The question of Antarctica has been on the agenda of the UN General Assembly since 1983. Some countries were making consistent efforts to bring the question of Antarctica within the fold of the United Nations. This was strongly resisted by the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties. As a result, the resolutions on the question of Antarctica eluded consensus in the past.

Following democratic elections in South Africa in April the question of its participation in the Antarctic Treaty System was resolved. This year the Antarctic Treaty Parties were flexible in agreeing to invite a representative of Secretary General to attend the ATCM. Secretary General of the UN has designated the Executive Director of UNEP to act as the liaison between ATCPs and the UN.

The ATCPs collectively responded to the request of the Secretary General for information on the state of the environment and in and around Antarctica and its ecosystems. The report presented by the Secretary General to the forty-ninth session of the General Assembly notes that progress continues in the field of international cooperation towards an improved understanding of the Antarctic environment and its dependent and associated ecosystems. In particular, there is increased sensitivity to the environmental consequences of activities in the Antarctic and a growing effort to design and implement measures to prevent, or at least mitigate, the adverse environmental effects of those activities.