The Council of National Antarctic Program Executives (COMNAP) was formally established in 1988 in response to the needs of National Antarctic Program Executives (organizations that carry out scientific and logistical activities in the Antarctic Treaty Area on behalf of their governments and in line with the Antarctic Treaty). Its main function is to act as an international association bringing together National Antarctic Programs.
COMNAP has an important place in many high-level international communities such as the Antarctic Treaty and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). Only countries that have signed the Antarctic Treaty and the Protocol on Environmental Protection can participate in COMNAP. The task of representation on behalf of the countries is carried out by the national institutions (national polar operators) responsible for the science and logistics of Antarctic operations.
There are 30 countries as full members in COMNAP and as a result of the meeting held on July 14, 2021, our country's application was accepted and became the 31st member (Germany, United States of America, Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Czechia, China, Ecuador, Finland, France, France, India, India, Netherlands, Italy, Japan, Korea, Norway, Peru, Poland, Russia, Chile, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden, Sweden, Italy, Japan, Korea, Norway, Peru, Poland, Russia, Chile, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, New Zealand)
COMNAP organizes activities such as various projects, seminars and workshops every year. In addition, it works with its members to improve logistics and scientific processes, increase bilateral cooperation, achieve higher efficiency from field operations, prepare various guidance documents for logistics and scientific activities, and present the relevant outputs as recommendations at the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and the Committee on Environmental Protection (CEP).
By actively participating in this formation, our country aims to increase its scientific research in the poles and cooperation with foreign countries.
