International Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Zadar_ICUA – UNESCO Centre Under the auspices of UNESCO

The Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Zadar was founded in September 2007 as part of the Croatian Conservation Institute. In January 2009, the Centre gained legal independence, and an international agreement outlining its operations was signed between UNESCO and the Republic of Croatia. Since then, it has functioned as the International Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Zadar under the oversight of the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, and has held the status of a UNESCO Category 2 Centre. The decision to establish this Centre was prompted by Croatia being among the first countries to ratify the UNESCO’s Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. The Centre’s mission is to conduct activities and provide education in the fields of research, conservation, restoration, and promotion of underwater cultural heritage, especially on the international scale. Through its work, the Centre strongly advocates for the ratification and implementation of the UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage and encourages international cooperation and knowledge exchange in the field of underwater archaeology. The ICUA manages the old St. Nicholas Church and Monastery complex, whose restoration was co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund. The complex houses new educational and presentation centre dedicated to underwater archaeology recently opened and not yet well known by the tourist and/or local population.