Interministerial World Heritage Forum

The Ministry of Climate and Environment is the responsible ministry for the follow-up of the World Heritage Convention in Norway. The Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage and the Norwegian Environment Agency are responsible for national implementation of the convention. Several other ministries have sector responsibilities for  cultural and natural heritage. In order for the convention to be effectively implemented and coordinated, Norway has set up an interministerial world heritage forum which is organized as biannual meetings by the Ministry of Climate and Environment. The aim of the forum is to raise awareness amongst the ministries of the obligations arising from the World Heritage Convention, so that the various authorities are best coordinated in the management of the World Heritage properties.

The forum is planned within the framework of the Report to the Storting (white paper) no. 35 (2012-2013) The Cultural Heritage Policy (Chapter 4.8 World Heritage) and the Report to the Storting (white paper) no. 16 (2019-2020).

The Interministerial World Heritage Forum is an effective platform for dialogue between national institutional stakeholders and to raise awareness of the obligations of the stakeholders /convention.