ABSTRACT
The polar regions have been subject to distinctive and innovative dispute settlement mechanisms that are not duplicated elsewhere and have been a legal laboratory for dispute settlement. This has been achieved partly due to their geographic location distant from parts of the world where disputes have raged. Both global frameworks for dispute settlement, such as those found in the Charter of the United Nations, and regional frameworks have been important. In the Arctic, innovative diplomacy, courts and tribunals have all played a role in resolving regional disputes. The Arctic has also been gradually moving towards an Arctic Council System, which has provided a forum for the discussion and resolution of regional issues. The Antarctic Treaty and subsequently the Antarctic Treaty System have put into place legal and diplomatic processes that have been able to effectively resolve sovereignty tensions in the region. A framework has also been created for the formal resolution of contemporary Antarctic environmental and resource management disputes.
