The Ministry of Finance of Norway is responsible for coordinating the Government’s work on sustainable development, including the National Strategy for Sustainable Development, which covers the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainable development.

To implement this strategy, Norway has integrated sustainable development into the Government’s most important policy document, the annual national budget. In each yearly budget, follow-up is reported in a separate chapter, with contributions from all ministries and the Statistics Office. It is a critical tool in monitoring progress.

In December 2003, the Government appointed an expert committee that was given the task of developing a set of indicators of sustainable development for Norway. After conducting a public consultation on the initial 16 indicators, the Ministry of Finance presented a slightly revised set of indicators in the 2006 national budget. The set, now consisting of 18 indicators, has become increasingly important in monitoring to what extent developments in Norway are consistent with sustainable development targets. Individual ministries also use the indicator set in their reports on sustainable development issues.

Source: Government of Norway. More information on the National Strategy for Sustainable Development of Norway is available from http://www.regjeringen.no/ upload/FIN/rapporter/R-0617E.pdf. More information on the set of indicators for sustainable development is available from http://www.ssb.no/english/magazine/art- 2006-11-09-01-en.html.