1 Purpose

As central bank and manager of the Government Pension Fund Global, Norges Bank enjoys a high level of authority and trust. Public knowledge and understanding of Norges Bank’s mission are crucial to building public trust. Our communication should underpin Norges Bank’s mission and be an integral part of our toolbox.

The purpose of these communication principles is to contribute to safeguarding Norges Bank’s reputation and ensuring trust in Norges Bank. Strategies and measures may vary across Norges Bank’s operational areas, but the main communication principles will govern all areas of Norges Bank.

2 Roles and responsibilities

The Governor of Norges Bank and the CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) lay down detailed regulations, strategies and measures for their respective areas of responsibility.

The Governor speaks on behalf of the Executive Board and about decisions made by the Monetary Policy and Financial Stability Committee.

3 General principles for external communication

Norges Bank is committed to being accurate, prompt, predictable, transparent and responsible in its communication. The Bank will actively and in a timely manner communicate important and relevant information and facilitate constructive dialogue with our target groups.

Important target groups are the general public, the Storting (Norwegian parliament), other authorities, financial markets, organisations, the education sector, academia and foreign authorities.

We will work actively to build knowledge and understanding of Norges Bank through various communication channels. Our websites norges-bank.no/en/ and nbim.no/en are our primary communication channels, but we will also use other channels, such as the press, social media, speaking engagements, the Norges Bank Education Centre, research papers, blogs and the like to effectively reach various target groups.

Norges Bank’s profile will be clearly reflected and easily recognisable in all communication materials published and distributed by the Bank.

Information from Norges Bank will be effectively and clearly formulated and, as far as possible, be accessible to all. Important information will be available in both Norwegian and English and universal design will be applied.

Norges Bank will be transparent about its decisions and background assessments within the limits set by the Freedom of Information Act and the requirements for the appropriate treatment of sensitive information.

We will be highly accessible to the media through press conferences, press seminars, press releases, interviews and background conversations. We will also provide more detailed information about activities undertaken by Norges Bank Central Banking Operations and NBIM as requested. Only designated employees are authorised to respond to enquiries and speak to the media on behalf of Norges Bank.

Norges Bank staff are our most important ambassadors. Good internal communication is the basis for good external communication. Principles for the Bank’s communication with its employees are laid down in separate documents.

We encourage our staff to participate in external professional activities, such as speeches, blog posts, sharing of analyses and the like on behalf of Norges Bank. We will facilitate presentations by Norges Bank representatives at conferences and seminars where our participation is relevant and we can reach important target groups. By participating at external events and engaging in dialogue with agents outside Norges Bank, we can acquire new knowledge and insight that will benefit the Bank.

4 Entry into force

These external communication principles enter into force on 1 January 2021 and replace the document “Kommunikasjonsprinsipper i Norges Bank” [Principles for communication by Norges Bank] (in Norwegian only), issued by the Executive Board on 10 May 2012.