The Antarctic Treaty (1959)

node · earth · All land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees south

Signed at Washington on 1 December 1959 by the twelve states then active in Antarctic science, and in force from 23 June 1961. It does two things that almost no other instrument does. Article I reserves the continent exclusively for peaceful purposes and prohibits military bases, manoeuvres and weapons testing; Article IV freezes the territorial question, so that nothing done while the treaty is in force counts as asserting, supporting or denying a claim, and no new claim may be made. Seven states had claims - three of them overlapping on the Antarctic Peninsula - and one large sector was claimed by nobody; none of that was resolved, and the treaty works precisely because it was not. Article VII gives every consultative party the right to inspect any station, installation or ship of any other, anywhere, at any time, and the inspection right has been exercised. Accession is open to any state, but a voice in decisions requires demonstrating substantial scientific activity there.