Norway/ UN conference on alien species

Political Adviser Hallgeir Utne Hatlevik

Norway/ UN conference on alien species

The Trondheim Conferences on Biodiversity,
Trondheim, Norway 1-5 july 1996

Closing remarks by Hallgeir Utne Hatlevik, Political Adviser to the Norwegian Minister of Trade and Shipping.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very pleased to address you today at a conference on a subject that my country gives high priority.

As the Minister of the Environment, Mr Thorbjørn Berntsen, said in his opening speech on Monday, there are two major reasons for having chosen "alien species" as this year's topic for the Trondheim conference.

First of all, alien species have been identified as one of the largest threats to biological diversity. Second, not much attention has yet been put on alien species as a subject.

Biological diversity is in many respects a prerequisite for sustainable development, securing not only productive and natural ecosystems, but also providing a number of ecological functions that we need in our daily lives. We should therefore do our utmost to take good care of it. Investments in the conservation of biological diversity and in the sustainable use of biological resources should be seen as a way of providing insurance for future generations.

All this warrants that so-called "biological pollution" needs the attention of scientists, managers and policy makers alike.

We hope that Norway, by arranging this conference, has helped to place alien species on relevant agendas world-wide. Not only in the environmental field, but also in connected areas such as food and health security, and trade and transportation.

So-called alien species have always been on the move, sometimes causing problems and sometimes not, as you have seen these last few days.

There is a need to strike a balance between advantages and disadvantages. First we have both advantages and disadvantages in the use of alien species.This applies not least to activities to increase primary production, agriculture, forestry and fisheries. Secondly, there is also a need to seek to strike a balance between the disadvantages caused by alien species in new environments when brought along as a consequence of trade, transport and tourism, and the advantages that trade gives us.

The large and growing service sector is important, not least trade, transport and tourism, as they are all so-called vectors for alien species. Here alien species are an external effect we want to minimise. However, with today's modern system of world trade and transport, alien species are to an increasing degree travelling faster and in increasing numbers. Their chances for surviving their journey as well as surviving in a new environment is therefore also increasing. And they can cause tremendous problems, as you are all well aware, to native species and ecosystems, also those that are important for food production.

A critical factor for us as government representatives and decision makers is that the risks and uncertainties involved are significant. Solid scientific basis should be a central element for international work on alien species, as I understand it has been for this last week. I would like to point out in this respect that Norway has in a number of international fora strongly emphasised the need for a solid scientific basis for decisions regarding the use and management of natural resources. In 1993, at an international conference held right here in Trondheim, the crucial element of discussion was in fact the need for a strong scientific basis. At the same time, it might be necessary to apply the precautionary principle to a larger extent than is the case today, a principle which Norway has also been a strong advocate for internationally. However, the use of the precautionary principle must be used cautiously, so that it does not, for example, open for disguised protectionism.

In the field of environmental policy and practice, Norway has for many years now put strong emphasis on the necessity of sectoral integration both at the domestic and the international level. This is also called for in Article 6 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

This should also be the case of alien species. This has been exemplified by this conference, which the Ministry of the Environment has hosted in co-operation with the ministry for Foreign Affairs, including trade, shipping and aid, and the ministries for agriculture and fisheries. The policy areas that these ministries cover are central for this issue.

One positive example I could like to mention here is the work taking place under the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), and the work they already have underway on alien species and ballast water. As a matter of fact, while this conference has taken place, a working group on unwanted aquatic organisms in ballast water has been meeting at the IMO in London. The aim of the working group is to introduce guidelines to minimize the risks associated with ballast water discharge. One idea that is being considered is to discharge ballastwater into superannuated oiltankers, which then could dispose of the ballast water in a safe manner. The IMO is also at the moment looking at proper ways to deal with ships' garbage disposal, another means for the incidental transportation of living organisms.

Another relevant forum is the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), where there are crucial linkages to their work on food security and on the corresponding issues of animal and plant diseases and on genetic resources. Linkages could also be made to the World Health Organisation and to other fora doing important work on human and animal health.

Although there is now an ongoing trade and environment debate in many organizations, the issue of alien species has not been placed under the magnifying glass in this context. There is a growing awareness of the problem on the trade side, but though there is a clear connection to trade in both goods and services, it would seem that the best way to address the problem is through environmental agreements. A central arena in this respect is, and will continue to be, the Convention on Biological Diversity. We should of course take a closer look at the issue in the trade context, and it is important that the global trading system, based on the rules of the World Trade Organization, does not hinder measures to contain alien species where necessary. In this respect the General Exceptions article of the GATT gives exception to all measures that are, and I quote: "necessary to protect human, animal or plant life or health".

I believe that the work underway in the WTO with the aim of making international trade and environmental policies mutually supportive, will also, in general terms, cover the area of alien species.

It is my Government's view that an open, equitable, non-discriminatory and predictable multilateral trading system that is consistent with the goals of sustainable development can lead to a more optimal distribution of the world's resources. We must, however, ensure that the rules of the trading system, or modifications to the rules, contribute positively to environmental and resource-management policies, while maintaining open trade. The WTO should also discuss how to avoid possible negative consequences of further trade liberalization. We are also of the view that evaluation of the environmental consequences of trade policies, including trade liberalisation, and of other measures affecting trade is essential as a basis for market access negotiations.

Norway will strive to ensure that the upcoming WTO Ministerial Conference in Singapore in December gives guidance in the area of trade and environment. Among other things, in the negotiations for further trade liberalisation, the WTO should ensure that environmental consequences are considered by focusing on products and services where there are positive environmental effects. The multilateral trading system should offer scope for incentives for the use of environmentally friendly products and should not encompass incentives for production and use of environmentally damaging products. The WTO should also be supportive of efforts to internalize environmental costs. In this respect the links between trade rules and environment principles in particular the polluter-pays principle (PPP) and the precautionary principle should be examined.

The issue of trade and environment is both politically sensitive and conceptually and technically difficult as so many sectors overlap and as it has impact on the economy as a whole.. Norway will continue to actively seek solutions to the problems that unfold, and I am sure that you, ladies and gentlemen, will seek to impress upon your own authorities how vital it is for strong national and international cooperation in this field.

On this note, Ladies and Gentlemen, let me thank you for your attention. I hope that you have a lot of ballast to take with you back home, not as alien species from the Norwegian flora and fauna, of course, but rather in the form of new knowledge, ideas and experiences that you have had a chance to share and benefit from during these five days.

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