Heritage for Peace and Reconciliation, Safeguarding the Underwater Cultural Heritage of WWII

Between 2014 and 2018, worldwide attention is paid to the First World War.

For UNESCO, this centenary is the perfect time to remind the world of the need for peace and to pay special attention to remembrance education. During the centenary commemoration, UNESCO wants to emphasize the research into and conservation of underwater heritage in relation to the First World War.
To reinforce this, UNESCO took the initiative to start an international peace project. This project aims to sensitize schools worldwide to get started on the above themes. Central to this educational project is the handbook Heritage for Peace and Reconciliation: Safeguarding the Underwater Cultural Heritage of the First World War , published by UNESCO, Paris, 2015. ISBN 978-92-3-100067-6.

The book was the result of a collaboration between UNESCO HDQ, the Underwater Cultural Heritage section and the Association for the United Nations Flanders. The book's authors are Dirk Timmermans, pedagogical advisor and chairman of the Education Working Group of the United Nations Association, and Dr Ulrike Guerin, head of UNESCO's underwater heritage section.

The handbook aims to provide teachers with tools to shape the educational process. It is aimed at schools that want to make the link between underwater heritage and peace education.

The handbook is distributed worldwide by UNESCO to the National UNESCO Committees and specialized heritage institutions.