Page 18 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

© C.Lund / UNESCO.Scheme of the various maritime zones according to UNCLOS.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) regulates the limits of the various maritime zones measured from
a baseline, as well as the rights and duties of its States Parties therein.The image shows a sketch of these limitations of maritime zones as regulated in UNCLOS. UNCLOS is one of the most important international treaties regulating the law of the Sea. More than 160 States are party to this Convention. One of its most significant achievements is the regulation of sovereignty rights and jurisdiction at Sea, and the definition of maritime zones.
The 2001 Convention is not intended or designed to amend the regulations of UNCLOS or other international law (Art. 3 of the 2001 Convention), and it does not change the existing maritime zones.
ICOMOS Charter were incorporated in the Annex of the Convention.
The Convention enables States to effectively protect and preserve underwater cultural heritage and provides it the same universal protection in general accorded to cultural heritage on land.
While many issues were subject to complex dis- cussions during the elaboration process (in particular those that dealt with the law of the sea), one part of the Convention draft found quasi immediate and unanimous acceptance by the representatives of governments: the Rules concerning activities directed at underwater cultural heritage placed in the Annex of the Convention. Addressing ethical and professional standards for underwater archaeology, they have become a major reference for this dis- cipline.
 © UNESCO. UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. Debates of representatives from UNESCO Member States during the General Conference.
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Legal context