• Home
• Search:
• Members only

• About
• Science
  & Data
• News
• Events
• Antarctic
  Treaty
• Antarctic
  Information
• International
  Polar Year
• Publications
• Communication
  and Education
• Contacts

You are in:  Home » Antarctic Treaty » The Committee for Environmental Protection

Committee for Environmental Protection

• Committee for Environmental Protection website

Environmental protection has always been a central theme of the cooperation between the Antarctic Treaty parties. On 4 October 1991 this culminated in the signing of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, which, amongst other things, establishes the CEP. The Protocol entered into force on 14 January 1998 following ratification by all Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties, and the first CEP meeting was held in Tromsø, Norway, in May of that year.

The Legal Basis for the Establishment of the CEP

Article 11 of the Protocol states:There is hereby established the Committee for Environmental Protection.

• Each Party shall be entitled to be a member of the Committee and to appoint a representative who may be accompanied by experts and advisers.
• Observer status in the Committee shall be open to any Contracting Party to the Antarctic Treaty which is not a Party to this Protocol.
• The Committee shall invite the President of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research and the Chairman of the Scientific Committee for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources to participate as observers at its sessions. The Committee may also, with the approval of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, invite such other relevant scientific, environmental and technical organisations which can contribute to its work to participate as observers at its sessions.
• The Committee shall present a report on each of its sessions to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting. The report shall cover all matters considered at the session and shall reflect the views expressed. The Report shall be circulated to the Parties and to observers attending the session, and shall thereupon be made publicly available.
• The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure which shall be subject to approval by the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.

The Functions of the CEP

The Committee's functions are defined in Article 12 of the Protocol:Article 12 states:
The functions of the Committee shall be to provide advice and formulate recommendations to the Parties in connection with the implementation of this Protocol, including the operation of its Annexes, for consideration at Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings, and to perform such other functions as may be referred to it by the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings. In particular, it shall provide advice on:

• the effectiveness of measures taken pursuant to this Protocol;
• the need to update, strengthen or otherwise improve such measures;
• the need for additional measures, including the need for additional Annexes, where appropriate;
• the application and implementation of the environmental impact assessment procedures set out in Article 8 and Annex I;
• means of minimising or mitigating environmental impacts of activities in the Antarctic Treaty area;
• procedures for situations requiring urgent action, including response action in environmental emergencies;
• the operation and further elaboration of the Antarctic Protected Area system;
• inspection procedures, including formats for inspection reports and checklists for the conduct of inspections;
• the collection, archiving, exchange and evaluation of information related to environmental protection;
• the state of the Antarctic environment; and
• the need for scientific research, including environmental monitoring, related to the implementation of this Protocol.In carrying out its functions, the Committee shall, as appropriate, consult with the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, the Scientific Committee for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and other relevant scientific, environmental and technical organisations.

Before the CEP: the TEWG

At the XVIII (1994) Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) in Kyoto, Japan, the Treaty Parties established a Temporary Environmental Working Group (TEWG) to anticipate and prepare for the entry into force of the Protocol, including in particular the establishment of the Committee on Environmental Protection. Until the CEP was established, the TEWG also considered those items on the agenda of the ATCMs which, under Article 12 of the Protocol, are to be dealt with by the Committee for Environmental Protection. The TEWG met three times in conjunction with Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings and was invaluable in laying the groundwork for the operation of the CEP.

CEP Meetings

The CEP normally meets once a year in conjunction with the ATCM, but it can also meet at other times as necessary to carry out its functions. However the Final Report of any CEP meeting requires the approval of an ATCM. The CEP met for the first time in conjunction with the twenty-second ATCM in Tromsø, Norway. Members provide working papers and information papers to the meetings, and these documents constitute the basis of the Committee's discussions. An archive of these and other documents has been established on the CEP website.
EP Committee

CEP Committee

The CEP Committee has a Chairperson and two Vice-Chairs.