The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) adopted the "Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage" in 2001 and such Convention has entered into force on 2 January 2009. The UNESCO hopes to see a rapid acceptance of such Convention by States of the international community as well as the incorporation of the major provisions of the Convention into their domestic legislations.

    This paper firstly recapitulates the main principles of the Convention and, due to treaty obligation on the part of States Parties to incorporate the provisions of the Convention into their domestic laws, this paper then examines the practices of the 26 States Parties, and finally, compares with Taiwan's undertaking in promoting the legislation for the protection of the underwater cultural property.