1 Mandate and work of the Policy Coherence Commission

1.1 Background

The Policy Coherence Commission was appointed by the cabinet on 8 December 2006 upon recommendation by the Minister of the Environment and International Development. The task of the Commission has been to study how Norwegian policy, beyond purely development aid policy, affects the development in poor countries and to suggest proposals on how Norwegian policies can be modified in order to make it more in harmony with the aim of facilitating economic and social growth in developing countries. The Commission has discussed how Norwegian policies that are primarily aimed at regulating domestic conditions affect development and the fight against poverty in developing countries and has considered similar effects of Norwegian initiatives and positions in regional and global organisations and forums.

The Commission summarises its discussions in this report and analyses how a more coherent policy for development can be realised. The report describes the challenges this creates for Norwegian policies in the most relevant areas and presents definitive suggestions for initiatives to tackle these. The recommendations include initiatives to adapt Norwegian policies in order to make them more coherent with development goals. They also include initiatives to establish organisational solutions to ensure that a long-term institutional basis can be created within in the Norwegian administration to secure a firm basis for the ongoing work of establishing more coherent policies for development. The Commission also discusses how the private sector can contribute to better policy coherence for development.

1.2 Mandate for the Policy Coherence Commission

The Norwegian economy is relatively small, and a recent pilot study has shown that Norwegian policy in isolation has relatively little direct effect on poor countries’ economies and their development opportunities. However, it can have a significant effect in combination with other countries’ policies, and through alliances and partnerships where Norwegian viewpoints can be facilitated. Concrete knowledge of the actual effects of Norwegian policy in different areas is currently limited. By improving knowledge and raising awareness of how Norwegian policy as a whole, including both bilateral and multi­lateral efforts, influences developing countries’ oppor­tunities for economic and social growth, it will be possible to develop a better basis for balancing Norwegian interests against those of developing countries.

This is why the Government has decided to Commission an Official Norwegian Report that will analyse points of contact, conflicts of interests and freedom of action. It is intended to improve our knowledge of the effects of Norwegian policy on poor countries, and will provide a better basis for evaluating how it can contribute to reducing poverty in these countries.

The Commission will identify the aspects of Norwegian policy that have most significance in principle and practice for combating poverty in developing countries. In practice, Norwegian policy has direct effects on factors that influence poverty. In principle, Norwegian policy sends signals to other OECD countries where it is put into practice in cooperation with other countries, and can exert an influence in international organisations and forums.

The Commission is to focus on the following topics as a starting point, but can also evaluate other fields that it finds relevant:

• trade policy in the widest possible sense

• business, competition and labour market policy

• fiscal policy, including efforts via the international economic institutions

• migration policy, including immigration policy and the transfer of funds to countries of origin

• environmental, energy and resource policy, including food security in the widest possible sense and the management of global public goods such as the climate system

• defence, peace and security policy, including civilian and military contributions to international peace and crisis management operations

• research and development policy (including ICT issues), for example contributions to technological advances of great importance to developing countries

• Norwegian private-sector investments in developing countries, including corporate social responsibility and anti-corruption efforts

• marine, fisheries and aquaculture policy

• health policy, including the organisation of health-related research and the recruitment of health workers from developing countries, and Norway’s contributions to efforts to resolve global issues related to the control of communicable diseases and environmental health care.

The goal of minimising the negative effects and reinforcing the positive effects of Norwegian policy on the fight against poverty in the South is to form the basis for the Commission’s work. The Commission is to describe the key problems associated with achieving this goal, and use its expertise to make proposals for how these problems can be resolved.

In its work, the Commission should take into account relevant issues arising from the UN Millennium Development Goals, particularly Goal No. 8 and Norway’s progress report on this goal, Global Partnerships for Development, in addition to relevant issues discussed in the white paper Fighting Poverty Together (Report No. 35 (2003 – 2004) to the Storting) and the white paper on globalisation (Report No. 19 (2002 – 2003) to the Storting). It should also take account of the Commitment to Development Index, which is published annually by the Center for Global Development, and other key documents the Commission considers relevant.

Given the present limited knowledge base, the Commission will need to acquire more information in various ways. To some extent, the Commission will be able to obtain the necessary information through contact with key institutions working in this field, both within the OECD area and in developing countries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will assist the Commission in obtaining the information it needs from other ministries, research institutions and other public bodies, and from authorities in other countries, including developing countries.

1.3 Composition and work of the Commission

The Commission is made up as follows:

• Gunstein Instefjord, department head, Norwegian Church Aid, (chairman)

• Julie Christiansen, former member of parliament for the Conservative Party

• Hildegunn Gjengedal, director, The Brussels Office of The Federation of Norwegian Agricultural Co-operatives

• Anne K. Grimsrud, adviser

• Lars Haltbrekken, head, Friends of the Earth Norway

• Linn Herning, board member in Attac

• Audun Lysbakken, deputy lead, Socialist Left Party of Norway

• Kristian Norheim, international secretary, Progress Party

• Kristin Røymo, head of unit, UNN

• Nina Røe Schefte, head of environment and social affairs, IKEA

• Åsne Seierstad, author

• Camilla Stang, manager, Ernst & Young

• Malin Stensønes, director, The Norwegian Shipowners’ Association’s Brussels office

• Arne Strand, senior researcher, CMI/PRIO Cyprus centre

• Camilla Bakken Øvald, economist

• Håvard Aagesen, senior adviser, Dinamo

The Commission members represent a cross section from public administration, research, the business sector, voluntary organisations and culture, and reflect broad international expertise. A total of 29 plenary meetings were held to discuss the work of the Commission, and focus groups were also formed with responsibility for the key specialist areas. In order to obtain relevant information and gain insight and feedback on the work and views of the Commission, open consultations were held on trade, investments, industry and commerce, the climate, energy and security. The Commission or parts of the Commission have visited places including Kenya and other developing countries in order to gain first hand experience of the conditions in countries where the effects of Norwegian and international development policies can be seen. They have also visited research institutions and other institutions both in Norway and abroad that work with the problems studied by the Commission, and consulted with international experts.

The Commission has organised the work in focus groups, with Linn Herning heading the focus group for trade and investment policy, Julie Christiansen heading the focus group for the climate and energy policy, Malin Stensønes heading the focus group for peace, security and defence policy and Kristian Norheim heading the focus group for migration and labour market policies.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs devised the mandate for the Commission and made budget resources available for the work. Statistics Norway undertook the role of secretariat for the Commission, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a number of research institutions.