International environment co-operation

• International environmental treaties
• Development of international treaties
• International conventions in the field of biological diversity
• Other international conventions
• Norwegian Environmental Assistance

International environment co-operation
As people have become more aware of the international nature of environmental problems, there has also been growing agreement that countries must cooperate to protect the environment. Norway is involved in international environmental cooperation both as a way of helping to solve global environmental problems and in order to reduce environmental damage in Norway caused by activities and emissions in other countries.

In addition, Norway wishes to contribute to sustainable development and improvements in the state of the environment in neighbouring areas and in developing countries.

Both regional and global factors are involved in climate change, depletion of the ozone layer, acid rain, the spread of environmentally hazardous chemicals and the loss of biological diversity. European cooperation on these issues is organised within the framework of the EEA Agreement between the EU and EFTA countries and the UN-ECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe), where cooperation with countries in Central and Eastern Europe plays a central role.

The globalization of the world economy has a growing influence on individual countries' environmental policies. At global level, Norway is giving priority to cooperation in the areas of biological diversity, hazardous chemicals, climate change and oceans and seas.

One of the primary goals of Norwegian development policy is to contribute to sound management of the global environment and biological diversity. Norway is therefore cooperating with developing countries in devising sustainable production systems, ensuring conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and reducing pollution.

Norway will continue its efforts to promote international cooperation on environmental issues. We must strive to reach ambitious and legally binding agreements to deal with environmental problems, and they must be based on the precautionary principle and on the tolerance limits of nature. Agreements should also be cost-effective across country boundaries and involve a reasonable level of burden-sharing between rich and poor countries.

International environmental treaties
In addition to the general efforts within international environmental cooperation, Norway is also party to a number of international treaties and conventions which regulate environmental issues. Typically a document is termed a treaty if signed by a small number of nations, and a convention if signed by many.

Accords and agreements can describe almost any document, more or less important, multilateral or bilateral. A protocol is generally an addition or supplement to an already existing accord.

Development of international treaties
In addition to actively observing the treaties to which Norway is party we also seek to widen their scope and effect. Existing accords can be expanded to embrace further signatories, or their provisions can be tightened up or made to work more efficiently. Advances in international environment cooperation also mean in some cases that existing treaties need to be revised or replaced. In such a process Norway's position is that emissions and impacts must not exceed the levels that the environment can sustain.

International conventions in the field of biological diversity

• Convention on Biological Diversity. Rio de Janeiro, 1992.
• Agreement on the Conservation of Bats in Europe. London, 1991.
• Convention for the Conservation of Salmon in the North Atlantic Ocean. Reykjavik, 1982.
  Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. Bonn, 1979.
• Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. Bern, 1979.
• Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears. Oslo, 1973.
  Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat. Ramsar, Iran, 1971.

Other international conventions

• Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters. Århus 1998.
• The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. Rio de Janeiro, 1992.
• Agenda 21. Rio de Janeiro, 1992.
  

Norwegian Environmental Assistance
Environmental and natural resource management is one of the target areas of the Norwegian development policy. Norway, through international development co-operation in the environmental area, will address global environmental challenges and co-operate in strengthening the capacity of developing countries to cope with national environmental challenges.

According to the Strategy for Environment in Development Co-operation of 1997, the environmental perspective should be integrated fully in Norwegian development assistance, and support for environmental programs and projects should be maintained.

The main objective of environmental assistance is to contribute to a "sound management of the global environment and biological diversity."

The Norwegian development assistance in the environmental field is channelled through the multilateral organisations, through bilateral co-operation, and through Norwegian and international volunteer organisations. Seven centres for environmental assistance are organised to assist the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NORAD, and will contribute to institutional co-operation with partner countries in the field of environment.

Read more about the Norwegian Environmental Assistance