Letter of Intent Between The Norwegian Ministry of Environment and The South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Regarding Future Cooperation in the Field of Environment.

With reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Kingdom of Norway (“Norway”) and the Government of the Republic of South Africa (“South Africa”) on development co-operation, signed in Oslo on 1st December 1994;

With reference to the Declaration of Intent, signed on 26th March 2004, in which South Africa and Norway declared their intentions to strengthen the bilateral political consultations and extend the development cooperation for a further period of five years;

With reference to the MOU between the South African Department of Environmental affairs and Tourism and the Norwegian Ministry of Environment dated 12th  February 1996;

We, the Ministers, agree that future cooperation should aim at:

• Strengthening and enhancing institutional cooperation between our two countries;
• Enhancing the cooperation in the field of implementation of international environmental conventions;
• Protecting and improving the quality of environment through preventing and reducing pollution with special emphasis on air quality management, hazardous substances and integrated waste management;
• Promoting the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources with specific emphasis on building capacity for the implementation of the Biodiversity Act, invasive alien species, access to genetic resources and benefit sharing and biosafety; 
• Improving environmental governance within the thematic areas of pollution, and waste and biodiversity.

Signed in duplicate in Cape Town, 10th of February, 2005.