- Kochi will host the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM 46) and the 26th meeting of the Committee on Environmental Protection (CEP 26) from May 20-30, 2024.
- This is in line with India’s desire to facilitate a constructive global dialogue on environmental management and scientific cooperation in Antarctica.
- The Antarctic Treaty was signed in Washington, D.C. in 1959. It was signed by 12 countries and came into force in 1961. Currently 56 countries have signed the Antarctic Treaty.
- India has been a consultative member of the Antarctic Treaty since 1983.
- India’s first Antarctic research station ‘South Gangotri’ was established in the year 1983.
- The Antarctic Treaty has declared Antarctica a demilitarized zone. It has been declared a peace zone dedicated to peaceful purposes, scientific cooperation and environmental protection.
- The Environmental Protection Committee was established in 1991 under the Environmental Protection Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty (Madrid Protocol). The Environmental Protection Committee advises the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting on environmental protection and conservation in Antarctica.
- The Permanent Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty is in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR)
- The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research is the nodal body for conducting research in the polar regions (the Arctic and Antarctic), the Himalayas, and the Southern Ocean.
- The Center is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Earth Science, Government of India.
- Headquarters: Vasco Da Gama, Goa.