Download Sustainable Development Policies in Norway

Sustainable Development Policies
in Norway
Presentation by State Secretary Geir Olsen, Ministry of Finance,
at the Conference on Sustainable Development at
Holmen Fjordhotell June 20-21 2005
Finansdepartementet
National Agenda 21
Norway presented a national strategy on SD in 2002,
ahead of Johannesburg. The Government followed up
with a National Plan of Action (National Agenda 21) in
autumn 2003.
• Broad stakeholder participation
• Work headed by a committee of state secretaries
• The Ministry of Finance responsible.
Finansdepartementet
National Agenda 21 – a part of the
National Budget
Sustainable development efforts should be linked to
central economic policy documents and decisions to
avoid that sustainability or environmental policy are
pursued as separate issues.
The National Agenda 21 was published as a part of
the National Budget for 2004, and included
preliminary indicators for SD.
The coordinating role of the Ministry of Finance and
the use of the National Budget gained broad support
Finansdepartementet
Sustainable development – solidarity and
economic development within the carrying
capacity of the environment
Sustainable development is a question of human
welfare and solidarity:
• Across time with future generations
• Across space, with poor countries and people.
Sustainable development requires that capital,
when broadly defined, is not declining over time.
The UN has defined the main challenges: Global
poverty and the environment. The Norwegian Agenda
21 is linked to UN-priorities.
Finansdepartementet
The Policy areas of the National
Agenda 21
1. International cooperation to promote sustainable
development and combat poverty.
2. Climate change, the ozone layer and long-range
air pollution.
3. Biological diversity and the cultural heritage.
4. Natural resources.
5. Hazardous chemicals.
6. Sustainable economic development.
7. Sami perspectives on environmental and natural
resource management.
Finansdepartementet
Policies based on principles
Important principles are:
• Integration of economic and environmental policies
• Common, but differentiated responsibilities –
common responsibility, equitable distribution.
• The precautionary principle for avoiding irreversible
catastrophic changes
• Polluter pays - using economic instruments that
may have double dividends
Finansdepartementet
The role of the Ministry of Finance
in sustainable development
Among responsibilities are:
• Government policy coordination and efficient use of
resources.
• Green taxes.
• Integrated planning. Our macroeconomic models
contain energy flows and emissions to air by
source. We make official projections of energy use,
emissions and costs of reducing GHG-emissions.
• Long term economic projections, including analysis
of social welfare, government services and
pensions.
• Sustainable government finances. Important
reforms: Fiscal rule for sustainable use of
petroleum revenue (2001), Pension reform (2005).
Finansdepartementet
Follow up on the National Agenda 21
•
The main responsibility for follow up rests with
individual ministries.
•
The follow up is reported in our annual National
Budgets – which are discussed in the Parliament
•
Coordination by a committee of state secretaries
headed by the Ministry of Finance
•
Establishment of indicators for SD
•
Increasing public awareness
•
New initiatives:
•
A panel for green public purchases
•
A home page for CSR containing relevant
information.
Finansdepartementet
SD in The National Budget 2006
Important issues pertaining to SD are covered various
places in the budget. In the special report on SD there will
be:
•
Reporting from the ministries on their work on SD
•
A report on status of climate change policies
•
A follow up on the expert committee on SD indicators.