Hiroshima talks weigh Antarctic tourism and penguin protection
Delegates from 44 countries are debating tourism rules, emperor penguin safeguards and transparency in Antarctic activities.
- An international conference in Hiroshima is discussing measures to manage the rising number of tourists in Antarctica and to protect endangered emperor penguins.
- A key goal of the talks is to secure an environmental conservation agreement, with around 400 representatives from 44 countries attending.
- Any decision made at the conference requires unanimous approval from the participating nations, making progress challenging.
- The conference chair has cautioned that it is too early to say if tangible progress on tourism regulations will be made, hoping instead for "step by step" advances.
Substantive discussions began on Tuesday (May 12) at a Japan-hosted international conference in Hiroshima, western Japan, with delegates taking up measures to manage the rising flow of visitors to Antarctica and protect emperor penguins, an endangered species threatened by climate change.
A central question is whether the participating countries can secure an environmental conservation agreement before the conference ends on May 21.
Any decision at the meeting, which focuses on the peaceful use of Antarctica, requires unanimous approval from the nations involved.
Hideki Uyama, Japan’s ambassador in charge of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting and chair of the 48th conference, said expectations should be measured. “It is too early to say whether tangible progress could be made on tourism regulations,, he told a press briefing during the conference. “I hope that progress will be made step by step,” he added.
Around 400 representatives from 44 countries are attending, chiefly from the 29 consultative parties actively engaged in Antarctic research, including the United States, Russia and Ukraine.
The agenda also includes efforts to improve transparency around each country’s Antarctic activities, as well as discussions on whether Canada, Belarus and Turkey should join the consultative parties.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ayano Kunimitsu said, “We must demonstrate to the world our determination to advance international cooperation even as divisions and conflicts in the international community are escalating.”
Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui also addressed the gathering, saying, “I hope that people will reaffirm the importance of the peaceful use of Antarctica here in Hiroshima.”
Before the ceremony, Uyama and Francisco Berguno, executive secretary of the Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty, visited Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and laid flowers at the cenotaph for victims of the 1945 US atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
