The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will hold the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM 46) in Kochi, Kerala.
About Antarctic Treaty
| Details | |
| Signing and Entry into Force | Signed on December 1, 1959 in Washington, DC. It went into effect on June 23, 1961. Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States are the 12 first countries. |
| Objective | Ensure that Antarctica be used only for peaceful reasons, free of international conflict. |
| Key Provisions | Article I: Antarctica should be utilised for peaceful reasons exclusively. Article II: Freedom of scientific study in Antarctica and collaboration Article III: Scientific observations and results from Antarctica must be communicated and made publicly available. |
| Territorial Claims | New territorial claims are strictly prohibited. Existing claims to territorial sovereignty are preserved. |
| Disarmament | Prohibits nuclear weapon testing. Prohibits the dumping of radioactive waste. |
| Consultative Meetings | Annual Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings (ATCM), in which member states discuss treaty implementation and cooperation. |
| Environmental Protection | Promotes the conservation of the Antarctic environment. Prohibits acts that cause pollution or environmental damage. |
| Mineral Resource Exploitation | Bans mining operations until at least 2048. Requires consensus for any review or update. |
| Membership | 54 parties as of 2024. 29 Consultative Parties are actively involved in decision-making. 25 non-consultative parties. India ratified the treaty in 1983. |
| Madrid Protocol | Adopted in 1991. It came into effect in 1998. Strengthens environmental protection efforts in the Antarctic. |
Source: https://atcm46.ats.aq/