The Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) 46 and the Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection 26 have commenced on May 21, 2024. Delegates from 38 countries and eight scientific, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations will work together until 30 May in Kochi, India.
Among the organizations participating are the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR).
The first meeting of the Parties to the Antarctic Treaty was held in Canberra, Australia, in July 1961. Antarctic Treaty Meetings have been held annually since 1994 with the exception of 2020, which was scheduled to be held in Helsinki but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ATCMs are hosted by member states, usually in alphabetical order. Last year’s meeting, number 45, was organized by Finland. The reports of previous meetings are available in the Final Reports section of the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat’s website.
This year, there will be a Special Working Group on the Development of a Tourism Framework, which will convene on Saturday 25 May. Expedition cruise companies operating out of Patagonian ports such as Ushuaia, Punta Arenas and Puerto Williams are particularly interested. During the 2022-2023 summer tourist season in Antarctica, the psychological barrier of 104,076 seaborne tourists was surpassed. According to a forecast published by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) in May 2023, that number was expected to grow 12.8% to 117,372 in the current season, which runs from September 2023 to April 2024. The actual numbers will be presented at ATCM 46 this week.
With information from the Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty. More news about the meeting is available at the Host Country Secretariat’s website.
Maritime South 