Penolakan Indonesia dalam Meratifikasi Konvensi UNESCO Tahun 2001 tentang Perlindungan Cagar Budaya Bawah Air

The 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage houses countries that have a vision and mission to protect underwater relics. By emphasizing the aspects of cooperation based on notification and reporting, this convention normatively measures the implementation of programs that depend on the capabilities of its member countries as a regime for archaeological relics preservation that sank on the seabed. Until now the Indonesian government has not ratified the convention and even tends to reject it. In fact, Indonesia as an archipelagic country has the responsibility to preserve the legacy of underwater cultural heritage in its sea area. This article analyzes the strategic decision of the Indonesian government to delay ratifying the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage. The theory of state participation in international organizations suggests that a convention requires commitment from the parties involved to solve global problems. Ratification is needed by the state to be bound by the convention to achieve national interests. In the end the decision not to join the convention was due to its impact which did not provide benefits for the state.

The 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage and Its Principles Relating to the Recovery and Disposition of Material from Shipwrecks

The 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage is designed to regulate activities directed at heritage assets located in the marine environment. Basic principles and objectives are enunciated in the main text of the treaty and ‘Rules’ setting out internationally accepted archaeological standards are enshrined in the treaty’s Annex. Section I of this chapter summarizes the background to the Convention and its material scope of application before going on to outline its provisions with respect to the recovery and disposition of heritage assets that fall within its scope. Section II draws attention to certain problems that may arise when these provisions are applied to the most prevalent form of underwater cultural heritage: shipwrecks. In the concluding section, some explanation is given for why these issues are not properly catered for by the Convention and some consideration given to their potential impact in the future.

ARTICLE 16 UNESCO CONVENTION AND THE PROTECTION OF UNDERWATER CULTURAL HERITAGE

Deep-water technology and commercial interests have put the protection of underwater cultural heritage under considerable pressure in recent decades. Yet the 2001 UNESCO Convention has the potential to fend off the threat—if fully implemented. This article sets out the legislative duties States Parties have under one of the Convention's core provisions: Article 16. It requires States Parties to take a triad of legislative measures: they must enact prohibitions, impose criminal sanctions and establish corresponding jurisdiction over their nationals and vessels. In addition, the comprehensive protection of underwater cultural heritage also necessitates measures covering acts of corporate treasure hunters, even though this is not required by the Convention itself.

In-situ Preservation Sebagai Strategi Pengelolaan Peninggalan Arkeologi Bawah Air Indonesia

Indonesia is a renowned country of its richness of underwater archaeological heritage. Abundant maritime cultural activities had provided data to reconstruct the ancient maritime glory. In the matter of fact, the efforts to reconstruct the history are still facing many challenges especially in the lack of main point of view in managing the heritage. Considering that the Indonesian underwater archaeological heritage is of international significance, this paper discusses the opportunity to implement in-situ preservation in managing underwater archaeological heritage in Indonesia, as it is recommended by the 2001 UNESCO Convention. Some issues in the management of underwater cultural heritage, including activities undertaken and related regulation, were discussed through a descriptive approach. This paper then shows that although Indonesia might not ratify the 2001 UNESCO Convention in the near future, in-situ preservation is an ideal strategy to manage the underwater cultural heritage and is applicable in Indonesia, subject to some adjustment of current regulations. Abstrak. Indonesia sangat kaya dengan peninggalan arkeologi bawah air. Berbagai aktivitas budaya maritim telah meninggalkan data yang melimpah untuk merekonstruksi sejarah bangsa ini. Pada kenyataannya, upaya rekonstruksi tersebut masih menghadapi banyak tantangan terutama dalam hal perbedaan sudut pandang pengelolaan tinggalan-tinggalan tersebut oleh para pihak pengelola. Mengingat bahwa peninggalan arkeologi bawah air di Indonesia tidak hanya memiliki signifikansi nasional, tapi juga regional bahkan internasional, kajian ini mengurai kemungkinan penerapan in-situ preservation, sebagaimana tercantum dalam Konvensi UNESCO tahun 2001, sebagai strategi pengelolaan peninggalan arkeologi bawah air Indonesia. Pendekatan deskriptif digunakan untuk menggambarkan permasalahan yang ada dan menunjukkan bahwa meskipun Indonesia belum dapat meratifikasi Konvensi UNESCO tahun 2001 dalam waktu dekat, in-situ preservation merupakan strategi ideal pengelolaan peninggalan arkeologi bawah air yang dapat diterapkan di Indonesia dengan melakukan penyesuaian regulasi yang berlaku.

The Law of the Sea Convention and Underwater Cultural Heritage

As far as underwater cultural heritage is concerned, the regime of the Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC) is fragmentary, insufficient and even counterproductive. The English text of Art. 303, para. 3, can be interpreted as an invitation to the looting of the heritage under a first-come-first-served, or “freedom-of-fishing,” criterion. Only Art. 149, which applies only to “the Area”, takes into consideration the need to use the heritage for the benefit of mankind and the preferential rights of some States. The 2001 UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage tries to bring a remedy to the disastrous aspects of the LOSC regime. In short, even the LOSC can be bad, albeit in very rare instances, and the case of underwater cultural heritage is the most notable one.