In 2016, the Committee for environmental protection (CEP) developed a publication on the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty.
This publication was launched on 4 October 2016 and it is available in English, French, Russian and Spanish. It can be downloaded from here and hard copies are available here.
The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed in Madrid on October 4, 1991 and entered into force in 1998. It designates Antarctica as a “natural reserve, devoted to peace and science” (Art. 2). Article 3 of the Environment Protocol sets forth basic principles applicable to human activities in Antarctica and Article 7 prohibits all activities relating to Antarctic mineral resources, except for scientific research. Until 2048 the Protocol can only be modified by unanimous agreement of all Consultative Parties to the Antarctic Treaty.