Fifth Polar Law Symposium 2012

The theme for this symposium is open. It covers a wide variety of topics relating to the Arctic and the Antarctic. These include:

• Human rights issues, such as autonomy and self-government vs. self-determination, the rights of indigenous peoples to land and natural resources and cultural rights and cultural heritage, indigenous traditional knowledge.
• Local and national governance issues.
• Environmental law, climate change, security and environment implications of climate change, protected areas and species.
• Regulatory, governance and management agreements and arrangements for marine environments, marine mammals, fisheries conservation and other biological/mineral/oil resources.
• Law of the sea, the retreating sea ice, continental shelf claims.
• Territorial claims and border disputes on both land and at sea.
• Peace and security, dispute settlement.
• Jurisdictional and other issues re the exploration, exploitation and shipping of oil, gas and minerals, bioprospecting.
• Trade law, potential shipping lines through the north-west and north-east passages, maritime law and transportation law.