Norway is committed to working towards the full and effective implementation of the World Heritage Convention both nationally and internationally. Nationally, the Ministry of Climate and Environment, together with the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage and the Norwegian Environment Agency, organizes annual meetings with World Heritage coordinators, with the aim of creating dialogue and disseminating information necessary for a positive development of the World Heritage properties.

Internationally, Norway is a driver and donor behind the ICCROM/IUCN World Heritage Leadership Programme which is a global capacity building programme on the management of nature and culture at world heritage properties. Norwegian stakeholders are able to participate in the activities under the World Heritage Leadership Programme and several programme activities are held in Norway.

Local ownership, local responsibility and local involvement are tools for the best possible management of the World Heritage properties. With a view to strengthen ownership, responsibility and involvement, local World Heritage advisory boards have been established at each property. These boards include members from different stakeholder groups and authorities. The world heritage coordinator takes part in the World Heritage advisory board. The board will discuss issues of relevance for the management of the particular world heritage property, ensuring that local decision-making does not compromise but rather support the world heritage values of the property.

To ensure the dialogue with local communities and stakeholders as well as their participation in World Heritage processes, the Norwegian policy foresees the identification of a World Heritage coordinator at each World Heritage property. The role of the coordinator is to coordinate dialogue and information flow between national institutions and local governments, communities and stakeholders. A yearly meeting has been established between the world heritage coordinators, the Ministry of Climate and Environment and the directorates with the aim to facilitate this dialogue. A world heritage coordinator is in place at all eight world heritage properties in Norway.

The World Heritage Coordinators work together with local stakeholders in enhancing local capacities through awareness raising and outreach campaigns aimed at communicating the Outstanding Universal Values and other values of the properties and in enhancing local understanding of what World Heritage is and what the requirements are, also looking at the importance of balancing development and conservation needs.