Policy paper

UK-Norway High Level Arrangement on Cooperation on Polar Affairs

Published 11 March 2021

High Level Arrangement on cooperation on Polar Affairs between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Kingdom of Norway,

• noting the success of the High Level Arrangement on the Strengthening of United Kingdom-Norway cooperation on polar research and cultural heritage signed in 2011 and implemented by two subsequent Memorandums of Understanding;

• celebrating the United Kingdom’s and Norway’s shared Antarctic heritage since the early heroic age of exploration, including as neighbouring Antarctic Claimant States and our shared heritage on South Georgia;

• marking the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Antarctic Treaty, to which both countries were original proponents and signatories;

• valuing our shared commitment to all elements of the Antarctic Treaty System, including the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty;

• recognising Norway’s position as an Arctic State and the United Kingdom’s role as an Observer to the Arctic Council, and our shared objective to maintain the Arctic Council’s central role in Arctic affairs to maintaining political stability in the Arctic and contributing to the conservation of the Arctic environment;

• concerned that climate change is having profound and globally significant effects on both Polar Regions, and that both the United Kingdom and Norwegian scientists are at the forefront of scientific research on climate change in the Polar Regions;

• recognising the close and enduring links between the United Kingdom and Norway on polar matters; and the significant value of continuing close cooperation;

Will jointly endeavour:

1. To identify opportunities for increased cooperation for Polar research;

2. To continue to work together to highlight the significant implications that climate change is having on the Polar Regions, to identify its sources and consequential global impacts, in conjunction with other interested Parties and organisations;

3. To maintain and enhance further cooperation on key Antarctic policy issues, including through regular senior official dialogue and joint expert discussions. These should comprise matters of mutual interest relevant to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, including to strengthen the Antarctic Treaty System and to enhance measures to protect the environment, ensure effective management of human activities in the region and strengthen the sustainable management of marine ecosystems and its fisheries, including by the designation of a network of marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean;

4. To maintain and enhance their bilateral cooperation on the management of shared cultural heritage in Antarctica and South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands, and effectively promote our shared history of Antarctic exploration, particularly the legacies of Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott;

5. To identify projects to support Arctic Council activities, where joint UK/Norwegian bilateral endeavours would be appropriate and of mutual benefit, particularly in relation to the work of the relevant Arctic Council Working groups, and to ensure that these have access to the best available science;

This High Level Arrangement will become effective on signature and will be subject to a review and termination if the United Kingdom and Norway so decide.

This arrangement does not create any legal obligations under international law.

The foregoing represents the arrangement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Kingdom of Norway upon the matters referred to herein.