Norway enters into partnership with the UN Tax Committee

‘Four years ago, at the Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa, all the participating countries pledged to support the UN efforts to promote international cooperation on taxation. Norway is pleased to be the second country to provide financing for the UN Tax Trust Fund. We hope that this will expand the committee’s outreach and influence significantly,’ said Dag-Inge Ulstein, Minister of International Development. 

Norway places emphasis on the importance of domestic resource mobilisation, and has more than tripled its support for global norms development and capacity building over the last two years. Norway is contributing to the work of the OECD, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and runs bilateral and regional capacity-building programmes. 

‘It is only natural that the one organisation with a universal mandate to develop international tax rules is included in our efforts. The world is on the cusp of some very substantial changes in global tax norms, and the UN must be at the centre of these discussions,’ said Mr Ulstein. 

The UN Tax Committee has a broad mandate, which includes standard setting, norm creation and capacity building. So far, India and Norway have contributed to the Trust Fund. 

‘We need all member states to engage in this issue on an equal footing. The challenge of financing the Sustainable Development Goals is urgent, and the needs for reform are vast. I hope that Norway’s contribution will inspire others to step up to the challenge and enable the UN and its member countries to address these issues in the decisive years ahead,’ Mr Ulstein said.