What specific measures have been taken at the national level to combat racism and discrimination in Norway?
In many areas Norway has been a front runner, both in the Nordic and European setting, when it comes to adopting measures to combat discrimination and promote equality. The fight for equality and against discrimination, have always been important. This is also the case for the Government I represent. Real and genuine equal opportunities provide for the optimal utilization of human resources and capacities regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity or disability. A strong legal protection against discrimination is essential, but not sufficient to ensure equality in key social arenas. In order to obtain a better, co-ordinated and more efficient approach across all the different discrimination grounds, the Government decided in 2007 to bring both equal opportunities and non-discrimination under the same roof, and awarded the Ministry of Children and Equality with the corresponding tasks and competences. This means that discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientatio
