Department for Equality, Non-discrimination and International Affairs

Ministry of Culture and Equality

The Department for Equality, Non-discrimination and International Affairs has sectoral and coordination responsibility for equality and non-discrimination policy. It is also responsible for the implementation of international conventions, international cooperation in relevant fields, equality and non-discrimination legislation, cultural diversity and general international cultural matters.

Further responsibilities include monitoring of the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Tribunal, the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombudsman and the equality and non-discrimination tasks of the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs.

The department employs a broad range of policy instruments, with primary emphasis on the development of legislation and policy, grant schemes and programmes, strategies and action plans, research and development (R&D) and monitoring of subordinate governmental bodies. The department engages in international cooperation in the fields of equality and cultural policy, in forums like the UN, EU, EEA/EFTA, Council of Europe, Nordic Council of Ministers and OECD.

The department consists of the following sections

  • Section for Legal and International Affairs

    The section is responsible for the department’s legal affairs, particularly in the field of equality and non-discrimination. The section’s responsibilities also include international tasks in the area of equality, non-discrimination and cultural policy. The section coordinates international issues relating to the EU, EEA/EFTA, Norway’s activities in the Arctic, the UN (including Unesco), the Council of Europe, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the OECD.

  • Section for Equality and Cultural Diversity

    The Section for Equality and Cultural Diversity is responsible for the development and coordination of equality and non-discrimination policy in areas such as gender equality, disability, discrimination on the basis of ethnicity and religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. The section concentrates primarily on policy development linked to strategy formulation, action plans and grant schemes. The section is also responsible for promoting diversity in the cultural sector.