Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will advocate the creation of the Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary at an international level.

The UK is already a leading advocate for the development and establishment of a network of Marine Protected Areas across the Southern Ocean. The UK secured agreement for the first Southern Ocean Marine Protected Area (MPA) on the South Orkney Islands Southern Shelf, which was designated by the international Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in 2009. We also strongly supported the Ross Sea region MPA, which was agreed in 2016. The UK is a co-proponent for MPA proposals in the Weddell Sea and in East Antarctica, both of which will be presented to the next CCAMLR meeting in October for adoption. Prior to this meeting, the Foreign Secretary will engage with key CCAMLR Members to seek their support. The UK is also playing a leading role in developing an MPA proposal for the Antarctic Peninsula.