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Hear an interview with Professor Klaus Dodds about the Antarctic Treaty>>
Hear an interview with Robert Culshaw about the role of the Treaty in promoting international scientific cooperation>>
“The Antarctic Treaty is indispensable to the world of science which knows no national or other political boundaries, but it is much more than that… it is a document unique in history which may take its place alongside the Magna Carta and other great symbols of man's quest for enlightenment and order.”
Laurence Gould, former President of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
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In 1959, at the height of the cold war, twelve countries signed an extraordinary treaty which was, in Eisenhower’s words: “…dedicated to the principle that the vast uninhabited wastes of Antarctica shall be used only for peaceful purposes…”. This treaty was the first international document to be governed by the ‘interests of all mankind’ and it is a testament to the fact that international collaboration can be achieved even by countries that are politically hostile. Indeed, this treaty has served as the template for the international governance of other territories; notably in formulating the law of the sea and of outer space. This achievement deserves to be celebrated.
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The passage of fifty years provides an important opportunity to review the legal and political health of the treaty: is it sufficient to meet the territorial and resource challenges of the future? But also, is the treaty capable of sustaining truly international scientific collaboration, and can this be replicated successfully elsewhere? What are the challenges of the next 50 years; will the treaty survive intact?
This conference will offer a detailed assessment of the state of the Antarctic Treaty and the principles it embodies. An examination of this kind requires a convergence of several disciplines, and therefore this conference will be of interest to: scientists, political analysts, environmentalists, political historians, and international lawyers.
All photographs © David Drewry
Antarctic Treaty Summit (http://www.atsummit50.aq), which will be convened from 30 November – 3 December 2009 in Washington DC.
Draft Programme as of 11/12/08
WEDNESDAY 10th JUNE 2009
15.30 Arrival, tea
16.45 Welcome by Alastair Niven, Principal, Cumberland Lodge
17.00 The Creation of the Treaty
Paul Berkman Head Arctic Oceans Geopolitics Programme Scott Polar Research Institute
Klaus Dodds Professor of Geopolitics, Royal Holloway, University of London
18.30 Reception in the Drawing Room
19.00 Dinner
20.30 The Challenges of the Next 50 Years
David Drewry Professor, Vice-Chancellor, University of Hull
THURSDAY 11th JUNE 2009
08.15 Breakfast
09.00 The Political and Legal Health of the Treaty
James Crawford, Professor, International Law, Cambridge University
10.30 Coffee
11.00 How the Treaty enables International Scientific Collaboration
David Walton, Professor Emeritus Fellow, British Antarctic Survey
12.30 Lunch followed by free time to enjoy the Great Park
15.00 Workshop / Discussion Groups
16.30 Tea
17.00 Is the Madrid Moratorium sufficiently robust to meet the resource challenges of the future?
David Macdonald, Professor, Head of School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen
James Barnes, Founder of the Antarctic and Southern Oceans Coalition
18.30 Reception
19.00 Dinner
20.30 Is the Treaty a “Symbol of Man’s Quest for Enlightenment and Order?”
Dian Belanger, author "Deep Freeze: The United States, the Geophysical Year, and the Origins of Antarctica's Age of Science".
FRIDAY 12th JUNE 2009
08.15 Breakfast
09.00 Is the Antarctic Treaty an analogue for the Arctic?
Robert Culshaw, Deputy Director of British Antarctic Survey
Oran Young, Professor, University of California
Olav Orheim, former Director, Norsk Polarinstitut
10.30 Coffee
11.00 Final Discussion and Conference Summary
13.00 Lunch and departure
