PROGRAMME

Regional meeting on the implementation and ratification of the 2001 Convention on the Protection of t he Underwater Cultural Heritage in South-East Europe

Zadar, 30 September – 1 October 2014

A meeting organized within the initiative

I. Background and Objectives

The UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage was adopted in 2001. As an international treaty, it represents a response of the international community to the increasing looting and destruction of underwater cultural heritage worldwide. The Convention, which entered into force on 2 January 2009, encourages scientific research and public access, condemns the commercial exploitation of heritage and promotes training and awareness raising activities concerning the value and importance of this expression of cultural heritage found underwater in the world’s oceans, seas, lakes and rivers. It also provides a platform for States to adopt a common approach to heritage protection and to endeavour to change the public perception of our submerged heritage, a unique legacy of humanity. The waters of South-East Europe are home to rich and varied vestiges of the region’s culture, witnesses to the history of this region as a cross-road of civilizations. The promotion of such heritage represents an important challenge and cultural objective for the countries in the region. Against this background, the main purpose of the meeting is to offer a renewed opportunity to establish a cooperative approach and share a common vision on measures to research, preserve and protect underwater cultural heritage and its cultural and historical context in South-East Europe, as well as to make it accessible to the general public. The Issues addressed at the meeting will include legal protection, cooperation in research, responsible public heritage access and awareness, and fund-raising. High-level representatives of the ministries of culture attending the meeting are expected to share their countries’ experiences in ratifying and implementing the 2001 Convention, as well as to discuss issues concerning future regional cooperation. The Meeting is hosted by the Ministry of Culture of Croatia and organized in cooperation with the UNESCO Category 2 International Centre for Underwater Archaeology (ICUA) (, Croatia), the Croatian Commission for UNESCO, the UNESCO 2001 Convention Secretariat, and the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe (, ).

II. Participants

The conference will be attended by representatives of the ministries of culture from , , , Croatia, , Greece, Hungary, Italy, , the Republic of Moldova, , , , The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Turkey. The meeting’s programme includes numerous presentations by international experts, as per the below programme.

Regional meeting on the implementation and ratification of the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage in South- East Europe Zadar, Croatia, 30 September – 1 October 2014 (page 2)

I II. General information

The meeting will take place at the conference room within the premises of the UNESCO Category 2 International Centre for Underwater Archaeology (ICUA), located in Zadar, Božidara Petranovića street, nr. 1

English will be the meeting’s working language.

Invited participants and speakers will lodge at hotel Kolovare. Address: Bože Peričića, 14 - 23000 Zadar, Croatia http://www.hotel-kolovare.com/en/how-to-reach-us/

NB: The organizers will cover participation costs (travel to/from Zadar; board and lodging in Zadar during the meeting) for speakers and for one official representative from each invited Member State. Additional participants are encouraged to attend as observers at their own cost, provided they register beforehand through the contact persons indicated below.

Regional meeting on the implementation and ratification of the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage in South- East Europe Zadar, Croatia, 30 September – 1 October 2014 (page 3)

I V . C o n t a c t s

Ms. Marina Šimičić, Education and Documentation Officer International Centre for Underwater Archaeology Tel. +385 23 250486 [email protected]

Mr. Matteo Rosati, Culture Unit, Programme Specialist UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe (Venice, Italy) Tel. + 39 041 2601535 m.rosati@.org

Regional meeting on the implementation and ratification of the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage in South- East Europe Zadar, Croatia, 30 September – 1 October 2014 (page 4)

PROVISIONAL AGENDA

Day 1 (30 September)

9.30 am Opening

 Berislav Šipuš, Deputy Minister of Culture, Croatia  Rut Carek, Secretary General, Croatian Commission for UNESCO  Ante Uglesic, Chair of the ICUA Board, President of Zadar

10.00 am Keynote addresses: The 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (Ulrike Guerin, Secretariat of the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, UNESCO) The challenges and potentials of underwater cultural heritage in the region (Luka Bekic, Director, International Centre of Underwater Archaeology – ICUA)

10.30 am Session I - Addresses by Representatives of Participating States

1.30 pm Lunch

3 pm Session II. Heritage Protection The Legal Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage (Ulrike Guerin, UNESCO) Challenges in Operational Protection (Harun Özdas, Vice Director of the Institute of Marine Science and Technology at Dokuz Eylül University Turkey) Relevance of the Convention for landlocked Countries (Attila Toth, Chairman at Argonauts Research Group, Ministry of Culture, Hungary) Conservation and Restoration of Underwater Cultural Heritage (Mladen Mustaček, Head of Conservation workshop, ICUA, Croatia) Making the invisible visible – access to underwater cultural heritage (Jasen Mesic, Member of the UNESCO Scientific and Technical Advisory Body to the 2001 Convention, Croatia) Discussion Round

5 pm Visit to the premises, laboratories, and temporary exhibition on underwater archaeology of ICUA

6.30 pm Reception and inauguration of the ICUA Library (speeches by representatives of Croatia, ICUA, and the Roman-Germanic Commission – DAI, )

Regional meeting on the implementation and ratification of the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage in South- East Europe Zadar, Croatia, 30 September – 1 October 2014 (page 5)

Day 2 (1 October)

9.30 am Session III. Public Access to Underwater Cultural Heritage The protection and research of sunken prehistoric landscapes (Friedrich Lüth, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut – DAI, Germany) The potentials and public benefit of underwater cultural heritage (Carlo Beltrame, University Ca Foscari, Italy) Virtual access and cultural routes (Ulrike Guerin, UNESCO) The potential for Museums (Andreas Olsson, National Maritime Museums, Sweden) Discussion Round

11.00 am Session IV. Regional Initiatives and Cooperation The contribution of the International Centre on Underwater Archaeology to regional cooperation (Mladen Pešić, Head of Educational department, ICUA, Croatia) Challenges in research cooperation (Andrej Gaspari, Undersecretary, Directorate for Cultural Heritage, Ministry of ) EU funding opportunities (Representative of the EU Delegation in Croatia) Cooperation with scientific and educational institutions:

 ICUA cooperation with the  The UNESCO Unitwin Underwater Archaeology Network, Ulrike Guerin, UNESCO Discussion Round

1 pm Closure

Regional meeting on the implementation and ratification of the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage in South- East Europe Zadar, Croatia, 30 September – 1 October 2014 (page 6)