Forty-eighth Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting - Twenty-eighth Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection
Hiroshima, Japan
11 May 2026 - 21 May 2026
The Meeting was organised by Japan's Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Education, and Environment. Ambassador Hideki Uyama served as Chair of the ATCM. More than 400 participants attended, including representatives from 29 Consultative and 15 Non-Consultative Parties, alongside Observers and Experts. CEP 28 achieved substantive progress in environmental protection, advancing measures for Environmental Impact Assessments, biosecurity, wildlife diseases, and tourism monitoring ahead of the Protocol’s 35th anniversary in October 2026. To address rapid climate shifts, the Committee implemented its Climate Change Response Work Programme. A joint SC-CAMLR / CEP Workshop on Climate change and monitoring was also held prior to the CEP meeting. The ATCM established two new Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs) and revised thirteen management plans. A dedicated Intersessional Contact Group will continue developing a comprehensive regulatory framework for Tourism and Other Non-Governmental Activities. The Meeting expressed concern about risks to the emperor penguin and reaffirmed the importance of protecting the species as a priority. The ATCM recommended steps to manage regional activities, mitigate external environmental pressures, and sustain emperor penguin population research. A Workshop on Education and Outreach was also held in the framework of the ATCM. To enhance operational transparency, the ATCM adopted a Resolution encouraging wider use of the Electronic Information Exchange System and welcomed an inspection report covering multiple Antarctic stations. Consultative status requests from Canada, Belarus, and Türkiye were also examined, with discussions set to continue.
