Abstract

This year marks the 51st anniversary of a landmark treaty — the planet’s first nuclear arms-control agreement, and the first institution to govern all human activities in a region beyond sovereign jurisdictions. Adopted in Washington DC on 1 December 1959, the Antarctic Treaty recognized that “it is in the interest of all mankind that Antarctica shall continue forever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and shall not become the scene or object of international discord”.

ANTARCTICA DAY is conceived as an enduring legacy to celebrate the 1st December 1959 signature of the Antarctic Treaty, which was adopted “with the interests of science and the progress of all mankind.” Paul A. Berkman and David W. H. Walton, co-chairs of the Antarctic Treaty Summit, will highlight lessons from the first fifty years of the Antarctic Treaty that have enabled humanity to manage nearly 10% of the Earth for “peaceful purposes only,” establishing precedents for our children to share as they build a world with hope and inspiration for future generations.