Cross-cutting and thematic priorities
In the period up to 2030 Norway will seek to preserve the World Bank’s leading role on development and climate issues, in line with the bank’s vision and mission, and will work systematically with the bank to prevent backsliding in priority areas such as gender equality, human rights, anti-corruption, climate change, nature and renewable energy.
Gender equality
Diversity, inclusion and gender equality are under pressure. In line with the Action Plan for Women’s Rights and Gender Equality in Norway’s Foreign and Development Policy (2023–2030), gender equality is as a policy objective and thematic priority for Norwegian cooperation with the World Bank. The bank’s own updated gender strategy and implementation plan, which covers the 2024–2030 period, emphasises women in leadership positions, financial inclusion and efforts to end gender-based violence. Norway supports this strategy and promotes gender equality issues in dialogue with World Bank management. With the Government’s action plan and the UN Sustainable Development Goals in mind, Norway will promote both women’s rights and human rights for the LGBT+ community while calling for systematic use of the gender perspective in all sectors.
Gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and ending gender-based violence were Norwegian priorities in the IDA21 negotiations on replenishing IDA resources (which concluded in December 2024). Norway will continue to promote SRHR in the work of the World Bank and to strengthen its integration into health systems. These efforts must target fragile and conflict-affected countries, where women are most vulnerable. Norway will work towards full integration of gender equality in the World Bank Group Strategy for Fragility, Conflict and Violence. Norway will also highlight the use of expertise and gender-specific data, provide support to research, and urge cooperation with local women’s organisations and civil society. This will strengthen targeted measures as well as transparency and accountability.
Human rights-based development
Human rights is not a separate area of focus at the World Bank. However, the World Bank Environmental and Social Framework refers to human rights. Norway has long provided earmarked support to the World Bank’s Human Rights Trust Fund, which was established to promote and strengthen the integration of human rights principles across all bank activities. Norway will continue the work of integrating this focus on human rights in World Bank operations, in compliance with the mechanisms of the Environmental and Social Framework.
Box 2 Human Rights Trust Fund
The Human Rights Trust Fund (HRTF) is a multi-donor fund created to strengthen the understanding and application of human rights principles in the work of the World Bank. The trust fund provides training and expert guidance to bank employees and finances human rights initiatives with grants administered by the bank. A recently concluded external evaluation found that HRTF is the only dedicated scheme at the bank that promotes human rights principles. The fund is therefore an important focal point for the bank’s human rights efforts and provides a way of ensuring that human rights are integrated in analyses and activities. The evaluation shows that HRTF has helped to advance key bank priorities, including those included in the Environmental and Social Framework and in guidelines for groups in fragile situations. In future the fund will direct its efforts at job creation, focusing on such issues as labour standards, employee rights, women’s participation in the economy and the inclusion of minorities and migrants in labour markets.
Anti-corruption
The World Bank is a key actor in efforts to prevent and combat corruption, working in particular to strengthen public administration and promote governance reform. The World Bank emphasises the importance of four specific anti-corruption elements, which are in alignment with Norway’s priorities: i) strengthening beneficial ownership transparency and tackling illicit financial flows, ii) reducing corruption in public procurement and contract management, iii) reinforcing accountability institutions and the rule of law, and iv) fostering innovation through data and technology. Greater investment in these areas could produce significant benefits in terms of efficiency and performance. However, the bank’s anti-corruption ambitions are not sufficiently reflected across the organisation or in the use of bank resources. There is a need for more rigorous follow-up and integration of anti-corruption measures throughout the World Bank, including through earmarked support, and with particular attention to corruption-prone sectors. Predictable, well-functioning institutions and rules also serve as fundamental frameworks for private investment and job creation. The Foreign Ministry’s internal guidelines on preventing and combatting corruption internationally require Norway to urge institutions such as the UN, the World Bank and the IMF to focus more on anti-corruption issues in their dialogue with countries. Norway will work with like-minded members on the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors to insist that the bank’s anti-corruption strategy be updated and implemented.
Climate and nature
Bolstering the World Bank’s climate change efforts has been a strategic priority for Norway for a number of years, through its provision of core support, board engagement and contributions to climate change trust funds. The fight against climate change is an integrated part of the World Bank’s core mandate. The World Bank’s current goal is to allocate 45 % of its total lending to climate finance, equally divided between emissions reduction and climate adaptation, and to ensure that all operations align with the goals and principles of the Paris Agreement. Norway will remain a strong voice on climate issues in the World Bank, insisting that the bank remain committed to its goals and advocating an extension of the bank’s Climate Change Action Plan until 2030.14 Norway will work systematically with like-minded partners on the board and through relevant trust funds to ensure that the World Bank maintains its clearly stated commitment to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Norway will work towards greater transparency around the World Bank’s methodology for measuring climate co-benefits. Climate adaptation and the use of early-warning systems to mitigate the effects of natural disasters are priorities for Norway. The World Bank is to be a key partner in pursuing the aims of the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance. An important set of tools in this regard are country platforms that bring together national authorities, multilateral banks, the private sector and civil society organisations in support of each country’s own climate goals. Norway will promote the use of market mechanisms as described in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement as well as private sector mobilisation to develop and scale up cost-effective climate solutions in cooperation with the World Bank. Norway also supports the World Bank’s work to reduce methane emissions, including those associated with flaring from oil and gas operations.
Norway will be proactive to ensure that the World Bank’s activities advance the objectives of the global biodiversity agreement15 and that the bank’s climate change work is viewed in the context of other efforts to preserve nature and biodiversity, including measures to protect tropical rainforests and promote nature-based climate solutions, sustainable agriculture and ocean management. The use of nature-based solutions should be developed and expanded to achieve progress on emissions reductions, climate adaptation and biodiversity. Norway will continue to prioritise cooperation with the World Bank on rainforest preservation through earmarked support to funds and implementation of the new Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), established at COP30 with Norway’s support.16 In line with the approach and agenda of the High-level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel), which is co-chaired by Norway and Palau, Norway will work to ensure that the World Bank continues its support for sustainable ocean management by linking policy reforms, knowledge work and financing at the country level and by mobilising private capital.
Energy
Access to energy is an important priority for the World Bank, which in cooperation with the African Development Bank has an ambitious goal (known as Mission 300) of providing 300 million people in Africa with access to electricity by 2030. Norway cooperates actively with the World Bank to expand energy access, including clean cooking and renewable energy, in part through its core support to IDA and earmarked support to the ESMAP multi-donor trust fund, which has been a recipient of Norwegian support for decades. Norway will strengthen cooperation with the World Bank on energy access with an emphasis on renewable energy, including hydropower and clean cooking. Norway will promote renewable energy as the preferred and most cost-effective solution. The strong Norwegian support for Mission 300 will be continued, focusing on coordination and synergies with other forms of Norwegian energy assistance provided to the region, including through the Energy for Development programme. Dialogue with the World Bank on cooperation involving Norway’s Sovereign Guarantee Scheme for Renewable Energy and the development of instruments to increase private sector investment will be continued.
The World Bank’s new approach to energy investments, presented in 2025, opens the way for new investment in natural gas and nuclear energy production as a result of pressure from some shareholders and demand in recipient countries. The board has been divided on this issue. Norway is open to bank financing of gas-powered energy plants, carbon capture and storage (CCS) and the use of gas (LPG) in clean cooking, assuming conformity with the goals and principles of the Paris Agreement. There are different perspectives on these issues within the Nordic-Baltic constituency, which collectively takes a restrictive line on financing fossil fuel-based energy. Norway is also open to financing nuclear energy if done in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in all phases.
The Government will :
- Ensure implementation of the World Bank’s gender equality strategy with emphasis on women’s economic participation and sexual and reproductive health and rights.
- Strengthen human rights as an integrated part of World Bank operations, including through compliance with the Environmental and Social Framework and safeguards.
- Strengthen anti-corruption follow-up and integration across World Bank activities and urge the World Bank to update its anti-corruption strategy.
- Call on the World Bank to continue operating in accordance with the climate ambitions it has adopted, including the 45 % climate-finance goal and full alignment with the goals of Paris Agreement.
- Work to ensure that World Bank activities advance the goals of the global biodiversity agreement and the Ocean Panel’s principles for sustainable ocean management.
- Support World Bank efforts to encourage climate adaptation, including climate-resilient agriculture, and reduce the effects of climate-related natural disasters through the use of early warning systems and other integrated measures.
- Continue cooperating with the World Bank on Mission 300 to increase access to electricity and clean cooking in sub-Saharan Africa through core and earmarked support as well as the Energy for Development programme and the Sovereign Guarantee Scheme for Renewable Energy.