Research Report Forum: Issue: Student Officer: General Assembly 4: special, political and decolonisation Territorial claims in the Arctic and Antarctic’s Dominique Leemans Introduction The North and South Poles cover a large part of the surface of our planet. These areas have no indigenous population or central government. No specific country owns either the South or North Pole. Parts of this polar territory have been claimed by various member-­‐‑states of the United Nations which have been ratified in several conventions and treaties. However, there is still a great lack of international agreement on these regions. The North Pole is the subject of an intense dispute as many nations’ claims conflict with each other. As the ice caps melt in the North Pole regions, more maritime trade routes will become possible. It is therefore very important that the discussion about territorial claims is solved as we have to reach international agreements on which nations own these trade routes. According to the UN Arctic Treaty, the South Pole is divided amongst over 132 countries, whereby 7 of these regions overlap. These 132 countries have thereby agreed that these 7 Antarctic regions are subject to international control. This has enabled independent and international research. However various member-­‐‑states have signed the treaty under the condition that they are able to claim specific parts of the Antarctic as long as the other nations involved agree. Definition of Key Terms The Arctic The region in the most northern part of the planet. This area includes the Arctic Ocean, adjacent countries and seas. Exclusive Economic zone (EEZ) According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a nations owns its surrounding waters within at most 200 nautical miles. These zones are called Exclusive Economic Zones. General Overview The North Pole is partly divided by the guide lines of the Law of the Sea Convention from 1994. This states that each nation owns the natural resources of water and land 200 nautical miles from their shores or shelves. These zones are called Exclusive Economic Zones. Various EEZs overlap each other for example those from Denmark and Canada and this leads to discussions amongst member states. Hans Island and the Lomonosov ridge are the main points of discussion amongst neighbouring countries. Hans Island is a dispute between Canada and Denmark. The Lomonosov ridge was discovered as result of geological research. Canada, Denmark and Russia have all put forward claims concerning the ridge. Other than discussions on territory, the effect of global warming on this territory is just as important. It is expected that the area will be open for trade routes once the ice in the Arctic Ocean has melted in sufficient quantity. However, it has not been entirely proven that global Research Report warming has led to this development as research into the matter is often hindered. The circumstances in the Arctic are still severely harsh. As of yet there is not enough adequate equipment for full research to be carried out in such an extreme climate. Furthermore, although many neighbouring countries are enthusiastic about developing industry near the Arctic Ocean, we are still lacking the technology to realise those ambitions. Possible solution can be based on the politics in the Antarctic. This area is controlled by the United Nations. However multiple nations are still actively striving for complete control over the Antarctic territory. However, despite these territorial disputes, little use is made of the Antarctic area. The area is only inhabited by scientists performing research and there is a ban on drilling for any resources until 2040. Disputes concerning the Poles are known to always be peaceful and easy-­‐‑going. However, they tend to take extremely long since member-­‐‑states refuse to ratify agreements and instead oppose each other. Therefore the method by which decisions are made concerning the Antarctic and Arctic territories should be revised as well. Timeline of Events 1961 Antarctic treaty system comes into force 1982 United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) signed and opened to ratification Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities 1994 The UN Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) comes into force
one year after its sixtieth signature. Declaration on the establishment of the Arctic Council Ottawa Canada
The Ilulissat Declaration followed by a political meeting between the five
coastal states bordering the Arctic Ocean, concerning climate change
The United Nations environmental program releases: “protecting Arctic
biodiversity: limitations and strengths of environmental agreements
1996 2009 2010 Major Parties Involved Russia Russia has significant aspirations regarding its economic use of the Arctic territory. Russia has planted a flag at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean to claim parts. Russia also claims the Lomonosov Ridge as Russian territory. Furthermore, President Putin is actively trying to transform the most northern parts of Russia into large industrial areas. Denmark Denmark is in dispute with Canada over “Hans Island”. Moreover Denmark has claims on the south of the Lomonosov Ridge. Canada Canada has put forward claims on the Lomonosov Ridge and Hans Island. Together with the United States they have been developing methods to collect mineral resources in the Arctic. Research Report Useful Documents and Bibliography https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_2039894397&feature=iv&list=UU
gRvm1yLFoaQKhmaTqXk9SA&src_vid=s87KIX6owk0&v=vbSi-­‐‑UVqHbE http://arcticcontroversy.weebly.com/territorial-­‐‑claims.html http://www.stimson.org/content/evolution-­‐‑arctic-­‐‑territorial-­‐‑claims-­‐‑and-­‐‑agreements-­‐‑timeline-­‐‑
1903-­‐‑present http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-­‐‑27910375 http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-­‐‑antarctica/people-­‐‑in-­‐‑antarctica/who-­‐‑owns-­‐‑antarctica https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/antarctic-­‐‑sovereignty-­‐‑are-­‐‑we-­‐‑serious/