27 April 2014: The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) organized an event on ‘The potentials, preservation and use of sustainable benefits of Underwater Cultural Heritage in small island developing States (SIDS),’ on the margins of the intersessional meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the Third International Conference on SIDS. Presentations highlighted the potential role of underwater cultural heritage in sustainable tourism in SIDS.

The 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage supports States in protecting underwater cultural heritage. Its main principles address: preservation of underwater cultural heritage; preservation as the first option before allowing or engaging in other activities; no commercial exploitation of underwater cultural heritage; and training and information sharing. According to UNESCO, SIDS’ underwater cultural heritage sites, such as shipwrecks, have the potential to generate employment and income through sustainable tourism.

Panelists at the event discussed, inter alia: the underwater cultural heritage of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and challenges in its conservation; cultural and historic underwater heritage in the Caribbean; and the underwater museum initiatives.

UNESCO is organizing several events on underwater cultural heritage during the International Year of SIDS, with the aim of raising awareness on the importance of submerged heritage of SIDS and its significant for their cultural identity. [UNESCO Press Release] [UNESCO Website on Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage] [UNESCO Website on International Year]