The Center for Underwater Archaeology under the Ministry of Culture has submitted a candidacy for Category 2 status — as a Regional Centre for Underwater and World Heritage under UNESCO. The Minister of Culture, Krastyu Krastev, sent the candidacy to Ernesto Ottone, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture, seeking to establish, develop, and elevate the Center to Category 2 status for Underwater and World Heritage. This project is the result of the strategy and joint efforts of the Center for Underwater Archaeology, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The regional centre under UNESCO will be based on the infrastructure of the Center for Underwater Archaeology, a state cultural institute under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria, founded in 1978.
The preparation of the candidacy was preceded by diplomatic efforts, including multiple meetings held by the Minister of Culture with UNESCO representatives: during the visit of Mr. Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture, in Bulgaria in March; at the Ninth Meeting of States Parties to the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage in Paris; at the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in September 2023; and at the 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris, September 2023.
Bulgaria was the second country worldwide and the first in Europe to ratify the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage in 2003, and the submitted concept aligns with the implementation strategy of this Convention.
The goal is for the Center for Underwater Archaeology to establish itself as a global leader in the implementation of policies for the protection of underwater cultural heritage. Its mission is to strengthen international and regional cooperation in underwater and world heritage, promote scientific research, develop regional networks of organizations and experts, as well as provide training and facilitate the exchange of best practices and knowledge.
Based on the prepared project for the establishment of the UNESCO Regional Centre for Underwater Archaeology for the Black Sea region, it will work towards the adoption of the UNESCO Convention by all countries in the Black Sea region, professional specialization in the research, protection, and management of underwater cultural heritage, creation of partnerships and participation in international projects, and the establishment of a regional laboratory for conservation and interdisciplinary research.