Treaties for the Global Commons
The Antarctic Treaty (1959), the Outer Space Treaty (1967) and the Law of the Sea Convention (1982) put Antarctica, space and the deep seabed under shared rules: peaceful use, open science, no national ownership.
Open in the interactive tree →The Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 by the twelve nations active in the International Geophysical Year, bars new territorial claims and bans military activity and nuclear tests south of 60 degrees S; it now has 58 parties. The Outer Space Treaty (in force 10 October 1967; 118 parties by October 2025) bars national claims on the Moon and weapons of mass destruction in orbit. The Law of the Sea Convention (opened 1982, in force 1994) set 12-nautical-mile territorial seas and 200-nautical-mile economic zones and made the deep seabed a common heritage of mankind; a High Seas Treaty on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction entered into force on 17 January 2026.
Prerequisites
- United Nations1945The UN framework hosted the space and sea negotiations
- First Satellite (Sputnik)1957Sputnik made rules for space urgent
- International Geophysical Year1957-1958Antarctic science cooperation of 1957-58 became the Antarctic Treaty
Unlocks
- Global CoordinationopenAntarctic, space and ocean treaties are the main precedents for shared rules over areas no state owns
- Permanent Moon Base2030s?The Outer Space Treaty bars national ownership of the Moon, so any base works under its rules