International law and governance of the Polar Regions

Jill Barrett is in Japan participating in an international symposium on International Law for Sustainability in Arctic Resource Development: Integrating Economic, Social, Environmental and Scientific Dimensions at Kobe University, 17-18 December 2018. The symposium is examining how international law constrains a state in the development of natural resources within its territory, looking for example at the role of international environmental law for the Arctic and the application of international investment law in the Arctic, with case studies focussing on Russia and Greenland.

Jill will also speak at an International Workshop on The Resilience of the Antarctic Treaty System to Future Challenges at Kobe University on 19 December. Jill’s presentation will explore how open the principle institutions of international governance of the Antarctic region are to new membership and participation, by both States and non-state actors. She will consider the relationship between the openness of these institutions and their international legitimacy and efficacy. This will initiate discussion on whether the factors that have contributed to the success of the Antarctic Treaty System for over five decades might contribute to its future vulnerability in a radically changing world. The conclusions might also have resonance for the way in which international governance of the Arctic is developing.