FORUM: Group of Twenty

QUESTION OF: Lessening the global economic implications stemming from the extraction of
natural resources in the Antarctic region and disputed territories in close proximity
MAIN SUBMITTER: Russian Federation
CO-SUBMITTERS: France, Australia, China, Mexico, United States of America, Turkey, Saudi
Arabia, European Union

Keeping in mind the Antarctic System Treaty of 1959,

Acknowledging statements in the Antarctic treaty that “Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes
only,”

Aware that Antarctica has the 3rd largest oil reservoir in the world,

Acknowledging the current global economic crisis due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

1. Strongly recommends member nations to start the regulation of natural resources exploited
from the Antarctic to reduce harm to the environment and local ecosystems, and to ensure that
these natural resources aren’t mishandled with means such as:
a. ensuring that fishing practices are sustainable enough to maintain the fish stock
through means such as but not limited to:
i. sanctioning a small fleet of UN UAVs to patrol the area to support the
following means,
ii. using the drones to flag any unauthorized ships using methods such as
trawling in Antarctic waters,
iii. increasing the number of marine protected areas (MPAs) by implementing
certain zones that allow fishing and those where it is illegal,
b. encourages enabling safety restrictions during mining and drilling operations for fuels
and metals through means such as but not limited to:
i. increasing the number of protected areas implementing certain zones which
allow for fracking,
ii. majority of the land will be illegal,
c. Antarctic bases and mines must be made carefully with regard to environmental
hazards;

2. Calls upon member states and transnational corporations with a vested interest in the
Antarctic region and/or are involved in activities including, the maritime transport of goods
through the Antarctic region and the extraction of natural resources from the Antarctic, to
submit a quarterly report detailing:
a. intended shipping routes enabling safer navigation and pathways:
b. the shipping activities carried out by that state and/or corporation and their nature
including:
i. the purpose of the shipping activities,
ii. the type of goods transported,
iii. the specifications of the vessel transporting the goods;
3. Encourages the creation of a UN task force, under the governance of member nations, in order
to fix any possible environmental issues that may occur as well as ensure countries are
following the treaty through means such as but not limited to:
a. ensuring the presence of the task force in all Antarctic nations and port-towns and
port-cities,
b. ensuring that all task force personnel are properly trained under year-long programs
including:
i. learning how to safely use restoration equipment,
ii. learning the ability to navigate on ships,
iii. ensuring the marine life will not be harmed during the restoration,
iv. how to clear up oil or waste spills,
v. how to transport and dispose of waste out of the Antarctic,
c. more privacy between land and private observations such as:
i. providing each area with a respected observer hired by the UN in oppose to
the contracting parties appointing observers,
ii. observers will stay in contact with the UN informing about anything in
breach of the treaty,
iii. shall help maintain peace between nations in Antarctica,
iv. suggesting a monthly aerial inspection help by the UN on each area of land;

4. Encourages all member-states to sign the Antarctic treaty of 1959 in order to renew its
implications and amend its rules on the extraction of resources in a way to conserve possible
natural resources for future generations:
a. calls for a meeting between member nations that have signed the Antarctic Treaty
System to review the date allowing the extraction of natural resources,
b. renew articles and change some rules based on the current situation of environmental,
political, and social problems,
c. call for a conference for international research in Antarctica,
d. allowing specific natural resources to be extracted with different regulations for each
natural resource,
e. further international research required to minimize the damage to natural
environments,
f. regular conference to discuss the usage of the antarctic resources,
g. calls upon the need to alter aspects of The Antarctic Treaty:
i. altering statements such as “ships to dump raw sewage into the ocean if they
are more than 12 nautical miles away from the nearest ice shelf,"
ii. removing the limit of how many member nations can sign the Treaty;

5. Calls upon the creation of an international law stating the amount allowed for extraction
depending on the uses of the country:
a. requires all member states to state clearly what the materials were used for, to allow
the UN to decide the permission of extraction allowed next time,
b. calls for the creation of resource extraction safeguards to prevent unregulated
exploitation of resources, such as but not limited to:
i. recognized system of established oil extraction technologies,
ii. a quantitative limit to the amount of resources permitted for extraction,
iii. a quantitative limit to the amount of pollutants per unit of resource extracted,
 iv. the creation of regulations that prevent the reckless partaking in oil
extraction,
v. permitting only nations with certified extraction and refinery technologies to
operate in the Antarctic region;
c. calls for the creation of procedures that mining companies must follow to prevent
reckless partaking in natural resource extraction, such as:
i. in preparing applications for mining permits, holding consultations with
various stakeholders, including community, government, scientists, and
NGOs,
ii. conducting environmental assessments of the proposed drilling site, including
a description of current conditions, possible risks of the mining activities, and
proposed mitigation measures,
iii. commissioning independent observers to monitor their activities on a regular
basis,
iv. based on these independent observations, submitting regular performance
assessments to government, and publishing regular reports that the public can
access,
v. compensating for any environmental damage that they cause, such as through
biodiversity offsets or financially supporting the UN task force in clause 3,
vi. having their permit immediately revoked if they breach clause 5c;

6. Calls for the restriction of certain areas to allow scientists to continue their research without
any overlap with natural resource extraction with said areas being:
a. surrounding areas in which current research stations are located,
b. ensuring all nations are aware of these restricted areas,
c. possible fines if a nation attempts to extract resources from the restricted areas for the
use of non-scientific purposes;