This blog post was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Avatar photo

Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Part of UK in Australia

12th June 2012

Antarctic Treaty Meeting in Tasmania

Speaking at the opening of the 35th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ACTM) in Hobart, Tasmania, former PM Bob Hawke was passionate as he described his role in helping secure the 1989 Madrid Protocol on Environmental Protection. The meeting brings together 49 signatory nations, of which 28 are “consultative parties” which, like Britain, carry out research activity in the Antarctic. Australia hosted the first ACTM in 1961, the year the Treaty came into force, with just 12 member states. The Antarctic Treaty system now includes a number of other international agreements, including the Madrid Protocol and the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).

HE Paul Madden with former PM Bob Hawke
HE Paul Madden with former PM Bob Hawke

The Antarctic has been much in the public eye this year with major centenaries marked in both Britain and Australia. In London, there was a memorial service in St Paul’s Cathedral in March to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of “Scott of the Antarctic”. And Australia is staging a number of events to commemorate the centenary of its first Antarctic exhibition led by Yorkshire-born Douglas Mawson, including an exhibition at the National Archives in Canberra.

The UK’s delegation consists of experts from the FCO and the British Antarctic Survey.  I had visited BAS’s HQ in Cambridge on my last visit to the UK in May. It is a remarkable institution with some 400 staff, which runs 3 research bases on the Antarctic and 2 on South Georgia. To support them it operates 2 ships and 5 aircraft. They carry out ground breaking research across a wide variety of disciplines, including geophysics, glaciology, geology, biology and climate science. Antarctica plays a vital role in contributing to our understanding of climate change. The continent also significantly influences the world’s weather and ocean systems.

The Hobart meeting is aiming to agree a multi-year strategic work plan. In addition to the scientific panels, there will also be discussions on how to regulate growing Antarctic tourism, vessel safety, and remediating the Antarctic environment. As the UK is one of the most active players in the Antarctic, our delegation is facing a busy week. Having studied geography at university, like the UK’s delegation leader Jane Rumble, I was fascinated to have an opportunity to join them for a day.

About Paul Madden

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017. He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia…

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017.

He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia until February 2015. Prior to this he was British High Commissioner in Singapore from 2007-2011.

A career diplomat, he was previously Managing Director at UK Trade and Investment (2004-2006), responsible for co-ordinating and
implementing international trade development strategies to support
companies across a wide range of business sectors.

As Assistant Director of Information at the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (2003-2004) he was responsible for public diplomacy policy,
including managing the FCO funding of the BBC World Service, the British
Council and the Chevening Scholarships programme. He led the team
responsible for the award-winning UK pavilion at the Aichi Expo in Japan
2005.

He was Deputy High Commissioner in Singapore from 2000-2003 and has
also served in Washington (1996-2000) and Tokyo (1988-92). Between
1992-96 he worked on EU enlargement and Environmental issues at the FCO
in London.

Before joining FCO he worked at the Department of Trade and Industry
(1980-87) on a range of industrial sectors and trade policy, including
two years as a minister’s Private Secretary.

He has an MA in Economic Geography from Cambridge University, an MBA
from Durham University, studied Japanese at London University’s School
of Oriental and African Studies, and is a Fellow of the Royal
Geographical Society. His first book, Raffles: Lessons in Business
Leadership, was published in 2003.

Married to Sarah, with three children, he was born in 1959, in Devon.

Follow Paul

Tags

2012 Bob Hawke British Antarctic Survey Hobart Politics tasmania