On June 9 and 10, 2026, the 17th annual meeting of the UNESCO UNITWIN Network for Underwater Archaeology and the 17th meeting of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Body (STAB) of the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage took place in Paris—important events bringing together experts and institutions dedicated to safeguarding underwater heritage worldwide.

In this context, Dr. Elena Flavia Castagnino Berlinghieri—a maritime archaeologist and CUEBC delegate for the UNESCO UNITWIN Network for Underwater Archaeology—presented the Centre’s scientific activities and the results of the 2024 Ravello Round Table, reaffirming the CUEBC’s role as an international hub for dialogue, research, and cooperation in the field of underwater archaeology.

The Ravello Round Table brought together distinguished experts from Italy, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, the United Kingdom, Greece, Malta, Montenegro, Portugal, the Sicily Region, and Turkey, representing universities, research institutions, public administrations, and cultural heritage management bodies. The proceedings of the meeting will be officially presented at Villa Rufolo in Ravello on December 3 and 4, 2026, as part of the global celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the 2001 UNESCO Convention. The event will be open to the public—both in person and online—with the aim of fostering the widest possible dissemination of knowledge and promoting dialogue among institutions, researchers, heritage professionals, and civil society.

Through its involvement in UNESCO networks and international research and training initiatives, the CUEBC continues to actively contribute to promoting scientific cooperation and disseminating the principles of the 2001 UNESCO Convention, thereby strengthening—over the course of at least three decades—the international dialogue on the protection of underwater cultural heritage. Looking to the future, and as highlighted by Dr. Elena Flavia Castagnino Berlinghieri during the meeting in Paris, the CUEBC—under the enlightened leadership of President Alfonso Andria—is committed to developing new initiatives aimed at strengthening international cooperation and enhancing the visibility of underwater cultural heritage.

Among these is the ‘Underwater Blue Routes – Underwater Cultural Itineraries for a Shared Heritage’ project, an initiative aiming to create an international network of submerged cultural routes, promoting archaeological heritage as a means of fostering dialogue and cooperation among peoples, sustainable access, and greater awareness of the value of a shared cultural legacy.

Image captions:

• Above, Elena Flavia Castagnino Berlinghieri speaking at the meeting of the UNESCO UNITWIN Network for Underwater Archaeology.
• The venue for the meeting, at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
• Pictured below, Elena Flavia Castagnino Berlinghieri with Barbara Davidde, the new Chairperson of the STAB Bureau (UNESCO 2001 Convention) (left), and Michelange Stefano, an expert from the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage – UNESCO Culture Sector.