The UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage: Its Growing Influence

The UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, in force since 2009, is on course to become a flagship of international resource management. It is important to appreciate at the outset that the Convention's effectiveness relies on a multi-faceted regime that transcends the expected compliance with its specific requirements by States Parties. Within a limited institutional framework, the Convention has generated, and is now supported by, broader measures of cooperation, education and legal development. Here, Nafziger summarizes its institutional framework and programmatic regime and provides details on the historical background and content of the Convention.