For the second time after thirty-three years, Italy hosted the annual meeting of the signatory States of the Antarctic Treaty, at Fiera Milano Congressi.
In his greeting message, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, underlined that “the governance of Antarctica plays a role of primary importance in the framework of current global challenges: the white continent is at the crossroads of crucial challenges for the future of the planet. It is therefore essential to safeguard it, both to ensure the protection of its delicate ecosystems, and to allow cutting-edge scientific research, which is impossible elsewhere in the world, ranging from the protection of biodiversity to the prevention of pollution and contamination, to a fair regime for Antarctic waters”. Deputy Prime Minister Tajani also recalled “the ban on military activities and the strict limitation of economic activities” on the continent.
Italy, which has been party to the Treaty since 1981, celebrates this year the 40th anniversary of the National Antarctic Research Program, created in 1985 to support our scientific bases on the continent and the research programs conducted there, thanks to a community of passionate researchers and logisticians, who often devote their entire lives to the study of Antarctica and the polar regions, within the framework of the National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA).
At the venue of the event, the National Scientific Commission for Antarctica promoted a scientific exhibition on the PNRA activities, with the aim of providing the Delegates of the 56 Member States with an overview of the Italian contribution to research, with a specific focus on the most relevant aspects for the Antarctic Treaty System.
The exhibition Italy in Antarctica is funded by the Ministry of University and Research, and curated by the National Museum of Antarctica and the National Research Council, in collaboration with ENEA and the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics. It will be part of a larger exhibition dedicated to 40 years of Italian presence in Antarctica, which will be inaugurated in December 2025 in Rome, at the CNR headquarters, providing visitors with the opportunity to retrace the rich program of research and scientific cooperation developed over time by the PNRA. The exhibition is dedicated to Prof. Francesco Francioni and Dr. Marino Vacchi, for their extraordinary contribution to Antarctic studies.
