St. Kitts and Nevis ratifica la Convenzione UNESCO


Si aggiunge un nuovo paese alla sempre più lunga lista dei firmatari della Convenzione UNESCO per il Patrimonio Culturale Subacqueo: è il piccolo arcipelago di St. Kitts and Nevis, in America Centrale. Le isole in questione, situate nel cuore del gruppo delle Piccole Antille, sono state lungamente al centro di rotte e traffici importanti, in particolare tra il XVII e il XIX secolo, e dispongono senza dubbio di un quantitativo importante di relitti, che vanno protetti.


Di seguito, il testo dell'articolo comparso sulla stampa locale (il Saint Kitts and Nevis Democrat Newspaper)


At a short ceremony held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris this Thursday, St. Kitts and Nevis’ Permanent Delegate formally submitted the Government’s ratification instrument enshrining the Federation in the prestigious UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.

The Convention, established in 2001, seeks to enable UNESCO Member States to better protect their underwater heritage. By joining and ratifying the Convention, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis will be taking a historical step in contributing to protecting, preserving and opening its rich underwater vestiges, for its citizens, tourists and historians.

In presenting the Ratification instrument to the newly-appointed UNESCO Director-General Ms Irina Bokova, Permanent Delegate of St Kitts and Nevis to UNESCO H.E. Dr David P. Doyle, underlined the distinct added-value of the Federation signing up to the Convention: “St. Kitts and Nevis will have the means to prevent the commercial exploitation and dispersion of its underwater cultural heritage, guarantee that it will be preserved for future generations, help the tourism industry concerned and enable the Federation to avail of critical capacity building and the exchange of technical knowledge”.
Mrs Bokova, who made an official visit to St. Kitts and Nevis prior to her election as UNESCO’s first lady Director-General, welcomed the Government’s ratification of the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. She encouraged St. Kitts and Nevis to incorporate the Convention’s tangible attributes such as training in underwater archaeology, and technology transfer and the raising of public awareness concerning the significance of underwater cultural heritage. “I know having visited the Federation this year that many benefits can be derived from the Convention; for scientists and historians, St. Kitts-Nevis represents an invaluable source of information on its historical legacy submerged under the waters surrounding the twin-island state” and, of course, to the public at large, it offers an opportunity to further develop leisure diving and tourism”.
Antonio Maynard, Secretary-General of the St. Kitts-Nevis National Commission for UNESCO commented “The Federation will greatly benefit from cooperation and assistance from other UNESCO Member States in the protection and management of our rich underwater heritage, including collaborating in its investigation, conservation, study and presentation. The Convention also facilitates training modules in underwater archaeology, the transfer of technologies and the sharing of information”.
This brings the number of UNESCO Conventions signed by the Government of St. Kitts-Nevis to three, the others being International Convention against Doping in Sport and the 1972 World Heritage Convention, which inscribed the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park on the World Heritage List.

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