Who speaks for Antarctica? And what’s at stake when 58 nations meet behind closed doors to decide its future? In this special edition of Voice of Commons, host Giulia Foscari takes you inside the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings (ATCM) – the once-a-year forum where the governance of the southernmost continent is shaped by consensus, on behalf of all humanity. Across two weeks of heated plenaries, quiet diplomacy, and unexpected alliances, we capture the pulse of this year’s negotiations. Featuring conversations with delegates from Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, India, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition, and the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, this episode reveals the fragile politics of protecting the planet’s last wilderness. 

The Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting - visit www.ats.aq

Every year the original twelve Parties to the Treaty and those Parties that demonstrate their interest in Antarctica by conducting substantial research activity there - together called the Consultative Parties - meet "for the purpose of exchanging information, consulting together on matters of common interest pertaining to Antarctica, and formulating and considering and recommending to their Governments measures in furtherance of the principles and objectives of the Treaty" (Art. IX). This forum is the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM).

From 1961 to 1994 the ATCM generally met once every two years, but since 1994 the meetings have occurred annually. The ATCM is hosted by the Consultative Parties according to the alphabetical order of their English names.

The meeting consists of representatives of: The Consultative Parties; The Non-Consultative Parties; Observers: currently the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP); and Invited Experts, such as the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) and the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO).

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