Parliamentary Panel Recommends Polar Ambassador to Boost India's Arctic, Antarctic Diplomacy

A parliamentary committee has recommended that the Centre consider appointing a "polar ambassador" to strengthen India's presence and diplomatic engagement in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The proposal is part of a report titled "India's Role and Presence in the Arctic and Antarctic Regions," tabled in Parliament on Thursday.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, chaired by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, noted that creating such a position would help India project the importance it gives to these regions in its foreign policy architecture. It would also enable the country to pursue "polar diplomacy" in a more effective manner.

The committee's report highlights that most resources in the Arctic lie within the sovereign territories of Arctic countries, and the idea of declaring the region as a global commons is resisted by those nations. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has informed the committee that India is committed to a rules-based approach and envisions itself as a science-driven and environmentally responsible actor in both the Arctic and Antarctic.

The MEA stated that India's engagements, at both political and scientific levels, are guided by this approach, as well as by sustainability-focused cooperation in areas including energy security and sea-route governance. It also noted that established international regimes related to deep-sea mining and fishing exist, and India will engage constructively as per its obligations under such regimes.

The committee observed that the Arctic region is generally considered to be above 66 degrees north latitude, while the Antarctic region refers to areas south of 60 degrees latitude. Together, these regions hold nearly 90 per cent of the planet's ice sheets and store 70 per cent of its fresh water. The Arctic is a sea surrounded by landmass, whereas Antarctica is a landmass surrounded by sea.

Most of the Arctic region encompasses territories sovereign to Arctic nations and is inhabited by about four million people, of whom roughly 10 per cent are indigenous. In contrast, Antarctica is the only continent beyond the purview of the United Nations and is governed by the Antarctic Treaty System. The committee noted that Antarctica, which is nearly five times the size of India and has ice sheets as thick as 4.5 km in places, could cause a potential sea-level rise of 60 metres if it melted entirely.

For a country with more than 11,000 km of coastline and multiple islands, any sea-level rise would have significant economic and strategic consequences for India. The melting of sea ice surrounding Antarctica and the Arctic could also have a substantial impact on the Indian monsoon system, the panel said.

Strategically, a continuous Indian presence in Antarctica strengthens the country's role in international decision-making, enhances its credibility in polar governance, and ensures preparedness for future global discussions within the framework of the Antarctic Treaty. Indian Antarctic operations have also enabled technological advancement, logistics capability, and human resource development in extreme environments, the committee said.

The panel emphasised that India needs to evolve a long-term policy that takes into account various emerging challenges and enables the country to play a prominent role in the polar regions. It noted that all Arctic Council member states and most non-Arctic observer states, including Japan, China, Singapore and South Korea, have a polar or Arctic ambassador along with a dedicated polar or Arctic affairs desk or department.

The committee argued that it is imperative for India to have a similar ambassador at a level equivalent to other countries, exclusively to deal with polar regions. "Creating such a position will not only help India project the importance given to these regions in its foreign policy architecture but will also help put across its policy stance in relation to polar areas and pursue polar diplomacy in a more effective manner," the committee said.