Published in Infobae.com - June 23rd - 2021
By Daniel Filmus, Secretary for Malvinas, Antarctica and the South Atlantic
When little more than 60 years ago Argentine delegates met with their peers from another eleven countries to negotiate the Antarctic Treaty, it is probable that the may not have fully gauged the relevance and durability of the agreement that was under preparation in Washington DC. The task before the Argentine delegates was ambitious, bold and complex and was not exempt from criticism both from friends and foe alike. Nonetheless the Treaty was signed on December 1st 1959 and entered into force on June 23rd 1961 after being ratified by the twelve countries that had signed it, among them, Argentina. It has been one of the most successful and avantgarde agreements of the XXth Century.
Moving to more current times, the 43rd Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and the 23rd Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection are underway, organized by France from Paris, in a virtual format for the first time in history, assembles 450 delegates from 40 States, 6 international organizations and 4 NGOs. In this extended phase of pandemic, which imposed the cancellation of the ATCM in 2020, modern communications and technology have allowed for these delegates, separated by sixteen different time zones, to meet to address the main topics of the international Antarctic agenda, and through science and diplomacy, continue to shape the future of the white continent, with the protection of its environment and associated ecosystems as the center of their negotiations.
After 60 years, the main legacy of the Antarctic Treaty has been to pacify an entire continent keeping it free of weapons, nuclear explosions and mining. It also managed to place science as the main focus of human activities in Antarctica, and promoted the creation of an international institutional and regulatory system, which includes bodies such as the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) created in 1982 or the Committee for Environmental Protection created in 1991 by the Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty on Environmental Protection, whose 30th anniversary also takes place this year. For all these years the Antarctic Treaty System has guaranteed peace, promoted cooperation and scientific research and above all, has enhanced the protection of the Antarctic environment, increasingly affected by a global phenomenon such as climate change and the intensifying human activity in the region.
For Argentina, marking the full force of the Antarctic Treaty is also of particular importance because its Article IV safeguards our sovereign rights over the Argentine Antarctic territory. The Treaty´s formulation was very wise in that it established that its signing did not imply any form of renunciation or diminution of previously asserted sovereignty rights, as was established by our country. Our territorial vindication cannot be affected either by any act after the signing of the Treaty. That is to say that the Treaty has become a central guarantee of our territorial vindication. Naturally, this is complemented by our permanent presence in the region for over 117 years and the noteworthy scientific activity undertaken by the Argentine Antarctic Institute in support of such vindication and as an essential input for the international Antarctic community.
ATCM 43
During this meeting, several topics that are of concern to Parties have been addressed, but two issues currently impact across the agenda. Firstly, the Covid-19 pandemic, which although more circumstantial, has impacted all of the activities in Antarctica and those of the Antarctic fora. In addition to imposing meetings in a virtual format partially limiting their agendas, the pandemic significantly affected the activities of the National Antarctic programs that were forced to establish strict sanitary protocols to undertake their science and the necessary logistics, limiting essential activities to a strict minimum required. It severely affected Antarctic tourism that in 2020 practically did not take place, and has also created difficulties in the implementation of certain control mechanisms for the fishing activity in the region. The other major issue of concern is climate change and its severe effects in Antarctica, such as the increase in ice melting, ocean level rise, the increasing acidification in the southern seas and all the dangers they imply for the preservation of the delicate terrestrial ecosystems. In this respect, in recent years, the Antarctic Treaty has begun the implementation of a plan to consider actions to mitigate the effects of climate change and human activities on the continent, while it also calls on Parties to fulfill their commitments under the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,
As it did in 1959, Argentina continues today to maintain a central role within the Antarctic Treaty System, both in scientific terms as well as political-diplomatic ones, with a significant delegation taking part in the meeting underway. Additionally, it has not only held the Vice-chair of the Committee for Environmental Protection and the CCAMLR Commission, but since 2004 in is also the seat of the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. The Secretariat today plays a key role in the functioning of the Treaty and the provision of valuable assistance to the Parties, which it has demonstrated effectively during this ATCM, both from Paris and Buenos Aires, to ensure the normal operation of the complex virtual sessions.
Anniversary meeting - the Paris Declaration
But what can we expect from this anniversary ATCM, underway in such complex circumstances and with difficult scenarios on the horizon? Some of the issues addressed, including delicate topics such as the effects of climate change, are not achieving the progress that was expected on this occasion. Some achievements can be envisioned on monitoring mechanisms of Antarctic tourism, which is expected to resume its growth rate once the devastating effects of the pandemic are over. We should recall that all decisions in Antarctic fora are taken by consensus, which although is harder to achieve with the increase in the number of Parties, it is also the very guarantee of the firmness once the decisions are reached.
I also think it is important to underscore that at this historical session, in which we commemorated the 60th anniversary of the Treaty and the 30th anniversary of the Environmental Protocol, the 29 Consultative Parties have been working on a joint declaration which will allow them to agree on ratifying their commitment to both instruments, as well as maintaining peace in the continent; and confirming their will to continue working together to strengthen the system of multilateral administration of Antarctica; achieving consensus to address the extraordinary challenges ahead for the preservation of the Antarctic environment for the next decades, in particular due to climate change.
A declaration of great relevance that, notwithstanding the multiple challenges of today and those that suggest that the Treaty System appears to be under threat, is testimony on this 23rd of June, 60 years on, that the road travelled has been a virtuous one and that, with the work and commitment of the Parties, it can continue to be so.
