ABSTRACT
The Antarctic Treaty established a framework for the international governance of the sixth continent. Its leading institution is the Antarctic Treaty consultative meeting. In this annual summit, the consultative States discuss and decide by consensus on Antarctic matters of major relevance, including environmental issues. The other contracting parties, observers and experts are also invited but do not participate in decision-making. It is essential to understand how this forum operates to comprehend how the governance of the southern continent is exercised. This chapter analyses the political and legal basis of consultative meetings and reviews the decision-making process and its outcomes in detail. It provides an overview of one of the main forums in which polar law is developed, offering the necessary elements to evaluate its work and promote its improvement. This understanding is of great importance to contribute to overcoming certain immobility seen in recent decades. It is essential to re-impulse the decision-making process at the consultative meetings to be in a position to face the severe challenges affecting Antarctica today. In times of climate change, this is also a global concern.
