Spitsbergen Treaty 1920

The Spitsbergen Treaty, now usually called the Svalbard Treaty, was signed in Paris on 9 February 1920 and recognizes the full sovereignty of Norway over the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. It entered into force on 14 August 1925. The treaty grants nationals of all contracting parties equal rights of access and to engage in maritime, industrial, mining, and commercial activity, including fishing and hunting in the territories and their territorial waters, on a footing of absolute equality (Articles 2 and 3). Svalbard must not be used for warlike purposes (Article 9). The interaction of these equal-treatment rights with Norway’s later UNCLOS zones around Svalbard remains contested by some parties.