Green Budget Tagging

Green budget tagging can be a useful tool in an overall approach to green budgeting. This introductory guidance was developed by the OECD under the Paris Collaborative on Green Budgeting in collaboration with institutional partners working under Helsinki Principle 4 of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action (IADB, IMF, UNDP, World Bank) and draws lessons from existing country practices.

Green budget tagging can be a useful tool in an overall approach to green budgeting. This introductory guidance was developed by the OECD under the Paris Collaborative on Green Budgeting in collaboration with institutional partners working under Helsinki Principle 4 of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action (IADB, IMF, UNDP, World Bank) and draws lessons from existing country practices. It was informed by a series of round-table events with countries implementing green budget tagging. The document aims to provide high-level guidance in relation to designing, implementing and improving green budget tagging.

Climate and environmental considerations have become pressing priorities for governments in recent years. International commitments such as the Paris Agreement, the Aichi Biodiversity Targets under the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have spurred momentum across the OECD to prioritise green objectives to policy-making processes.

Green budgeting is emerging at subnational levels as an important tool for regions and cities to use to align their expenditure and revenues with their green objectives, and enhance the transparency and accountability of their climate and environmental action. It is also a tool that subnational governments can use to prioritise low-carbon investments and identify funding gaps, as well as to mobilise additional sources of both private and public climate finance.

This report provides an overview of green budgeting practices across OECD countries based on the 2022 OECD Green Budgeting Survey, as well as the index methodology for the Survey. It takes stock of OECD countries’ progress in bringing climate and environmental considerations into budgeting frameworks and processes.

The 2021 edition includes input indicators on public finance and employment; process indicators include data on institutions, budgeting practices, human resources management, regulatory governance, public procurement, governance of infrastructure, public sector integrity, open government and digital government. Outcome indicators cover core government results (e.g. trust, political efficacy, inequality reduction) and indicators on access, responsiveness, quality and satisfaction for the education, health and justice sectors.