At its meeting on 25 September 2025, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria adopted a decision to approve the draft Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria and UNESCO for the designation of the Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Sozopol as a UNESCO Category 2 Institute. The new institute will be named the Institute for Underwater Heritage and will be responsible for projects and initiatives in the Black Sea region and the Lower Danube.
The draft Agreement is expected to be approved at the forthcoming October 2025 session of the UNESCO Executive Board, with the formal endorsement of the Institute to follow during the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference in November 2025.
Hosting a second Category 2 Institute (after the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe) underscores Bulgaria’s significant contribution to UNESCO’s work and its important role as a trusted partner of the Organization.
The high evaluation received by the Centre for Underwater Archaeology during the UNESCO assessment mission reaffirms its leading role in the study, protection, and promotion of underwater heritage – not only in Bulgaria but also globally.
The Black Sea’s rich and well-preserved underwater cultural heritage stands in stark contrast to the very limited number of underwater archaeologists and researchers, conservators of underwater sites and artefacts, specialized conservation laboratories, interdisciplinary research centres, and dedicated museums and exhibitions. In some Black Sea countries, there are no specialized state bodies responsible for underwater cultural heritage.
Legislation concerning the protection of underwater cultural monuments also requires improvement across all affected states. Only a small number of them have ratified the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, and additional efforts are needed for the protection and management of World Heritage sites with underwater components.
In response to these challenges, the new Institute has set several key objectives: to strengthen international and regional cooperation in the field of underwater and World Heritage; to encourage the participation of women (including girls and young women) in underwater archaeology, building on Bulgaria’s strong traditions in this regard; to establish a regional multidisciplinary scientific database (both digital and physical); and to contribute to the creation of the Saints Kirik and Julita Centre for Arts and Culture in Sozopol.
The preparation of the Centre’s candidacy has been preceded by years of intensive diplomatic work, with successive Ministers of Culture playing an active role in ongoing discussions with UNESCO representatives – including the visit of Mr. Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture, to Bulgaria in March 2023; during the 9th and 10th Meetings of States Parties to the 2001 Convention in Paris; during the 45th, 46th and 47th sessions of the World Heritage Committee in 2023, 2024, and 2025 respectively; and during the 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference in 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 entire team of the Centre for Underwater Archaeology extends its gratitude to the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their support and trust.
Title image: © UNESCO/Michel Ravassard
