Underwater Cultural Heritage Management and Capacity Building in the Pacific Islands

Underwater Cultural Heritage Management and Capacity Building in the Pacific Islands

This paper begins with introducing UNESCO’s Conventions focusing on different forms of heritage, namely land-based, underwater, movable, immovable, tangible and intangible, including the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH Convention) adopted in 2001. The paper then presents progress in activities under the three key Conventions, namely, the UCH Convention, the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (World Heritage Convention) and the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention (ICH Convention), in the Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Notable progress in UCH-related activities includes the enhanced awareness of the importance of UCH to SIDS sustainable development through the explicit reference to UCH in the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway outcome document of the 3rd UN SIDS Conference (Samoa, 2014) and a call for the development of comprehensive strategies to raise awareness of the natural and cultural significance of the ocean at the UN Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 14: Conserve and Sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development (NY, September 2017). Taking into account of these developments and based on good practices identified through the promotion and implementation of the World Heritage Convention and the ICH Convention in Pacific SIDS, the paper aims to present an implementation strategy for the effective support to UCH-related activities and the promotion of the UCH Convention among Pacific SIDS as a way forward.

Akatsuki Takahashi

The Museum of Underwater Archaeology

11/24/2017

Akatsuki Takahashi