The Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP)
About COMNAP
We are an international association, formed in 1988, which brings together our Members - the governmental National Antarctic Programs. Those programs are the organizations that have the responsibility for delivering and supporting scientific research in the Antarctic Treaty Area on behalf of their respective governments and in the spirit of the Antarctic Treaty.
Our Projects
As an organization, we facilitate and lead a range of COMNAP projects that support our Membership, that engage the public, and which ensure we are providing best practice advice to the Antarctic community. Over the past 35 years, we have convened a range of workshops, symposiums and forums to focus on key issues and to share expertise.
Our Expert Groups
COMNAP Member National Antarctic Programs’ people have expertise related to a range of Antarctic topics: air operations, science facilitation, health & safety, environmental management & protection, to name only a few. A fundamental aspect of our organization is to support the free exchange of information between these experts. This is done through our Expert Groups.
Sustainability
Sustainability for COMNAP means caring for the environment, supporting our Members to succeed and fostering strong community relationships while contributing towards a positive, enduring Antarctic future within the Antarctic Treaty System.
Our Publications
Over the years, we have worked with our Membership and the wider Antarctic community to produce a range of informative brochures, booklets, books and even the Antarctic Station game. Some of our publications provide guidance to our Members on things like waste management, critical technologies, preventing the introduction of non-native species into the Antarctic environment and how to respond to oil spills. One of our most significant publications celebrated the 25th anniversary of COMNAP.
News & Events
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Happy Mid-Winter's Day
Friday 21 Jun 2024, 8:50 am NZT
- exactly winter solstice 2024Celebrating the shortest day of the year. Thinking of everyone, part of the COMNAP National Antarctic Programs, that are currently wintering-over in the Antarctic. Enjoy your day and know that we are thinking of all of you and are sending the sun back to you.
Winter data from Antarctica is critical to our understanding of how the Antarctic region is driving and responding to change. National Antarctic Program expeditioners keep vital research equipment and infrastructure going, collecting data that can only be obtained from Antarctica.
Thank you to everyone in Antarctica right now & to your families back home that support you. We are with you all in spirit.
HAPPY MID-WINTER’S DAY 2024. -
Registration for COMNAP AGM 36 (2024) is OPEN
Deadline is 1 July 2024
Registration is open for the COMNAP AGM (2024) and associated meetings and events (Members only). The COMNAP AGM 36 (2024) will be convened as an in-person meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from Wednesday 14 August through Friday 16 August 2024.
To participate in any of the meetings, registration before the deadline of Monday 1 July 2024 is required.
The meeting and associated events are open only to Members, Observers and Invited Experts.
For more information visit the AGM webpage.
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ATCM & CEP Meetings in India
17 May 2024
The 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and the 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) convened in Kochin, India, 20-30 May 2024.
COMNAP’s delegation was Andrea Colombo for the CEP and Michelle Finnemore for the ATCM. As a permanent Observer to the meetings, COMNAP submitted four Working Papers, three Information Papers and two Background Papers, and co-submitted an additional four papers.
On the margins of those two meetings the COMNAP EXCOM met, and, in addition, there was a meeting of the COMNAP & SCAR EXCOMs.
Further information on the ATCM 46 and CEP 26 can be found here.