Here are some of the most important issues for MDG now, including justice, better working conditions and integration, and against discrimination of immigrants in Norway.
No one person can do everything, but everyone can do a little. Together we can change Norwegian politics. https://www.mdg.no/blimed
This is just a sample of MDG's political programme. The complete programme can be found here.
The Green Party wants a Norway in which young people are no longer made sick by the pressure to consume and “keep up”. We want vibrant local communities in which fewer people moulder in loneliness and where we have more time for friends and family. We want our children to play safely out of doors and cycle to school in the fresh air. We want to continue walking in old-growth forests and fishing in the fjord. Marine mammals must no longer be choked by plastic. We want to create a Norway that struggles against climate change, which means fewer climate refugees and a good life also for our descendants.
Wherever you live, we want the ecological choice to be the simplest and cheapest one. We promise to support everyone with ideas and the drive to create new green workplaces. We will give both town and country back to the people who live there, as we are doing in Oslo and other places where The Green Party is part of the decision-making.
Preserving our home the Earth
The green paradigm-shift is a radical change, from the notion that we can make unrestricted use of the Earth’s natural resources, to the recognition that the resources of our common home are limited. If we are to create a world in a stable ecological balance, we must also change the structures and values most responsible for our era’s destruction of the basis for life on this planet. Human beings depend on the natural world and thereby on the diversity of living things. It is this recognition that underpins all our policies. In our quest for never-ending growth we have consumed and polluted our way to dangerous climate change and the loss of biodiversity. The Green Party of Norway’s program shows how we can make a start on the transition to a more sustainable economy, in which we develop only within the limits of both ecological and social sustainability.
Climate
Our children may expect to see a planet that looks quite different to the one they grew up on. Climatic change threatens to trigger fundamental changes in the biological environment upon which our civilisation has rested. Food supply, biodiversity, the economy and the very survival of local communities are at stake. Rising sea levels, extreme weather events, drought and permanent changes to the natural environment will pose us challenges that we are simply unable to predict today.
The next five to ten years constitute perhaps our last chance to halt these trends. The climate policy followed in these years will be decisive for the living conditions of future generations. This is why green parties all over the world are fighting to unite the global community around a radical rethink of the economy. The Green Party of Norway wishes to conduct a climate policy that will create a better society with enhanced quality of human life and at the same time in ecological balance. This is a gigantic social project that can only succeed in close collaboration between government, business, voluntary organisations and the citizenry at large.
The most important cause of climate change is combustion of coal, oil and gas. For every tonne burned, climate change becomes more threatening. For this reason The Green Party will shut down use of fossil fuels as quickly as possible. In addition, we have a special responsibility for ensuring that the climate-harmful resources controlled by Norway stay in the ground. At the same time we must pay much more attention to other sources of emissions such as meat consumption and deforestation. The Paris Agreement’s target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Centigrade is an ambitious target that has the support of The Green Party. But the treaty will remain an empty gesture without immediate and comprehensive action. The Green Party will implement these measures in Norway by enshrining emissions reduction in legislation, phasing out the petroleum industry and making Norway the world’s first fossil-free welfare state. With its highly educated workforce, an innovative business sector and plenty of capital, Norway can launch a revolution in renewable energy that can show the way for the rest of the world.
A true green revolution
We are living at a decisive moment of world history, in a country with fantastic potential for making a difference. The Green Party will use this opportunity to carry out a true green revolution in Norway. It is now that we have the time, the money and the expertise to take responsibility for the welfare of our own grandchildren and the future of the whole world. It is now that we have the breathing-space to begin a gradual restructuring from an oil-state economy to a varied and renewable economy. With this programme we will show in practice how Norway can mobilise its creative forces and commitment to achieve a green paradigm-shift in every part of society. This is crucial to achieving stable prosperity and wealth creation within the limits of the natural environment. Success in this revolution will show the world that a green future is possible. In this way Norway can once again be a world leader and an international driving force in the preservation of the environment.
Democracy and participation
For many generations Norwegians’ quality of life has been ensured by a high level of trust between citizens and between individuals and the community. In the coming years our democracy will be facing its greatest challenge ever. Solving current and immediate problems will no longer be enough. If we are to preserve the biological conditions required for survival, we must create a society in which everybody sees the benefit of involvement in our collective future. The Green Party of Norway is convinced that the best soil for this to grow is a higher level of public participation and of personal involvement and responsibility. Democracy is about more than going to the polls now and then. The Green Party desires therefore to strengthen local democracy, civil society and voluntary organisations, guaranteeing open and inclusive democratic processes. We consider that a vibrant democracy presupposes a fairer distribution of capital, power and opportunity together with a high degree of personal freedom, a space in which secure community and individual self-expression are generous towards and dependent on one another.
A warm and inclusive society
We wish to create a society in which less stress, consumerism and pressure to “keep up” makes room for a richer and better life. In a green society will have more time for one another and be freer to lead a varied and meaningful life. Better sharing of the workload will create a better balance between work and play. At the same time we will strengthen the voluntary sector, thus giving full rein to our creativity and caring, and investing in leisure and the arts as an arena for mastery and experience. In addition to the big radical changes in climate and environmental policy, The Green Party wishes to make our welfare state both more inclusive and more sustainable. Society as a whole, and the health and education services in particular, must promote equal opportunity to live the good life. The Green Party will reform policies on drug abuse and alcoholism, focusing on mental health, personal mastery and pre-emptive action. Our goal is for everyone to realise their full potential.
Solidarity
At the very heart of the green movement lies the recognition that the challenges we are facing are global in nature. The choices that must be made by our generation concern humanity as a species. For this reason our loyalty must be to the world as a whole rather than to narrow national interests. Any effective and permanent collaboration to meet global challenges requires the development of a thorough-going solidarity across national and generational boundaries. For The Green Party of Norway it is a goal in itself to see the Earth’s resources shared fairly between everybody, and managed in such a way that future generations will enjoy the same opportunities as we do. For this reason a responsible climate and environmental policy, greater overseas aid and work for social justice, international peace and disarmament are all indissolubly interconnected. This programme is an expression of The Green Party’s expanded concept of solidarity: solidarity with other people, solidarity with future generations and solidarity with animals and the rest of the natural world.
Our Organisation
The Green Party of Norway splits its leadership between two spokespersons, one of either sex. This arrangement, common among European green parties, is intended to promote gender equality and diffusion of power.
When the two spokespersons are unable to agree on decisions that need to be taken too quickly for the Executive Committee (sentralstyret) to convene, the decisions are taken in the Special Working Group (arbeidsutvalget).
The National Conference is the Party’s supreme body. The National Conference must be held every year and decides on the following matters: election to important national office, budget, accounts and annual reports of key bodies.
The National Council is the Party’s supreme body between National Conferences. The National Council consists of the Spokespersons, one representative from each county branch, plus one representative from the youth wing, one from the student wing, and the leader of the Green Women’s Network.
The Executive Committee consists of the Spokespersons, the Party Secretary, the International Liaison, six other members elected by the National Conference and one of the spokespersons for the youth wing.
The Special Working Group consists only of the Spokespersons and the Party Secretary. The Special Working Group takes decisions in matters where powers are delegated by the Executive Committee or the National Council, and in matters that demand such urgent action that it is difficult to convene the Executive Committee.
The Green Party of Norway has three representatives in the Storting, the unicameral Norwegian parliament. The primary mission of the Parliamentary Group is to assist the elected Representatives with policy development and the implementation of the Green party’s parliamentary agenda.
The National Secretariat is chaired by Party Secretary Torkil Vederhus. The National Spokesperson Arild Hermstad has his office within the secretariat. In addition come the county secretaries.
The Control Committee is elected by the National Conference and consists of five permanent members and three numbered deputies with no other national office in the Party.
The International Committee shall assist the International Liaison of the Executive Committee.
The Nominations Committee shall be elected by the National Conference and consist of seven members plus six numbered deputies. The Nominations Committee is responsible to the National Executive for nominating candidates to national office in the Party. It shall also nominate the members of the Programme Committee in the relevant years.
The Programme Committee is working to draw up a new party programme for the period 2021-2025, to be adopted by the National Conference in 2021. The Committee is elected by the Conference and is responsible for the process being thorough, transparent and inclusive.
Committees and Statutes are decided by the National Conference in the same way as for the Party’s other bodies.
We are part of a growing global movement, and are a member of the European Green Party (EGP) and Global Greens.
The most important documents of The Green Party of Norway are as follows:
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