MADRID PROTOCOL ANNIVERSARY

Madrid protocol anniversary. On the 4th October, ministers, leading scientists and experts from around the world are meeting at the Archeological Museum of Madrid to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Madrid Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty. In 1991, this Protocol, hailed as a significant achievement for environmental governance, declared the full protection of the entire Antarctic continent from exploitation.
High-level Dialogues will discuss the different challenges that Antarctica is facing today. This will be followed by a Ministerial meeting, where hopefully commitments will be made by countries to new ground-breaking action on how to deal with these challenges in the coming 30 years.
[A petition signed by almost 1.5 million people worldwide calling on world leaders to significantly increase the protection of Antarctica’s waters will also be handed over to the Spanish President of the Government by NGO partners at the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC), Avaaz, Blue Nature Alliance, Ocean Unite, OnlyOne, SeaLegacy, The Pew Charitable Trusts and We Move Europe.]
“This event is a unique opportunity to celebrate this Treaty as a strong symbol of multilateralism and good governance, and to show the world that this multilateral action is urgently needed again now that climate change is accelerating and is threatening this fragile wilderness” said Claire Christian, Executive Director of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition.
Antarctica is undergoing huge changes due to the climate crisis- with melting ice and temperatures rising faster than anywhere else on Earth. While the continent has been protected from exploitation, the waters that surround it are still open to commercial fishing which has been expanding in recent decades, threatening large swathes of vulnerable ecosystems and important wildlife habitats.
An international body that falls under the Antarctic Treaty called CCAMLR (Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) regulates fisheries and is responsible for conserving Antarctica’s marine life. It is currently considering the designation of three new large-scale protected areas in the Weddell Sea, East Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula, which would help these areas adapt and build resilience to the unprecedented changes happening to marine ecosystems by the climate crisis.
This additional protection would safeguard almost an extra 4 million km2 of ocean from human activities, providing a safe haven for amazing wildlife, such as whales, seals and penguins in a further 1% of the global ocean.
All CCAMLR members, including European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands Poland, Spain, and Sweden) and the European Union are in support of these new areas, with the exception of Russia and China.
“Leaders meeting here in Madrid, including Spain, must agree to use all their diplomatic weight to bring Russia and China on board with this historic biodiversity and climate action this year”. declared Pascal Lamy, President of the Paris Peace Forum,Co-head of the Antarctica2020 Champions Group.
“We need to act now to protect Antarctica’s ocean. The region cannot afford yet another lost year of inaction” concluded Geneviève Pons, Director General of “Europe Jacques Delors”, Co-head of the Antarctica2020 Champions Group.
To register at the event, please send your name and ID number at the following address: bzn-prensa@miteco.es