IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 345 

Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Antarctic Treaty. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 7, 2008 

Mr. TIBERI (for himself, Mr. BAIRD, Mr. EHLERS, and Mr. GORDON of Tennessee) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the signing of the 

Antarctic Treaty. 

Whereas the Antarctic Treaty was signed by 12 nations in 

Washington, DC, on December 1, 1959, ‘‘with the interests of science and the progress of all mankind’’; 

Whereas the Antarctic Treaty was established to continue 

and develop international ‘‘cooperation on the basis of 

freedom of scientific investigation in Antarctica as applied during the International Geophysical Year’’; 

Whereas the Antarctic Treaty came into force on June 23, 

1961, after its unanimous ratification by the seven claimant nations (Argentina, Australia, Chile, the French Republic, Norway, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) and five other nations (Belgium, Japan, the Union of South Africa, the Union of 


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•HCON 345 IH 

Soviet Socialist Republics, and the United States of 

America), who had collaborated in Antarctic research activities during the International Geophysical Year from 

July 1, 1957, through December 31, 1958; 

Whereas ‘‘no acts or activities taking place while the present 

treaty is in force shall constitute a basis for asserting, 

supporting, or denying a claim to territorial sovereignty 

in Antarctica’’; 

Whereas the Antarctic Treaty established a firm foundation 

for the United States of America and the Union of Soviet 

Socialist Republics to cooperate during the cold war; 

Whereas the 14 articles of the Antarctic Treaty provide an 

ongoing firm foundation to successfully maintain the region south of 60 degrees south latitude, nearly 10 percent of the Earth, ‘‘for peaceful purposes only’’; 

Whereas the Antarctic Treaty provides an ongoing firm foundation ‘‘for nations to continuously meet for the purpose 

of exchanging information, consulting together on matters of common interest pertaining to Antarctica, and 

formulating and considering, and recommending to their 

Governments, measures in furtherance of the principles 

and objectives of the treaty’’; 

Whereas the Antarctic Treaty prohibits ‘‘any measure of a 

military nature’’, despite the complete absence of indigenous human populations and extreme isolation of the 

continent surrounded by oceans at the bottom of the 

Earth; 

Whereas the Antarctic Treaty became the first nuclear arms 

agreement in our world by establishing that ‘‘any nuclear 

explosions in Antarctica and the disposal there of radioactive waste material shall be prohibited’’; 


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•HCON 345 IH 

Whereas common interests among the Antarctic Treaty nations facilitated the development and ratification of the 

Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources; 

Whereas the Antarctic Treaty now has 46 nation signatories 

that together represent nearly 90 percent of the human 

population; 

Whereas the scientific basis of international cooperation 

founded by the Antarctic Treaty offers humankind an institutional precedent for the peaceful governance of international spaces; 

Whereas in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year, the United States House of 

Representatives and United States Senate in their concurrent resolutions and the Antarctic Treaty Consultative 

Parities in their Edinburgh Declaration recognize the 

current International Polar Year for its contributions to 

global science and international cooperation; and 

Whereas the International Polar Year program has endorsed 

the Antarctic Treaty Summit: Science-Policy Interactions 

in International Governance that will be convened in 

Washington, DC, at the Smithsonian Institution on the 

50th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That the Congress— 

3 (1) recognizes that the Antarctic Treaty has 

4 successfully ensured the ‘‘use of Antarctica for 

5 peaceful purposes only and the continuance of interVerDate Aug 31 2005 04:51 May 08, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC345.IH HC345

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•HCON 345 IH 

1 national harmony’’ continuously for the past half 

2 century; and 

3 (2) encourages diverse international and inter4 disciplinary collaboration in the Antarctic Treaty 

5 Summit to identify lessons and stories from 50 years 

6 of international cooperation under the Antarctic 

7 Treaty that have legacy value for humankind. 

Æ 


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