Background picture: Umweltbundesamt
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP)
ATCM external partners and Observers
The ATCM of the Contracting Parties is also attended by various stakeholders, such as non‑governmental organisations and the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, as well as by observers and invited experts. These include the following institutions:
Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) is the executive body established pursuant to Article VII of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CAMLR Convention). Together with a Scientific Committee and the CAMLR Convention Secretariat, it fulfils the functions assigned to it under Article IX of the CAMLR Convention.
Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR)
The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) is an organisation of the International Science Council (ISC). SCAR is charged with initiating, developing and coordinating high‑quality international scientific research in the Antarctic region and the Southern Ocean and on the role of the Antarctic region in the Earth system. In 1961 the Contracting Parties recognised following Recommendation I to IV at their first meeting (ATCM I) in Canberra, Australia, that the independent advisory work of SCAR was crucial for scientific programmes and for international scientific cooperation in Antarctica. This advice is an important contribution in the sense of Article III of the Antarctic Treaty. Since then, SCAR has been the official scientific adviser to the ATCM, at which it is represented by its President.
Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP)
The Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) was established in 1988 with the task of ensuring effective and collaborative cooperation at international level in expedition logistics, the operation of stations and the provision of scientific and technical equipment. The 1987 ATCM XIV Final Report emphasised the important role played by COMNAP when it comes to recognising and solving problems in the conduct of scientific operations and the related logistics. To reflect this, COMNAP was then granted observer status in accordance with Recommendation XIII‑2. In 1991 COMNAP was invited to the ATCM XVI for the first time, to report on its activities..
All states that are engaged in Antarctic research and have signed the Antarctic Treaty and the Environment Protocol can participate in COMNAP. Its Members are the national institutions responsible for planning and conducting scientific operations in the Antarctic region – the National Antarctic Programs. COMNAP currently has 31 Member programs and six Observers.
Other experts
Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC)
The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) was founded in 1978 as a coalition of environmental organisations concerned about the inadequate environmental protection for this fragile continent and its surrounding ocean. ASOC’s initial objectives were to convince governments to successfully conclude negotiations on the CAMLR Convention. It also called for an end to negotiations on the Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities (CRAMRA) and for it to be replaced by an environmental protection convention. ASOC has been an invited expert at the ATCM every year since 1991 and an observer at the CEP since 1998. It has expanded its areas of activity to include issues such as tourism, shipping and climate change.
International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO)
The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) was founded in 1991 and is dedicated to safe and responsible private-sector travel to Antarctica. IAATO draws up comprehensive operating procedures and guidelines for its members. Today its membership comprises over 100 companies from across the world, including vessel operators, shipping agents, travel agencies, tourist offices, government agencies and travel companies that charter ships and planes from other operators. IAATO members are active in Antarctica and organise their own travel programmes.
The following table provides an overview of other experts attending the consultative meetings:
| Name | Description | Link |
| Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) | The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) was concluded by 13 Parties. The aim is to coordinate international measures to mitigate known threats to the populations of these birds. | https://www.acap.aq/ |
| International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) | The International Civil Aviation Organization is a UN specialized agency with its headquarters in Montreal. Its main task is to enhance the safety, capacity and efficiency of the civil aviation system. | https://www.icao.int/Pages/default.aspx |
| International Group of Protection and Indemnity Clubs (IGP&I Clubs) | The 13 P&I Clubs which comprise the International Group between them provide marine liability cover for approx. 90% of the world’s ocean going tonnage. | https://www.igpandi.org/ |
| International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) → also an observer at the CEP | The International Hydrographic Organization’s main task is to ensure that all the world’s seas, oceans and navigable waters worldwide are surveyed and charted. | https://iho.int/ |
| Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) | The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC) is the United Nations body responsible for supporting global ocean science and services. | https://ioc.unesco.org/ |
| International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds) | The IOPC Funds provide financial compensation for oil pollution damage resulting from spills of persistent oil from tankers. | https://iopcfunds.org/ |
| Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) → also an observer at the CEP | The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change provides governments with scientific information on climate change to give them a basis for their climate policy. | https://www.ipcc.ch/ |
| International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN-World Conservation Union) → also an observer at the CEP | The International Union for Conservation of Nature comprises government and civil society organisations and focuses primarily on the state of the natural world and the measures needed to protect it | https://www.iucn.org/ |
| United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) → also an observer at the CEP | The United Nations Environment Programme promotes the implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development. | https://www.unep.org/ |
| United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) | The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an international agreement intended to stop human induced climate change. It is supplemented by the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. | https://unfccc.int/ |
| World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) → also an observer at the CEP | The World Meteorological Organization is a UN specialized agency based in Geneva. | https://public.wmo.int/en |
