By Arturo Rey da Silva, Co-Chair of ODHN

On 8 June 2026, the United Nations launched the Third World Ocean Assessment (WOA III), the most comprehensive report ever produced on the state of the global ocean. Developed over four years by more than 590 scientists and knowledge holders from 86 countries, the assessment provides an unprecedented overview of the environmental, social, economic, and governance dimensions of the ocean.

The full report is available through the United Nations World Ocean Assessment platform.

Following its release, I reviewed the references to cultural heritage throughout WOA III and compared them with the treatment of heritage in previous assessments. Overall, WOA III represents the strongest recognition of cultural heritage within the UN Regular Process to date, reflecting a gradual but important shift towards acknowledging the cultural dimensions of ocean sustainability.

The assessment recognises cultural heritage primarily in five areas:

1. As a component of cultural identity and community well-being;
2. Through traditional, Indigenous, and local knowledge systems;
3. As an asset contributing to tourism and sustainable ocean economies;
4. As a value increasingly threatened by environmental degradation and unsustainable ocean use; and
5. As part of the international ocean governance framework through references to UNESCO conventions, including the 1972 World Heritage Convention and the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.

Particularly noteworthy is the recognition of traditional fisheries and maritime practices as forms of cultural heritage that contribute to social cohesion, identity, and the transmission of knowledge across generations. The sections devoted to tourism similarly acknowledge the role of heritage in supporting local economies, community development, education, and cultural continuity.

More broadly, the assessment repeatedly highlights the importance of integrating Indigenous, traditional, and local knowledge into ocean governance and decision-making processes. This reflects a growing understanding that effective ocean management must draw upon diverse knowledge systems and cultural perspectives.

Compared with previous assessments, heritage has moved from being largely absent in WOA I and only occasionally referenced in WOA II to becoming a visible cross-cutting theme in WOA III. This evolution mirrors wider developments within the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, the growing Ocean Literacy movement, and increasing recognition of the interconnections between culture, society, and the marine environment.

At the same time, significant gaps remain.

While cultural heritage is increasingly acknowledged as a social and economic value, it is not yet treated as a distinct area of ocean governance or conservation. Underwater Cultural Heritage remains particularly underrepresented. Beyond references to the UNESCO 2001 Convention, there is very limited discussion of shipwrecks, submerged landscapes, underwater archaeology, offshore heritage, heritage within Exclusive Economic Zones, or heritage in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.

Likewise, the assessment does not propose indicators to measure the contribution of cultural heritage to SDG 14, Ocean Literacy, or broader sustainable ocean governance objectives. Such indicators would be essential for demonstrating the tangible contributions that heritage can make to ocean sustainability and for supporting evidence-based policy development.

Nevertheless, WOA III represents an important step forward. It recognises that oceans are not only ecological and economic systems, but also cultural spaces that support identities, traditions, knowledge systems, and human well-being. This acknowledgement is both timely and necessary as the international community seeks more integrated approaches to ocean sustainability.

For future assessments, there remains considerable scope to integrate Ocean Heritage more systematically, particularly through dedicated consideration of tangible, intangible, and underwater cultural heritage as essential components of sustainable development and ocean governance.

For us, at the Ocean Decade Heritage Network, this progress is encouraging. It reflects the growing impact of efforts undertaken across the Ocean Decade and within the wider ocean community to promote the role of heritage in ocean sustainability. It also demonstrates that there is growing momentum at the international level to ensure that heritage is fully recognised within ocean-related policies, frameworks, and decision-making processes.

The challenge now is to build on this momentum and continue advocating for Ocean Heritage to be recognised not as a peripheral issue, but as a fundamental pillar of sustainable and inclusive ocean governance.