the Meeting of States Parties
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• Statutes of the Advisory Body
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Working Documents distributed prior to the Meeting:

• Item 1 of the Provisional Agenda: Election of a chairperson, vice-chairpersons and a Rapporteur of the Meeting of States Parties
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• Item 2 of the Provisional Agenda: Adoption of the Agenda of the First Meeting of States Parties
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• Item 3 of the Provisional Agenda: Adoption of the Rules of Procedure of the Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage
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• Item 4 - No document
  
  
• Item 5 of the Provisional Agenda: Discussion on the possible adoption of the Statutes of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Body
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• Item 6 of the Provisional Agenda: Discussion on the possible nomination of the members of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Body to the Meeting of States Parties and discussion of the date and venue of its first meeting
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• Item 7 of the Provisional Agenda: Discussion of the Establishment of Operational Guidelines
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• Item 8 of the Provisional Agenda: Date and Venue of the Second Meeting of States of Parties
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