The Antarctic Treaty was signed in Washington in 1959 to establish Antarctica as a region of peace and cooperation, and to deal with issues relating to claims of sovereignty. Its primary purpose is to ensure “in the interests of all mankind that Antarctica shall continue forever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and shall not become the scene or object of international discord.” The Treaty is at the core of a number of related agreements which, together with the measures taken under the Antarctic Treaty and related agreements are often called the Antarctic Treaty system.
The other agreements making up the system are:
- the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (Madrid, 1991)
- the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (CCAS, London, 1972)
- the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR, Canberra, 1980)
Although CCAS and CCAMLR are independent agreements, they contain provisions committing their Parties to essential parts of the Antarctic Treaty such as Article IV which deals with the legal status of territorial claims. The Environment Protocol is open to accession by Antarctic Treaty Parties only. |
Antarctic Treaty
