GRU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 23: Conference statement from The inaugural Antarctic Parliamentarians Assembly in London 2-3 December 2019

Grønlandsudvalget 2019-20
GRU Alm.del Bilag 23
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ANTARCTIC PARLIAMENTARIANS ASSEMBLY

Meeting in London, 2-3 December 2019

CONFERENCE STATEMENT

We, as a group of parliamentarians from Antarctic Treaty Parties, gathered at the

inaugural Antarctic Parliamentarians Assembly in London on 2-3 December:

Recognise the

global importance of the Antarctic Treaty System, comprising the

Antarctic Treaty and its Protocol on Environmental Protection, which designates

Antarctica as a natural reserve, devoted to peace and science; and the Convention

for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, which provides for the

conservation of Antarctic marine living resources;

Note with concern

the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special

Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, which highlights the

profound effects of climate change on Antarctica’s ecosystems and the potentially

catastrophic effects of Antarctic ice loss on global sea level;

Encourage

the continued and strengthened contribution of all scientific investigation

in, from, and about Antarctica to the better understanding of our world and the

implications of climate change and other environmental changes;

Commit

ourselves to upholding the Antarctic Treaty System and its key objectives:

to preserve the continent for peace and science; prevent mineral exploitation and

measures of a military nature; promote scientific endeavour and research;

GRU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 23: Conference statement from The inaugural Antarctic Parliamentarians Assembly in London 2-3 December 2019

comprehensively protect the Antarctic environment and dependent and associated

ecosystems; and conserve Antarctic and Southern Ocean marine living resources;

Recommit

ourselves to supporting our Governments with regard to the full

implementation of the Antarctic Treaty, including to expedite the entry into force of

measures made under the Antarctic Treaty, and

Recognise

that national legislatures, alongside governments, international

organisations, the private sector and civil society all have an important role to play

in promoting the conservation and protection of Antarctica, including the Southern

Ocean.

Agree to:

1. Work towards establishing the Antarctic Parliamentarians Assembly on a

biennial basis:

a. Parliamentarians from Antarctic Treaty Parties are invited to

participate, and Parliamentarians from other countries, representatives

from non-governmental organisations, and other experts wishing to

support the actions of the Assembly are invited to observe the

Assembly; and

b. The Assembly will be hosted by agreement among participating

parliamentarians from Antarctic Treaty Parties, subject to further

discussions, and alternating between the Southern and Northern

hemispheres.

GRU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 23: Conference statement from The inaugural Antarctic Parliamentarians Assembly in London 2-3 December 2019

2. Urge the Antarctic Treaty Parties and Members of the Commission for the

Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources actively to support and,

as appropriate, prioritise their efforts to:

a. Protect and conserve the Antarctic environment including by:

i. Continuing international efforts, through relevant forums, to

address issues arising from activities outside the Antarctic

region that adversely impact on the Antarctic environment;

ii. Ensuring robust Environmental Impact Assessment processes

are conducted for all activities in Antarctica, in accordance with

Annex I of the Protocol on Environmental Protection and that

environmental impacts are mitigated and minimised as far as

practicable;

iii. Reinforcing international cooperation on pollution issues,

including plastics, that affect the Antarctic environment;

iv. Encouraging work to further strengthen the interaction and

synergies within the Antarctic Treaty System, to ensure that the

clear connectivity between ocean and land in Antarctica is

appropriately addressed;

v. Addressing the effects of climate change on Antarctic marine

biodiversity and marine conservation, including ecosystem-

based fisheries management;

vi. Promoting effective establishment, management and

monitoring of a systematic network of Antarctic specially

protected areas;

vii. Enhancing the management and protection of Antarctic

heritage;

viii. Encouraging the exchange of knowledge and best practice

among Antarctic Treaty Parties;

GRU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 23: Conference statement from The inaugural Antarctic Parliamentarians Assembly in London 2-3 December 2019

ix. Urging those countries that have not yet ratified Annex VI to the

Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty

relating to environmental liability to do so; and

x. Ensuring effective national engagement in the Antarctic Treaty

Consultative Meeting and Commission for the Conservation of

Antarctic Marine Living Resources.

b. Promote and support international scientific collaboration, including

to:

i. Facilitate the detection, assessment, and predictions of the rate

of change in Antarctica in response to human activities and

climate change, and the consequential effects of these changes

on the Antarctic ecosystem and the rest of the world;

ii. Enhance the scientific knowledge of Antarctic biodiversity to be

used for the conservation and management of Antarctic

ecosystems;

iii. Encourage further coordinated efforts in expanding and

maintaining observation efforts in Antarctica, including the

Southern Ocean, recognising the role that integrated and

sustained observations play in answering key scientific

questions, from predicting sea level rise to understanding

ecosystem response to environmental change;

iv. Facilitate the efficient collection and sharing of scientific

information and encourage work to increase data comparability;

v. Undertake and support science that will inform the effective

protection and conservation of Antarctica; and

vi. Promote the designation of a fifth International Polar Year.

c. Ensure effective management of activities in Antarctica, including by:

GRU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 23: Conference statement from The inaugural Antarctic Parliamentarians Assembly in London 2-3 December 2019

i. Encouraging the further establishment of a representative

system of Marine Protected Areas;

ii. Enhancing the efforts of logistics operators to cooperate in

order to reduce the environmental impact of scientific and non-

governmental activities;

iii. Ensuring sustainable fishing practices and a responsible fishing

industry, in order to minimise impacts on non-target species

and, in particular, to avoid sea-bird and marine mammal by-

catch; and to combat illegal, unregulated and unreported

fishing activities;

iv. Noting the anticipated continued growth in tourism and any

adverse environmental impact that some activities may have;

v. to ensure that tourism is conducted strictly in a safe,

environmentally responsible manner, including through the

implementation of all tourism-related Antarctic Treaty

Consultative Meeting Measures; and

vi. Continuing to enhance search and rescue cooperation and

facilitating the improvement of hydrographic charting and

navigation systems in Antarctic waters, promoting coordinated

efforts and data sharing among national hydrographic

institutions.

3. Encourage our parliaments to adopt, where appropriate, additional national

legislation contributing to the full and effective implementation of the

Antarctic Treaty System.

4. Encourage all parliamentarians from Antarctic Treaty Parties to endorse and

support this statement.

GRU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 23: Conference statement from The inaugural Antarctic Parliamentarians Assembly in London 2-3 December 2019

Signed by:

James Gray, UK

The Rt Hon Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones, UK

Generoso Maraia MP, Italy

Senator Massimo Vittorio Berutti, Italy

Senator Patricia Bovey, Canada

Mélissa Hanus MP, Belgium

Jean-Marc Delizée MP, Belgium

Chen Lifeng MP, China

Hubert Julien-Lafferière MP, France

Jacques Maire MP, France

Eirik Sivertsen MP, Norway

Andrew Bayly MP, New Zealand

Congressman Vitor Hugo, Brazil

Keith Pitt MP, Australia

Warren Snowdon MP, Australia

First Deputy Speaker

Åsa

Lindestam, Sweden

Hamza Dag MP, Turkey

Rumeysa Kadak MP, Turkey

Roman Hryschuk MP, Ukraine

GRU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 23: Conference statement from The inaugural Antarctic Parliamentarians Assembly in London 2-3 December 2019