Antarctic Treaty System#Meetings
{{Short description|International treaties concerning Antarctica}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox Treaty
| long_name = The Antarctic Treaty
{{langx|fr|link=no|Traité sur l'Antarctique}}
{{langx|ru|link=no|Договор об Антарктике}}
{{langx|es|link=no|Tratado Antártico}}
| name = Antarctic Treaty
| image = Flag of the Antarctic Treaty.svg{{!}}border
| image_width = 180px
| caption = Flag of the Antarctic Treaty System
| type = Condominium
| date_drafted =
| date_signed = 1 December 1959"Antarctic Treaty" in The New Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 439.
| location_signed = Washington, D.C., United States
| date_sealed =
| date_effective = 23 June 1961
| condition_effective = Ratification of all 12 signatories
| date_expiration =
| depositor = Federal government of the United States
| languages = English, French, Russian, and Spanish
| wikisource = Antarctic Treaty
}}
File:Antarctica 6400px from Blue Marble.jpg]]
The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively known as the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earth's only continent without a native human population. It was the first arms control agreement established during the Cold War, designating the continent as a scientific preserve, establishing freedom of scientific investigation, and banning military activity; for the purposes of the treaty system, Antarctica is defined as all the land and ice shelves south of 60°S latitude. Since September 2004, the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat, which implements the treaty system, is headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina.{{cite web|url=http://www.ats.aq/index_e.htm|title=ATS – Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty|website=ats.aq|access-date=10 February 2010|archive-date=15 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515210037/https://www.ats.aq/index_e.htm|url-status=dead}}
{{International ownership conventions}}
The main treaty was opened for signature on 1 December 1959, and officially entered into force on 23 June 1961.{{cite web|title=Antarctic Treaty|url=https://treaties.unoda.org/t/antarctic|website=United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs|publisher=United Nations|access-date=28 March 2018}} The original signatories were the 12 countries active in Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957–58: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These countries had established over 55 Antarctic research stations for the IGY, and the subsequent promulgation of the treaty was seen as a diplomatic expression of the operational and scientific cooperation that had been achieved. {{As of|2024}}, the treaty has 58 parties.{{cite web|date=22 April 2019|title=Antarctic Treaty|url=https://www.state.gov/antarctic-treaty/|access-date=11 September 2022|publisher=United States Department of State}}
History
= 1940s =
After World War II, the U.S. considered establishing a claim in Antarctica. From 26 August 1946, and until the beginning of 1947, it carried out Operation Highjump, the largest military expeditionary force that the United States had ever sent to Antarctica, consisting of 13 ships, 4,700 men, and numerous aerial devices.{{cite book |title=Antarctic Treaty System: An Assessment: Proceedings of a Workshop Held at Beardmore South Field Camp, Antarctica, 7–13 January 1985 |date=1986 |publisher=National Academy Press |isbn=0-585-26158-X |location=Washington, D.C. |oclc=45730572}} Its goals were to train military personnel and to test material in conditions of extreme cold for a hypothetical war in the Antarctic.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}
On 2 September 1947, the quadrant of Antarctica in which the United States was interested (between 24° W and 90° W) was included as part of the security zone of the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, committing its members to defend it in case of external aggression.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}
In August 1948, the United States proposed that Antarctica be under the guardianship of the United Nations, as a trust territory administered by Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. This idea was rejected by Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, and Norway. Before the rejection, on 28 August 1948, the United States proposed to the claimant countries some form of internationalization of Antarctica, and the United Kingdom supported this. Chile responded by presenting a plan to suspend all Antarctic claims for five to ten years while negotiating a final solution, but this did not find acceptance.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}
In 1950, the interest of the United States to keep the Soviet Union away from Antarctica was frustrated, when the Soviets informed the claimant states that they would not accept any Antarctic agreement in which they were not represented. The fear that the USSR would react by making a territorial claim, bringing the Cold War to Antarctica, led the United States to make none.
= International conflicts =
Various international conflicts motivated the creation of an agreement for the Antarctic.{{cite book |last=Orrego Vicuna |first=Francisco |title=Antarctic Treaty System: An Assessment: Proceedings of a Workshop Held at Beardmore South Field Camp, Antarctica, 7–13 January 1985 |publisher=National Academy Press |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-309-03640-5 |location=Washington |pages=55 |chapter=Antarctic Conflict and International Cooperation}}
Some incidents had occurred during the Second World War, and a new one occurred in Hope Bay on 1 February 1952, when the Argentine military fired warning shots at a group of Britons. The response of the United Kingdom was to send a warship that landed marines at the scene on 4 February.{{Cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1952/feb/20/falkland-islands-dependencies-hope-bay|title=Falkland Islands Dependencies (Hope Bay Incident)|date=20 February 1952 |website=Parliament}} In 1949, Argentina, Chile, and the United Kingdom signed a Tripartite Naval Declaration committing not to send warships south of the 60th parallel south, which was renewed annually until 1961 when it was deemed unnecessary when the treaty entered into force. This tripartite declaration was signed after the tension generated when Argentina sent a fleet of eight warships to Antarctica in February 1948.{{cite book |last=Whiteman |first=Marjorie |title=Digest of International Law, Volume 2 |publisher=U.S. Department of State |year=1963 |page=1238 |chapter=Tripartite Naval Declaration}}
On 17 January 1953, Argentina reopened the Lieutenant Lasala refuge on Deception Island, leaving a sergeant and a corporal in the Argentine Navy. On 15 February, in the incident on Deception Island, 32 royal marines landed from the British frigate HMS Snipe armed with Sten machine guns, rifles, and tear gas capturing the two Argentine sailors. The Argentine refuge and a nearby uninhabited Chilean shelter were destroyed, and the Argentine sailors were delivered to a ship from that country on 18 February near South Georgia.{{cite web |url=http://www.histarmar.com.ar/HYAMNEWS/HyamNews2004/HY01-04%20Churchill.htm |title=Historia y Arqueología Marítima. Churchill envió una fragata para repeler la "invasión" de las Malvinas por dos soldados Argentinos en 1953. |trans-title=Maritime History and Archaeology. Churchill sent a frigate to repel the "invasion" of the Falklands by two Argentine soldiers in 1953. |language=es}} A British detachment remained three months on the island while the frigate patrolled its waters until April.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}
On 4 May 1955, the United Kingdom filed two lawsuits, against Argentina and Chile respectively, before the International Court of Justice to declare the invalidity of the claims of the sovereignty of the two countries over Antarctic and sub-Antarctic areas. On 15 July 1955, the Chilean government rejected the jurisdiction of the court in that case, and on 1 August, the Argentine government also did so, so on 16 March 1956, the claims were closed.{{cite web |url=https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/26 |website=International Court of Justice |title=Antarctica (United Kingdom v. Argentina)}}{{cite web |url=https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/27 |website=International Court of Justice |title=Antarctica (United Kingdom v. Chile))}}
In 1956 and 1958, India tried unsuccessfully to bring the Antarctic issue to the United Nations General Assembly.
= International Geophysical Year =
In 1950, the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) had discussed the possibility of holding a third International Polar Year. At the suggestion of the World Meteorological Organization, the idea of the International Polar Year was extended to the entire planet, thus creating the International Geophysical Year that took place between 1 July 1957, and 31 December 1958. In this event, 66 countries participated. At the ICSU meeting in Stockholm from 9 to 11 September 1957, the creation of a Special Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) was approved, inviting the twelve countries conducting Antarctic investigations to send delegates to integrate the committee, with the purpose of exchanging scientific information among its members regarding Antarctica. The SCAR was later renamed to the Scientific Committee for Research in Antarctica.
Both Argentina and Chile stated that research carried out on the continent during the International Geophysical Year would not give any territorial rights to the participants, and that the facilities that were erected during that year should be dismantled at the end of it. However, in February 1958, the United States proposed that the Antarctic investigations should be extended for another year, and the Soviet Union reported that it would maintain its scientific bases until the studies being carried out had been completed.
= Negotiation of the treaty =
Scientific bases increased international tension concerning Antarctica. The danger of the Cold War spreading to that continent caused the President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, to convene an Antarctic Conference of the twelve countries active in Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year, to sign a treaty. In the first phase, representatives of the twelve nations met in Washington, who met in sixty sessions between June 1958 and October 1959 to define a basic negotiating framework. However, no consensus was reached on a preliminary draft. In the second phase, a conference at the highest diplomatic level was held from 15 October to 1 December 1959, when the Treaty was signed.
The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 by 12 nations and came into effect in the mid-1960s. The central ideas with full acceptance were the freedom of scientific research in Antarctica and the peaceful use of the continent. There was also a consensus for demilitarization and the maintenance of the status quo. The treaty prohibits nuclear testing, military operations, economic exploitation, and territorial claims in Antarctica. It is monitored through on-site inspections. The only permanent structures allowed are scientific research stations. The original signatory countries hold voting rights on Antarctic governance, with seven of them claiming portions of the continent and the remaining five being non-claimants. Other nations have joined as consultative members by conducting significant research in Antarctica. Non-consultative parties can also adhere to the treaty. In 1991–1992, the treaty was renegotiated by 33 nations, with the main change being the Madrid Protocol on Environmental Protection, which prohibited mining and oil exploration for 50 years.{{cite journal | doi=10.1177/13540661211033889 | title=An international hierarchy of science: Conquest, cooperation, and the 1959 Antarctic Treaty System | date=2021 | last1=Yao | first1=Joanne | journal=European Journal of International Relations | volume=27 | issue=4 | pages=995–1019 | s2cid=238807417 | doi-access=free }}
The positions of the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand coincided in the establishment of an international administration for Antarctica, proposing that it should be within the framework of the United Nations. Australia and the United Kingdom expressed the need for inspections by observers, and the British also proposed the use of military personnel for logistical functions. Argentina proposed that all atomic explosions be banned in Antarctica, which caused a crisis that lasted until the last day of the conference, since the United States, along with other countries, intended to ban only those that were made without prior notice and without prior consultation. The support of the USSR and Chile for the Argentine proposal finally caused the United States to retract its opposition.
The signing of the treaty was the first arms control agreement that occurred in the framework of the Cold War, and the participating countries managed to avoid the internationalization of Antarctic sovereignty.
Starting from the year 2048, any of the consultative parties to the treaty may request the revision of the treaty and its entire normative system, with the approval of a three-quarters majority of consultative parties needed for the adoption of any changes.{{cite web |title=La Antártica después del año 2048 |url=https://www.elmostrador.cl/noticias/opinion/2022/01/20/la-antartica-despues-del-ano-2048/ |publisher=El Mostrador |access-date=29 March 2023 |language=es |date=20 January 2022}}{{cite web |title=La Antártica es urgente |url=https://revistamarina.cl/es/articulo/la-antartica-es-urgente |publisher=Revista Marina |access-date=29 March 2023 |language=es |date=24 July 2021}}{{cite web |date=21 January 2021 |title=Por qué es importante la Antártida para Uruguay con miras al 2048 |url=https://www.elobservador.com.uy/nota/por-que-es-importante-la-antartida-para-uruguay-con-miras-al-2048-2021165057 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106101456/https://www.elobservador.com.uy/nota/por-que-es-importante-la-antartida-para-uruguay-con-miras-al-2048-2021165057 |archive-date=6 January 2021 |access-date=29 March 2023 |publisher=El Observador |language=es}}{{cite web |title=In 30 years the Antarctic Treaty becomes modifiable, and the fate of a continent could hang in the balance |url=https://theconversation.com/in-30-years-the-antarctic-treaty-becomes-modifiable-and-the-fate-of-a-continent-could-hang-in-the-balance-98654 |publisher=The Conversation |access-date=29 March 2023 |date=12 July 2018}}
Other agreements
File:Antarctica, pollution, environment, Russia, Bellingshausen 1.JPG on King George Island, is no longer permitted by the Protocol on Environmental Protection.]]
Other agreements – some 200 recommendations adopted at treaty consultative meetings and ratified by governments – include:
- Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora (1964) (entered into force in 1982)
- The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972)
- The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1982){{cite web|url=http://www.ccamlr.org/en/document/publications/convention-conservation-antarctic-marine-living-resources|title=Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources – CCAMLR|website=ccamlr.org}}
- The Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities (1988) (signed in 1988, not in force)
- The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed 4 October 1991, and entered into force 14 January 1998; this agreement prevents development and provides for the protection of the Antarctic environment through five specific annexes on marine pollution, fauna and flora, environmental impact assessments, waste management, and protected areas. It prohibits all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific. A sixth annex on liability arising from environmental emergencies was adopted in 2005, but is yet to enter into force.
Bilateral treaties
- Exchange of Notes constituting an Agreement between the Governments of Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Government of the French Republic, regarding Aerial Navigation in the Antarctic (Paris, 25 October 1938)[http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/dfat/treaties/1938/13.html "Exchange of Notes constituting an Agreement between the Governments of Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Government of the French Republic, regarding Aerial Navigation in the Antarctic (Paris, 25 October 1938). ATS 13 of 1938."] Australasian Legal Information Institute, Australian Treaty Series. Retrieved 15 April 2017
- Treaty Between the Government of Australia and the Government of the French Republic on Cooperation in the Maritime Areas Adjacent to the French Southern and Antarctic Territories (TAAF), Heard Island and the McDonald Islands (Canberra, 24 November 2003)[http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/dfat/treaties/2005/6.html "Treaty between the Government of Australia and the Government of the French Republic on cooperation in the maritime areas adjacent to the French Southern and Antarctic Territories (TAAF), Heard Island and the McDonald Islands (Canberra, 24 November 2003) – ATS 6 of 2005”]. Australasian Legal Information Institute, Australian Treaties Library. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- Agreement on Cooperative Enforcement of Fisheries Laws between the Government of Australia and the Government of the French Republic in the Maritime Areas Adjacent to the French Southern and Antarctic Territories, Heard Island and the McDonald Islands (Paris, 8 January 2007)[http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/dfat/treaties/2011/1.html "Agreement on Cooperative Enforcement of Fisheries Laws between the Government of Australia and the Government of the French Republic in the Maritime Areas Adjacent to the French Southern and Antarctic Territories, Heard Island and the McDonald Islands (Paris, 8 January 2007) – ATS 1 of 2011”]. Australasian Legal Information Institute, Australian Treaties Library. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
Meetings
The Antarctic Treaty System's yearly Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings (ATCM) are the international forum for the administration and management of the region. Only 29 of the 58 parties to the agreements have the right to participate in decision-making at these meetings, though the other 29 are still allowed to attend. The decision-making participants are the Consultative Parties and, in addition to the 12 original signatories, including 17 countries that have demonstrated their interest in Antarctica by carrying out substantial scientific activity there.{{cite web|url=https://www.ats.aq/|title=Welcome to the Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty Website|website=ats.aq}} The Antarctic Treaty also has Special Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings (SATCM), which are generally summoned to treat more important topics but are less frequents and Meetings of Experts.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ats.aq/devAS/Meetings?lang=e|title=List of Meetings|website=ats.aq|access-date=13 January 2020}}
Parties
As of 2024, there are 58 states party to the treaty,{{cite web|date=22 April 2019|title=Antarctic Treaty|url=https://www.state.gov/antarctic-treaty/|access-date=11 September 2022|publisher=United States Department of State}} 29 of which, including all 12 original signatories to the treaty, have consultative (voting) status.{{cite web|url=https://www.ats.aq/devAS/Parties?lang=e|title=Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty: Parties|access-date=11 September 2022}} The consultative members include the 7 countries that claim portions of Antarctica as their territory. The 51 non-claimant countries do not recognize the claims of others. 42 parties to the Antarctic Treaty have also ratified the "Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty".{{cite web |url= https://www.state.gov/protocol-antarctic-treaty/ |title=Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty |date=27 October 2017 |publisher=United States Department of State |access-date=30 June 2019}}
[[File:Antarctic Treaty parties.svg|432px|right|thumb|
{{legend|orange|Parties with consulting status making a claim to Antarctic territory}}
{{legend|#EEEE00|Parties with consulting status reserving the right to make a territorial claim}}{{Cite web |title=Antarctic Region |url=https://www.state.gov/key-topics-office-of-ocean-and-polar-affairs/antarctic/ |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=United States Department of State |language=en-US}}
{{legend|#0000FF|Other parties with consulting status}}
{{legend|#00AA00|Parties without consulting status}}
{{legend|#FF1111|Non-party UN member states and observers}}]]
{{clear}}
Overview of parties to the Antarctic Treaty System
class="wikitable sortable"
!scope="col" | Country{{cite web|url=http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/t/antarctic|title=Antarctic Treaty|publisher=United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs|access-date=12 March 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/15272.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/15272.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=The Antarctic Treaty System: Introduction|publisher=United States Department of State|access-date=12 March 2014}} !scope="col"| Signature !scope="col"| Ratification/ !scope="col"| Consultative !scope="col"| Notes |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Argentina}} (claim)*
|{{dts|1959|Dec|1|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1961|Jun|23|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1961|Jun|23|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Australia}} (claim)
|{{dts|1959|Dec|1|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1961|Jun|23|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1961|Jun|23|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Austria}}
|No |{{dts|1987|Aug|25|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Belarus}}
|No |{{dts|2006|Dec|27|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Belgium}}
|{{dts|1959|Dec|1|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1960|Jul|26|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1961|Jun|23|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Brazil}} (unofficial claim)
|No |{{dts|1975|May|16|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1983|Sep|27|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Bulgaria}}
|No |{{dts|1978|Sep|11|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1998|Jun|5|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Canada}}
|No |{{dts|1988|May|4|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Chile}} (claim)*
|{{dts|1959|Dec|1|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1961|Jun|23|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1961|Jun|23|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|China}}
|No |{{dts|1983|Jun|8|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1985|Oct|7|format=dmy}} |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Colombia}}
|No |{{dts|1989|Jan|31|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Costa Rica}}
|No |{{dts|2022|Aug|11|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Cuba}}
|No |{{dts|1984|Aug|16|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Czech Republic}}
|No |{{dts|1993|Jan|1|format=dmy}} |{{dts|2014|Apr|1|format=dmy}} |Succession from {{flagu|Czechoslovakia}}, which acceded on 14 June 1962.{{cite web|url=http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/a/antarctic/czechrepublic/suc/washington|title=Czech Republic: Succession to Antarctic Treaty|publisher=United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs|access-date=12 March 2014}} |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Denmark}}
|No |{{dts|1965|May|20|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Ecuador}}
|No |{{dts|1987|Sep|15|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1990|Nov|19|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Estonia}}
|No |{{dts|2001|May|17|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Finland}}
|No |{{dts|1984|May|15|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1989|Oct|20|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|France}} (claim)
|{{dts|1959|Dec|1|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1960|Sep|16|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1961|Jun|23|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Germany}} (historical claim)
|No |{{dts|1979|Feb|5|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1981|Mar|3|format=dmy}} |Ratified as {{flagu|West Germany}}. {{flagu|East Germany}} also acceded on 19 November 1974, and received consultative status on 5 October 1987, prior to its reunification with West Germany.{{cite web|url=http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/a/antarctic/germany/acc/washington|title=Germany: Accession to Antarctic Treaty|publisher=United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs|access-date=13 March 2014}} |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Greece}}
|No |{{dts|1987|Jan|8|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Guatemala}}
|No |{{dts|1991|Jul|31|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Hungary}}
|No |{{dts|1984|Jan|27|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Iceland}}
|No |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|India}}
|No |{{dts|1983|Aug|19|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1983|Sep|12|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Italy}}
|No |{{dts|1981|Mar|18|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1987|Oct|5|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Japan}} (historical claim)
|{{dts|1959|Dec|1|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1960|Aug|4|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1961|Jun|23|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Kazakhstan}}
|No |{{dts|2015|Jan|27|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Malaysia}}
|No |{{dts|2011|Oct|31|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Monaco}}
|No |{{dts|2008|May|31|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Mongolia}}
|No |{{dts|2015|Mar|23|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Netherlands}}
|No |{{dts|1967|Mar|30|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1990|Nov|19|format=dmy}} |Applies to all constituent countries of Kingdom of the Netherlands. Formerly applied to {{SUR}} until its independence on 25 November 1975. |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|New Zealand}} (claim)
|{{dts|1959|Dec|1|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1960|Nov|1|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1961|Jun|23|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|North Korea}}
|No |{{dts|1987|Jan|21|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Norway}} (claim)
|{{dts|1959|Dec|1|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1960|Aug|24|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1961|Jun|23|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Pakistan}}
|No |{{dts|2012|Mar|1|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Papua New Guinea}}
|No |{{dts|1981|Mar|16|format=dmy}} |No |Succession from {{flagu|Australia}}. Effective from their independence on 16 September 1975.{{cite web|url=http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/a/antarctic/papuanewguinea/suc/washington|title=Papua New Guinea: Succession to Antarctic Treaty|publisher=United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs|access-date=13 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313214738/http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/a/antarctic/papuanewguinea/suc/washington |archive-date= 13 March 2014 }} |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Peru}}
|No |{{dts|1981|Apr|10|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1989|Oct|9|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Poland}}
|No |{{dts|1961|Jun|8|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1977|Jul|29|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Portugal}}
|No |{{dts|2010|Jan|29|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Romania}}
|No |{{dts|1971|Sep|15|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Russia}}†
|{{dts|1959|Dec|1|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1960|Nov|2|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1961|Jun|23|format=dmy}} |Ratified as the {{flagu|Soviet Union}}.{{cite web|url=http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/a/antarctic/russianfederation/rat/washington|title=Russian Federation: Ratification of Antarctic Treaty |publisher=United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs|access-date=13 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313214533/http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/a/antarctic/russianfederation/rat/washington |archive-date= 13 March 2014 }} |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|San Marino}}{{Cite web |title=San Marino accedes to the Antarctic Treaty |date=Feb 22, 2023 |url=https://www.ats.aq/devph/en/news/234 |access-date=2023-04-28 |website=Antarctic Treaty |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230319061841/https://www.ats.aq/devph/en/news/234 |archive-date=Mar 19, 2023 }}
|No |{{dts|2023|Feb|14|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Saudi Arabia}}
|No |{{dts|2024|May|22|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Slovakia}}
|No |{{dts|1993|Jan|1|format=dmy}} |No |Succession from {{flagu|Czechoslovakia}}, which acceded on 14 June 1962.{{cite web|url=http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/a/antarctic/slovakia/suc/washington|title=Slovakia: Succession to Antarctic Treaty|publisher=United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs|access-date=13 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140313215720/http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/a/antarctic/slovakia/suc/washington |archive-date= 13 March 2014 }} |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Slovenia}}
|No |{{dts|2019|Apr|22|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|South Africa}}{{cite web|url=http://www.dfa.gov.za/foreign/Multilateral/inter/ats.htm|title=Antarctic Treaty System (ATS)|publisher=Department of International Relations and Cooperation|access-date=5 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713181306/http://www.dfa.gov.za/foreign/Multilateral/inter/ats.htm |archive-date= Jul 13, 2011 }}
|{{dts|1959|Dec|1|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1960|Jun|21|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1961|Jun|23|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|South Korea}}
|No |{{dts|1986|Nov|28|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1989|Oct|9|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Spain}}
|No |{{dts|1982|Mar|31|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1988|Sep|21|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Sweden}}
|No |{{dts|1984|Apr|24|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1988|Sep|21|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Switzerland}}
|No |{{dts|1990|Nov|15|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Turkey}}
|No |{{dts|1996|Jan|24|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Ukraine}}
|No |{{dts|1992|Oct|28|format=dmy}} |{{dts|2004|Jun|4|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|United Arab Emirates}}
|No |{{dts|2024|Dec|11|format=dmy}} |No | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|United Kingdom}} (claim)*
|{{dts|1959|Dec|1|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1960|May|31|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1961|Jun|23|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|United States}}†
|{{dts|1959|Dec|1|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1960|Aug|18|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1961|Jun|23|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Uruguay}}
|No |{{dts|1980|Jan|11|format=dmy}} |{{dts|1985|Oct|7|format=dmy}} | |
scope="row"|{{Flagu|Venezuela}}
|No |{{dts|1999|May|24|format=dmy}} |No | |
* Has an overlapping claim with another one or two claimants.
Antarctic Treaty Secretariat
{{Main|Antarctic Treaty Secretariat}}
The Antarctic Treaty Secretariat was established in Buenos Aires, Argentina in September 2004 by the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM). Jan Huber (the Netherlands) served as the first Executive Secretary for five years until 31 August 2009. He was succeeded on 1 September 2009, by Manfred Reinke (Germany). Reinke was succeeded by Albert Lluberas (Uruguay), who was elected in June 2017 at the 40th Antarctic Consultative Treaty Meeting in Beijing, China.
The tasks of the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat can be divided into the following areas:
- Supporting the annual Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and the meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP).
- Facilitating the exchange of information between the Parties required in the Treaty and the Environment Protocol.
- Collecting, storing, arranging and publishing the documents of the ATCM.
- Providing and disseminating public information about the Antarctic Treaty system and Antarctic activities.
Legal system
Antarctica currently has no permanent population and therefore it has no citizenship nor government. Personnel present on Antarctica at any time are always citizens or nationals of some sovereignty outside Antarctica, as there is no Antarctic sovereignty. The majority of Antarctica is claimed by one or more countries, but most countries do not explicitly recognize those claims. The area on the mainland between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west is the only major land on Earth not claimed by any country.Wright, Minturn, "The Ownership of Antarctica, Its Living and Mineral Resources", Journal of Law and the Environment 4 (1987). Until 2015 the interior of the Norwegian Sector, the extent of which had never been officially defined,{{cite web|title=Dronning Maud Land|url=http://www.npolar.no/en/the-antarctic/dronning-maud-land.html|publisher=Norwegian Polar Institute|access-date=22 September 2015}} was considered to be unclaimed. That year, Norway formally laid claim to the area between its Queen Maud Land and the South Pole.{{cite news|last1=Rapp|first1=Ole Magnus|title=Norge utvider Dronning Maud Land helt frem til Sydpolen|journal=Aftenposten|url=http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/Norge-utvider-Dronning-Maud-Land-helt-frem-til-Sydpolen-8168779.html|access-date=22 September 2015|date=21 September 2015|location=Oslo, Norway|language=no|quote=…formålet med anneksjonen var å legge under seg det landet som til nå ligger herreløst og som ingen andre enn nordmenn har kartlagt og gransket. Norske myndigheter har derfor ikke motsatt seg at noen tolker det norske kravet slik at det går helt opp til og inkluderer polpunktet.}}
Governments that are party to the Antarctic Treaty and its Protocol on Environmental Protection implement the articles of these agreements, and decisions taken under them, through national laws. These laws generally apply only to their own citizens, wherever they are in Antarctica, and serve to enforce the consensus decisions of the consultative parties: about which activities are acceptable, which areas require permits to enter, what processes of environmental impact assessment must precede activities, and so on. The Antarctic Treaty is often considered to represent an example of the common heritage of mankind principle.Jennifer Frakes, The Common Heritage of Mankind Principle and the Deep Seabed, Outer Space, and Antarctica: Will Developed and Developing Nations Reach a Compromise? Wisconsin International Law Journal. 2003; 21:409
= Australia =
Since the designation of the Australian Antarctic Territory pre-dated the signing of the Antarctic Treaty, Australian laws that relate to Antarctica date from more than two decades before the Antarctic Treaty era. In terms of criminal law, the laws that apply to the Jervis Bay Territory (which follows the laws of the Australian Capital Territory) apply to the Australian Antarctic Territory. Key Australian legislation applying Antarctic Treaty System decisions include the Antarctic Treaty Act 1960, the Antarctic Treaty (Environment Protection) Act 1980 and the Antarctic Marine Living Resources Conservation Act 1981.{{cite web|url=http://www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid=3358|title=Australian Antarctic Division – Australian environmental law and guidelines|access-date=3 August 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090519011927/http://www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid=3358|archive-date=19 May 2009|url-status=dead}}
= United States =
The law of the United States, including certain criminal offences by or against U.S. nationals, such as murder, may apply to areas not under jurisdiction of other countries. To this end, the United States now stations special deputy U.S. Marshals in Antarctica to provide a law enforcement presence.{{cite web|url=http://www.usmarshals.gov/history/antarctica/|title=U.S. Marshals Service|first=U.S. Marshals Service|last=(USMS)|website=usmarshals.gov|access-date=11 January 2006|archive-date=5 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205115539/http://www.usmarshals.gov/history/antarctica/|url-status=dead}}
Some U.S. laws directly apply to Antarctica. For example, the Antarctic Conservation Act, Public Law 95-541, {{UnitedStatesCode|16|2401}} et seq., provides civil and criminal penalties for the following activities, unless authorized by regulation or statute:
- the taking of native Antarctic mammals or birds
- the introduction into Antarctica of non-indigenous plants and animals
- entry into specially protected or scientific areas
- the discharge or disposal of pollutants into Antarctica or Antarctic waters
- the importation into the U.S. of certain items from Antarctica
Violation of the Antarctic Conservation Act carries penalties of up to US$10,000 in fines and one year in prison. The Departments of the Treasury, Commerce, Transportation, and the Interior share enforcement responsibilities. The Act requires expeditions from the U.S. to Antarctica to notify, in advance, the Office of Oceans and Polar Affairs of the State Department, which reports such plans to other nations as required by the Antarctic Treaty. Further information is provided by the Office of Polar Programs of the National Science Foundation.
= New Zealand =
In 2006, the New Zealand police reported that jurisdictional issues prevented them issuing warrants for potential American witnesses who were reluctant to testify during the Christchurch Coroner's investigation into the death by poisoning of Australian astrophysicist Rodney Marks at the South Pole base in May 2000.Hotere, Andrea. [http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/sundaystartimes/3902305a6442.html "South Pole death file still open".] Sunday Star Times, 17 December 2006. Retrieved 19 December 2006.Deutsche Presse-Agentur. [http://news.monstersandcritics.com/asiapacific/news/printer_1233162.php "Death of Australian astrophysicist an Antarctic whodunnit".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070901103854/http://news.monstersandcritics.com/asiapacific/news/printer_1233162.php |date=1 September 2007 }} Monstersandcritics.com, 14 December 2006. Retrieved 19 December 2006. Marks died while wintering over at the United States' Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station located at the geographic South Pole. Prior to autopsy, the death was attributed to natural causes by the National Science Foundation and the contractor administering the base. However, an autopsy in New Zealand revealed that Marks died from methanol poisoning. The New Zealand Police launched an investigation. In 2006, frustrated by lack of progress, the Christchurch Coroner said that it was unlikely that Marks ingested the methanol knowingly, although there is no certainty that he died as the direct result of the act of another person. During media interviews, the police detective in charge of the investigation criticized the National Science Foundation and contractor Raytheon for failing to cooperate with the investigation.Chapman, Paul. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070327103228/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/14/wpole14.xml "New Zealand Probes What May Be First South Pole Murder".] The Daily Telegraph, (14 December 2006), reprinted in [http://www.nysun.com/article/45132 The New York Sun] (19 December 2006). Retrieved 19 December 2006.Booker, Jarrod. [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10415310&ref=rss "South Pole scientist may have been poisoned".] The New Zealand Herald, (14 December 2006). Retrieved 19 December 2006.[http://www.stuff.co.nz/3935255a11.html "South Pole Death Mystery – Who killed Rodney Marks?"] Sunday Star Times (21 January 2007)
= South Africa =
Under the South African Citizens in Antarctica Act, 1962, South African law applies to all South African citizens in Antarctica, and they are subject to the jurisdiction of the magistrate's court in Cape Town.Section 2 of the South African Citizens in Antarctica Act, No. 55 of 1962, as amended by the Environmental Laws Rationalisation Act, No. 51 of 1997. The Antarctic Treaties Act, 1996 incorporates the Antarctic Treaty and related agreements into South African law. In regard to violations of these treaties, South Africa also asserts jurisdiction over South African residents and members of expeditions organised in South Africa.Antarctic Treaties Act, No. 60 of 1996.
See also
{{col div}}
- Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC)
- Antarctic Protected Areas
- Antarctic Treaty issue
- Arctic Council
- Arctic sanctuary
- Crime in Antarctica
- Endurance – lost ship of Ernest Shackleton, found in 2022 and protected by the treaty
- International Seabed Authority
- Montreal Protocol
- Moon treaty
- Multilateral treaty
- National Antarctic Program
- Category: Outposts of Antarctica
- Research stations in Antarctica
- Solar radiation management
- Svalbard Treaty
{{col div end}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Wikisource|The Antarctic Treaty}}
- [http://www.ats.aq/ Antarctic Treaty Secretariat]
- [https://documents.ats.aq/keydocs/vol_1/vol1_2_AT_Antarctic_Treaty_e.pdf Full Text of the Antarctic Treaty]
- [http://www.ats.aq/documents/recatt/att465_e.pdf Original facsimile of Antarctic Treaty]
- [http://www.aad.gov.au/ Australian Antarctic Territory]
- [http://60south.com/about/about.htm Why 60 South?]
- [https://www.nsf.gov/dir/index.jsp?org=OPP National Science Foundation – Office of Polar Programs]
- [http://www.ats.aq/devAS/ats_meetings.aspx?lang=e List of all Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326100826/http://www.ats.aq/devAS/ats_meetings.aspx?lang=e |date=26 March 2010 }}
- [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050825/news_lz7e25koreas.html An Antarctic Solution for the Koreas] San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 August 2005 (Both South Korea and North Korea are members of the Antarctic Treaty)
- [http://www.ats.aq/devAS/info_measures_listitem.aspx?lang=e&id=289 Emblem of the Antarctic Treaty]
{{Antarctica}}
{{Antarctic territorial claims |uncollapsed}}
{{Polar exploration |state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Antarctica agreements
Category:1959 in Washington, D.C.
Category:1961 in the environment
Category:Arms control treaties
Category:Territorial claims in Antarctica
Category:Treaties concluded in 1959
Category:Treaties entered into force in 1961
Category:Treaties establishing nuclear-weapon-free zones
Category:Treaties of Argentina
Category:Treaties of Australia
Category:Treaties of the military dictatorship in Brazil
Category:Treaties of the People's Republic of Bulgaria
Category:Treaties of the People's Republic of China
Category:Treaties of the Czech Republic
Category:Treaties of Czechoslovakia
Category:Treaties of West Germany
Category:Treaties of East Germany
Category:Treaties of Guatemala
Category:Treaties of the Hungarian People's Republic
Category:Treaties of the Netherlands
Category:Treaties of New Zealand
Category:Treaties of North Korea
Category:Treaties of Papua New Guinea
Category:Treaties of the Polish People's Republic
Category:Treaties of the Socialist Republic of Romania
Category:Treaties of the Soviet Union
Category:Treaties of South Africa
Category:Treaties of South Korea
Category:Treaties of Switzerland
Category:Treaties of the United Kingdom
Category:Treaties of the United States
Category:Treaties of Venezuela