Brazil’s Main Message from the Peer Dialogue

The following text is written by the Brazilian National Commission on the SDGs.

Brazil welcomes Norway’s comprehensive and forward-looking approach to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its Voluntary National Review.

The opening statement from Norwegian children and youth offers a powerful reminder that the implementation of the SDGs is fundamentally a matter of intergenerational responsibility.

We also note with interest the establishment of Norway’s first National Citizens’ Panel in 2024, focused on material consumption and sustainable lifestyles. This innovative mechanism for strengthening inclusive participation and integrating citizens’ perspectives into policymaking represents an important contribution to SDG implementation.

Brazil further welcomes the integration of sustainability into innovation, industrial policy, higher education, and organisational practices underscores the importance of whole-of-society and whole-of-government approaches to sustainable development.

We also appreciate Norway’s continued commitment to the principle of Leaving No One Behind (LNOB), including its integration into national implementation efforts and public budgeting processes.

The Norwegian VNR presents a noteworthy strength in capture the incorporation of sustainable development principles into the national education system through curricula covering primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education, demonstrating a long-term commitment to building societal awareness and capacity for sustainable development.

From a methodological and structural perspective, the report also stands out for its clear analytical framing of the main drivers and challenges influencing sustainable development, including changing security conditions, climate change and biodiversity loss, technological development and digitalisation, as well as demographic change and labour market demands.

Particularly noteworthy is the report’s analytical framework, which combines assessments of Government and Civil Society. This multidimensional structure strengthens policy coherence, transparency, and accountability, while incorporating diverse perspectives into the national review process.

In general, our assessment is that other countries could be interested in learning more about Norway’s experience on meaningful participation, intergenerational dialogue, policy coherence, and the enabling conditions for sustainable transformation.

Brazil is honoured to review Norway’s 2026 VNR and sincerely hopes that these peer review process could strength our common journey through a more just and inclusive sustainable development global agenda.

Finland’s Main Message from the Peer Dialogue

The following text is written by the Prime Minister’s Office, Government Strategy Department, Finland.

Finland highly appreciates the opportunity to engage in a peer learning process with Norway as part of preparing Norway’s third Voluntary National Review (VNR). We would also like to again express our gratitude to Norway for its contribution to Finland’s third VNR, presented in 2025. Peer learning on Agenda2030 implementation and on participatory, robust ways to report on progress and learnings is key for boosting cooperation to meet the SDGs.

The following remarks are based on a first draft of Norway’s VNR and on an online dialogue between lead authors of the VNR and commentators from Finland’s side.

• Finland commends Norway’s inclusive and participatory manner of preparing the VNR. Norway has meaningfully engaged a broad number of stakeholders, with a particular emphasis on youth participation. The stakeholders’ voices are clearly heard throughout the report. Finland believes that providing spaces for unedited assessments of progress and room for improvement on each SDG as well as for more general, thematic evaluations and recommendations deepens the whole-of-society approach in both VNR preparation and SDG implementation in the future. A very interesting element in Norway’s VNR process is the use of a Citizen’s Panel. Finland also recognises the potential of such panels in increasing citizens’ knowledge on and ownership of sustainability work.
• Norway describes well the integration of the SDGs into its governance mechanisms and policy processes, based on a strong whole-of-government approach. An avenue that could be further developed in the future is expanding more active cooperation towards the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget).
• The VNR gives a clear and comprehensive picture of Norway’s progress and challenges in SDG implementation with easily readable assessments on each SDG. However, Norway’s most recent White Paper on the Sustainable Development Goals (Meld. St. 35 (2024–2025)) was prepared with a systems-based approach and focused a lot on the interlinkages between the 17 SDGs. It would have been very interesting to see this approach carried over to the VNR. Another element that calls for further development is the assessment of spillovers. This is valid also for Finland and perhaps a topic for future peer learning and cooperation.

Finland congratulates Norway for preparing a comprehensive, participatory and future-oriented VNR.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Main Message from the Peer Review Dialogue

The following text is written by the Congolese Observatory for Sustainable Development (OCDD).

Key strengths

• The report adopts a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. The allocation of SDGs across ministries, the interministerial network, the high-level executive forum, the consultation of local authorities, and the independent contributions are in line with the expectations of the DESA guidelines.
• Stakeholder inclusion is a strong point. The unedited contributions from LNU, KS, LO/NHO, UNGC, ForUM, the Sami Parliament, and academia lend credibility to the report and avoid a purely government-driven narrative.
• Coverage of the 17 SDGs is comprehensive. The report announces an assessment of all 169 targets, which is ambitious and valuable, especially for a country presenting its third VNR.
• The report identifies Norway’s main structural challenges: consumption footprint, material resources, climate, biodiversity, waste management, housing, health, labour market inclusion, and the international effects of domestic policies.

Key weaknesses

• The report remains too descriptive. It presents many mechanisms, plans, White Papers, and institutions but insufficiently analyses their outcomes. It would be beneficial to move from “what Norway has put in place” to “what this has produced, for whom, and with what limitations.”
• Prioritisation remains weak. The report states that several targets require additional efforts, but it does not clearly translate this diagnosis into political priorities for 2026–2030.
• Trade-offs are acknowledged but not sufficiently addressed. In this respect, the report refers to compromises between climate, energy, industry, biodiversity, security, employment, and consumption, but it does not say enough about how these conflicts will be resolved politically.
• Contributions from civil society are rich but sometimes juxtaposed. The report would benefit from adding a short government response after each critical contribution: agreement, disagreement, planned measures, and points for further examination.
• Lessons learned since the 2021 VNR are not sufficiently visible. A third VNR should clearly show what Norway has learned from its previous report, which recommendations were followed, which were not, and why.

Tanzania’s Main Message from the Peer Dialogue

The following text is written by the Tanzanian National Planning Commission.

Appreciation and overall assessment

Tanzania commends Norway for preparing a comprehensive, transparent and evidence-based VNR 2026. The decision to assess all 169 SDG targets, integrate independent civil society assessments, and openly acknowledge areas with negative trends reflects a mature accountability culture. Norway’s strong governance systems, whole-of-government coordination, and use of high-quality data offer useful lessons for SDG implementation and reporting.

Areas of peer learning

Tanzania notes strong convergence between Norway’s and Tanzania’s approaches to mainstreaming SDGs into national planning frameworks. Norway’s White Paper and Higher Executive Forum for the SDGs, together with its national SDG indicator work through Statistics Norway, provide relevant lessons for Tanzania’s ongoing efforts through its Five-Year Development Plans, national SDG coordination architecture, National Bureau of Statistics and Office of Chief Government Statistician Zanzibar.

Areas for deeper reflection

While Norway demonstrates strong domestic performance, the VNR could further deepen analysis of its global footprint, particularly on climate change, consumption patterns and international spillover effects. Tanzania also encourages stronger reflection on the participation of migrants, vulnerable groups and marginalised communities in policy processes, in line with the principle of Leaving No One Behind.

Opportunities for partnership

• Tanzania welcomes opportunities for practical cooperation in youth participation, employment, vocational training, renewable energy, climate investment and blue economy development. Norway’s experience through Norfund, the Climate Investment Fund, Fish for Development and Ocean for Development provides a strong basis for structured partnership with Tanzania, grounded in mutual accountability and shared ambition.

Youth’s Main Message from the Peer Dialogue

The following text is written by The Norwegian Children and Youth Council (LNU)

We appreciate how LNU and Norwegian youth have been prioritised in the preparation of this report. There has been a clear effort to ensure that young perspectives have been present throughout the making of the final VNR report. It is positive that children and young people are recognised as important stakeholders and that youth perspectives are reflected in several parts of the document. This is essential for the effective implementation of the SDGs, as progress depends on the meaningful inclusion of youth in their implementation. We believe this report and its focus on youth can provide a strong foundation for continued work towards a society more in line with the SDGs.

At the same time, the focus on youth in this report should be accompanied by a shift from ambition to more formalised and predictable structures for youth participation. Youth participation must become a consistent and integrated part of policymaking. Youth should be involved not only in consultation processes, but also when priorities are set, measures are developed, and decisions are made. The formalisation of meaningful youth participation across decision-making processes should thus be an area of focus moving forward.

This is particularly important because the report points to continuing challenges in areas such as climate, inequality, consumption, and mental health, all of which are of significant concern to youth. In order to maintain youth engagement, faster and more visible action in the policy areas that matter most to us should be prioritised. This includes demonstrating concrete progress on climate and inequality, while making it clearer how young people’s input informs priorities and outcomes.