Ensuring the preservation of submerged treasures for the next generation: the protection of underwater cultural heritage in international law

In a historic moment that culminated almost a decade of negotiations, the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH Convention) was adopted on 2 November 2001.2 The UCH Convention is the fourth international instrument dealing with cultural heritage adopted under the aegis of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the first one specifically addressing the protection of underwater cultural heritage (UCH) in international law.3 The UCH Convention is the first universal instrument that exclusively deals with the preservation of UCH in international waters. The UCH Convention builds upon and addresses the gaps of the very limited, vague and contradictory protective regime afforded to UCH within the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC).