Relationship dossier
South Africa
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Relationship assessment
South Africa’s treaty relationship applies to Svalbard; Svalbard and Jan Mayen are administered by Norway.
South Africa toward Svalbard and Jan Mayen
+15South Africa is a party to the Svalbard Treaty, which grants treaty parties specified rights concerning activities in Svalbard. The treaty does not apply to Jan Mayen.
Svalbard and Jan Mayen toward South Africa
Not assessedOverall relationship
Not assessedHow to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
South Africa is a party to the Svalbard Treaty, which provides treaty parties rights concerning activities in Svalbard. Jan Mayen is not covered by that treaty. Svalbard and Jan Mayen are administered by Norway and do not conduct an independent foreign policy, so their government conduct toward South Africa cannot be assessed as a separate bilateral relationship.
Key developments
South Africa became a party to the Svalbard Treaty, establishing treaty-based rights concerning Svalbard.
Major uncertainties
- The extent to which South Africa has exercised treaty rights in Svalbard is unclear.
- The scope of any direct South African government engagement concerning Svalbard or Jan Mayen is unclear.