A continent for peace and science: Governance in Antarctica

Abstract

There are few places on Earth where international cooperation, scientific endeavour and environmental protection are steadfastly held up as the primary principles for interactions between governments, but that is precisely the situation in Antarctica, where a unique international governance regime exists. In 1959, at the height of the Cold War, and with much dispute over ownership of the Antarctic continent, 12 countries managed to agree a short international treaty to establish a means of governing the region. The resulting Antarctic Treaty has been one of the most successful international agreements ever made. For its time it was highly innovative. It did not attempt to find a solution to the political disputes of the time. Instead the treaty set out to establish a regime to manage the issues and to promote ongoing cooperation between countries. The original 12 Treaty Parties have been joined by an additional 36 countries, 28 of whom have active scientific research programmes in Antarctica. All decisions among the parties at their annual meetings are taken by consensus, ensuring all countries are fully aligned on how to manage the region. However, the Antarctic Treaty did not put in place all necessary measures for comprehensive management and governance of the region. Over time the Treaty Parties have negotiated several additional free-standing international agreements. These agreements deal with commercial sealing and fishing, mineral resource activities and comprehensive environmental protection. Collectively, this suite of international law that applies to the Antarctic continent and the surrounding Southern Ocean is known as the Antarctic Treaty System.