Policy paper

Joint Declaration to promote bilateral strategic cooperation between the UK and Norway

Published 13 May 2022

The United Kingdom and Norway share a long history as neighbours in the North Atlantic with close economic, cultural, and strategic ties. Relations are deeply rooted in shared values, democratic principles, open societies, and open economies. We are committed to working together to increase security, sustainability, and prosperity, in Europe and beyond. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine underscores the importance of Allied and European solidarity, across a wide range of policy areas.

Bilaterally, we will continue to engage closely on shared interests in defence, foreign policy and security, prosperity, trade and technology, energy, climate and environment, innovation, and culture. Regular dialogue and cooperation across all sectors will advance bilateral trade and investment as we move towards a Net Zero economy.

Internationally, shared democratic values and a desire to promote global sustainable economic and social progress will form the bedrock of collaboration including through the UN, NATO, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the WTO. We will continue to consult and cooperate closely in international and multilateral fora on climate change and biodiversity loss; oceans; food security; reducing poverty; safeguarding human rights and gender equality; supporting access to education and health; and promoting peace and security including by improving conflict prevention and women’s meaningful participation in peace processes.

This Joint Declaration signals our intent to enhance our cooperation, focussing on the following priority areas:

0.1 Security and defence

As long-standing allies, the United Kingdom and Norway share a strong commitment to promoting Euro-Atlantic security and security in the High North. Through bilateral agreements, the Security Policy Dialogue, and the United Kingdom-Norway MOU on the enhancement of bilateral defence cooperation, we will continue to cooperate in a wide range of defence and security activities including cyber cooperation, intelligence sharing, counterterrorism and under-sea threats.

• Maintain Allied solidarity in NATO, strengthen NATO collective defence and cohesion through an updated Strategic Concept, reinforce the trans-Atlantic bond and ensure that the Alliance remains flexible and responsive to all threats and challenges.
• Promote the interoperability of our armed forces through joint operations, training and exercises, bilaterally and with NATO Allies and Joint Expeditionary Force partners.
• Building on our long-standing Commando Force cooperation through our coordinated activity in the North Atlantic and in the High North.
• Uphold close bilateral dialogue on strategic issues in Northern Europe, the North Atlantic, and the Arctic, as well as through continued regular consultations within the Joint Expeditionary Force, Northern Group, and in NATO.
• Strengthen cooperation to bolster Ukraine’s defence capabilities, inter alia through the British-led fund to provide military equipment to Ukraine.
• Encourage close cooperation between NATO and the EU, promoting complementarity of EU defence initiatives with NATO and participation of non-EU NATO Allies. Cooperation should continue to address hybrid threats, facilitate military mobility, enhance maritime security, and cyber security, progress the Women Peace & Security agenda, strengthen exchanges on climate and security, as well as on defence capabilities, defence industry and research, and exercises.
• Increase deterrence and resilience capabilities to counter interference in democratic processes, and protect against espionage, disinformation, and cyber operations. Strengthen collaboration to address these challenges by sharing information and best practices bilaterally and regionally.
• Promote good governance and anti-corruption in the defence and security sector, as Lead Nations of NATO’s Building Integrity programme.
• Build on our existing close co-operation and exchanges of good practice in resilience and crisis management, bilaterally and through additional engagement with NATO.
• Explore opportunities for closer bilateral engagement on global Maritime Security concerns reflecting our status as seafaring nations.

0.2 Global challenges

The United Kingdom and Norway are committed to working jointly within the UN and relevant regional fora, to support peaceful cooperation and governance, prevent conflict, respond to crises, and promote human rights. Through a close and structured partnership, we are committed to:

• Promote a sustainable global development that leaves no one behind, adhering to the principle of the UN Funding Compact and the 2030 Agenda.
• Promote democracy, human rights, humanitarian law and the rule of law, through the UN, the Council of Europe, NATO, the OSCE and the OECD.
• Strengthen bilateral engagement and collaboration on conflict prevention, mediation and peace process support, including in specific countries of mutual interest, and to deepen cooperation on the Women Peace & Security Agenda; Cooperate to reduce the humanitarian threats of explosive remnants of war.
• Cooperate to enable the UN Security Council to consider the climate-related security risks in specific country contexts, and to assess the possible impact of climate change on all aspects of the Council’s work.
• Facilitate cooperation on health security and global health and support international responses through the UN, the WHO and through new financing methods and initiatives.
• Maintain our commitment to global equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics through the ACT-Accelerator including its COVAX facility; and develop countermeasures through the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.
• Defend and advance comprehensive sexual reproductive health and rights through international fora such as the FP2030 initiative and the Global Financing Facility.
• Build on the close and enduring links between the United Kingdom and Norway on polar matters as outlined in the United Kingdom-Norway High Level Arrangement on cooperation on Polar Affairs.

0.3 Energy, economic and investment cooperation

The United Kingdom and Norway share a common interest in a rules-based multilateral trade regime and are committed to promoting welfare and prosperity in our two countries as well as globally. The United Kingdom and Norway are ideal partners in building a green economy and supporting an accelerated green transition that enhances regional energy security in the North Sea region, through:

• Consulting on economic and trade policy to shape rules-based economic cooperation, including the multilateral trade system.
• Ensuring efficient implementation of the Free Trade Agreement.
• Identifying opportunities for collaboration aimed at strengthening the resilience of critical supply chains.
• Discussing transformation strategies towards ‘blue, green and smart’ economies (oceans, environment and technology).
• Strengthening our close and strategically important energy relationship, based around energy trade, climate change commitments, resource management of the North Sea Basin and our longstanding oil and gas relationship.
• Continue our close collaboration for the longer-term sustainable and efficient utilisation of the Basin’s unique resources and geography to meet our long-term climate objectives.
• Further cooperation on green and low-emission technology such as offshore wind, offshore grid networks and the potential of hybrid projects;
• Refreshing our existing 2018 MoU for cooperation on carbon capture usage and storage to include closer collaboration on hydrogen.
• Using the EmTech strategic dialogue in the Digital Trade Chapter of the Free trade agreement to promote the sustainable and safe application of emerging technologies.
• Supporting our citizens and underpinning our strong economic ties by continuing our close working on civil judicial cooperation.
• Rolling out the partnership between the FCDO and Norad to mobilise large scale development finance through public markets using the MOBILIST programme.

0.4 Climate change and environmental issues

The United Kingdom and Norway will work to promote international ambitions on climate change and biodiversity loss. Through our commitments on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 under the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Pact, and national targets for 2050, we will head for net zero emissions by 2050. Both countries commit to pursuing a high ambition and effective post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework at the Convention on Biological Diversity COP15.2 in Kunming. The United Kingdom and Norway are global leaders in international climate finance. We intend to:

• Properly embed climate change and biodiversity loss considerations into policy, economic and financial decision-making.
• Use climate diplomacy to influence large emitters to enhance their climate and biodiversity ambitions.
• Collaborate on climate finance for developing countries and collaborate on approaches and implementation, in particular financing for forests and improving Small Island Developing States access to finance.
• Work in collaboration with donors and stakeholders to substantially increase finance for nature from all sources over the next five years, supporting delivery of the post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
• Strengthen global efforts to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030, building on our established collaborations on international forests, the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forests and Land Use, and the $12bn Global Forest Finance Pledge announced at COP26, including specific sub-pledges on the Congo Basin and Indigenous People.
• Through the LEAF Coalition and other initiatives, we will mobilise large-scale investments to tropical forest jurisdictions that successfully reduce forest emissions, and promote a shift in commodity and financial markets to advance deforestation-free commodity value chains including through the Forest Agriculture and Commodity Trade dialogue.
• Progress work at the intersection between climate, nature and health, supporting the rapid implementation of the Paris Agreement, an ambitious and transformative Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the ambitious outcome of the international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity.
• Champion ambitious action on biodiversity and the environment, including through the UN Environment Assembly and relevant UN conventions.
• Advance conservation and sustainable use of the ocean, following up on the recommendations of the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, underlining the importance of establishing sustainable ocean management plans, and the Global Ocean Alliance, including support for a global target to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030.
• Explore the possibility of furthering cooperation within the framework of the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy and mobilising ocean finance.
• Manage shared resources and protect the marine environment of the North Sea and the North-East Atlantic and explore cooperation on ocean-related development assistance and capacity building.
• Cooperate on developing an ambitious legally binding instrument on plastic pollution in line with the agreement reached in the United Nations Environmental Assembly.
• Through the implementation of the Framework Agreement on Fisheries concluded in 2020, cooperate and share best practice on fisheries management.

Research and innovation

The United Kingdom and Norway aim to foster world-class research and innovation, enabling solutions to societal, economic, and ecological challenges we face nationally and globally. We are determined to:

• Facilitate collaboration between our universities, researchers, and other research institutions, including through the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon Europe ​​and efforts to increase student mobility.
• Facilitate collaboration between the UK Research and Innovation and Norwegian Research Council.
• Work together regionally and multilaterally, for example through Northern Europe Science Ministerial.
• Encourage collaboration on renewable energies, clean technologies, green mobility and other research areas contributing to the transition to a green economy.
• Enhance sharing of knowledge and expertise between British and Norwegian health and care systems.

0.5 Culture and education

Building on the already extensive cultural and educational exchanges between the two countries, the United Kingdom and Norway foresee to:

• Enhance mutual awareness and knowledge of British and Norwegian art and culture through close collaboration between cultural institutions and organisations.
• Encourage exchange and cooperation in the fields of education, science, and training.
• Identify ways of developing youth exchanges between the United Kingdom and Norway.
• Continue to promote people-to-people links and progress our shared priorities on entry and mobility of labour to encourage the flow of talent and ideas.

0.6 Strategic dialogue and institutional exchanges

We aim to meet regularly on a high political level to give strategic impetus to the bilateral cooperation and to foster an effective response to global, international, and European challenges.

The joint declaration should be supported by meetings between Ministers and State Secretaries as well as senior officials on sector specific issues.

The text was signed in English, London 13 May 2022.

Boris Johnson

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Jonas Gahr Støre

Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Norway