‘Over the years, Norwegian aid has been spread too thinly, both geographically and thematically. If we are to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and make the best possible use of our aid funds, we must concentrate our efforts,’ said Minister of International Development Nikolai Astrup.
Today the Government is presenting its white paper on partner countries in development policy.
‘This white paper sets out our plan for concentrating Norway’s efforts on just a few partner countries. In our cooperation with these countries, we will use the full range of development policy tools at our disposal. Development is more than aid, and it is precisely this fact that the white paper takes as its starting point,’ said Mr Astrup.
Norway’s partner countries will be divided into two categories: long-term development (10 countries), and stabilisation and conflict prevention (6 countries). Norway previously had three categories of partner countries.
The long-term development category applies to countries where Norway has been involved in long-standing cooperation, has built up considerable experience and expertise, and already has a presence. These factors are important for developing partnerships and achieving lasting results.
‘We will use the full range of our development policy tools in our partner countries, with a view to supporting these countries to one day become independent from aid. We need to focus on measures that boost economic growth, create jobs and secure tax revenues, which in turn will enable these countries to invest in education, health and other services for their own population,’ said Mr Astrup.
Norway’s efforts in its partner countries in the stabilisation and conflict prevention category will draw from the priorities set out in the strategic framework for its engagement in conflict prevention, stabilisation and resilience building, which was launched in 2017.
‘Our efforts in countries affected by conflict and fragility cannot continue as before. Today, 88 percent of the world’s humanitarian crises have lasted for more than seven years. This is longer than many development projects last, and it means that we have to take a long-term perspective. We therefore need a comprehensive approach as to how we put our development tools to work. Humanitarian response and long-term development efforts have different goals, but must pull in the same direction,’ said Mr Astrup.
In an OECD DAC survey carried out in 2015, a large number of developing countries indicated that what they need from donor countries is technical cooperation to enable them to strengthen their public institutions’ knowledge base and expertise, rather than money. In March this year, the Government established Kunnskapsbanken (a pool of technical experts) with a view to strengthening our technical cooperation programmes: Tax for Development, Oil for Development, Fish for Development, and Like, the gender equality for development programme. eKunnskapsbanken will be Norway’s main channel for technical cooperation in the years to come.
‘Norway is a resource-rich country, not only in monetary terms, but also in terms of knowledge, skills and experience. Among developing countries there is a demand for this expertise. As this white paper outlines, transfer of expertise will be just as important as transfer of funds. By sharing our experience and expertise in areas such as taxation, oil, fish, gender equality, and clean energy, we can help developing countries take greater responsibility for their own development,’ said Mr Astrup.
Partner countries
| Category 1: long-term development
Ethiopia |
Category 2: stabilisation and conflict prevention
Afghanistan |
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Søreide is hosting the annual Oslo Forum, a meeting place for leaders from all over the world, at Losby Manor outside Oslo on 19 and 20 June. UN Secretary-General António Guterres will also take part at this year’s Forum. After taking part in the Forum, Mr Guterres will attend an audience at the Royal Palace, and will have an additional programme with Prime Minister Erna Solberg.
Last Thursday, Oslo announced that it will be requesting an additional 700 U.S. Marines to train in the Scandinavian country near the Russian boarder.
DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator focused on the Middle East and North Africa region, announced last night that it had acquired a further 3.74 million shares in London-listed Faroe Petroleum at a price of £1.25 per share representing 1.02 per cent of the outstanding shares in the company.
The Norwegian government has decided to welcome continued USMC rotational training and exercises in Norway, with a volume of up to a total of 700 marines, initially for a period of up to five years, says Minister of Defence Frank Bakke-Jensen.
A pair of Norwegian politicians has nominated US president Donald Trump for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. In a statement released on Thursday, Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a lawmaker, and Per-Willy Amundsen, a former justice minister, said Mr Trump deserved the prize for having “taken a huge and important step in the direction of the disarmament, peace and reconciliation between North and South Korea”.
Photo credit Ragnar Time, 2017.
Tung-Chieh Chuang conducting outdoor in Sweden last year.
National security experts all over Washington spent their winter binge-watching the second season of a popular Norwegian TV series titled Okkupert (or “Occupied”), in which Russia brazenly occupies Norway after a dispute over energy.
Over the last 10 years, NICFI has granted a total of 23.5 billion Norwegian krone (about $2.9 billion) to projects aimed at conserving tropical forests and reducing associated greenhouse gas emissions in several developing countries. Norway even paid three countries directly to protect their forests and draw down emissions: Brazil, in particular, has been a 
It is a scorching hot June day in Gwadar, a port city on the southwestern coast of Balochistan, and more than a dozen eight-year-old children have blocked a road by lying across it. Dressed in traditional shalwar kameez, the kids are protesting against a severe water shortage and long hours without electricity. The traffic is stopped for a while but then the children get up, rub the dust off their clothes and run towards the crowded markets.
Clearing agents, traders, terminal operators, banks and many other government and non-government functionaries are linked in the system and the relevant data is visible on screen to all the stakeholders. Goods Declarations are processed through paperless workflow environment which ensures speedy disposal, decreases dwell time and cost of doing business. Moreover, Risk Management System (RMS) of WeBOC further reduces dwell time, under Green Channel, by marking consignment directly to the port authorities thus, bypassing examination and assessment.
The corridor comprises energy and infrastructure projects, industrial development and the Gwadar port. The port is the linchpin. It is located near the Strait of Hormuz, the passage between the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes. As the principal goal of the corridor is to connect China’s Xinjiang province with the Arabian Sea, no Gwadar port means no CPEC.
According to the agreement between Pakistan and China, 91 per cent of the revenues from the Gwadar port over the next 40 years are to go to the port’s operator, Chinese Overseas Port Holding Company, with the remaining 9 per cent to go to the federal government. No revenues are directly reserved for Balochistan.
One such country is Norway with which Pakistan has very cordial relations. Norway established diplomatic relations with Pakistan since its independence in 1947. Both countries enjoy cordial relations based on commonality of views on a number of important issues. It is encouraging to note that the relations between them are following an upward trend. These relations are reinforced by the presence of a large Pakistani Diaspora in Norway. At present there are 50,000 Pakistanis working in Norway-Norwegian nationals.
Kåre Hanken, Taiwan, 2013
Kåre Hanken with Taipei Century Choir in 2013
May 17, 2013 at Tafong Elementary school in New Taipei City, Taiwan.
(Bergen, Norway) – The Holberg Prize was conferred upon Harvard Law Professor Cass Sunstein by HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway.
11 June 2018 Oslo – Yet another European corporation, this time 
To improve offshore oil spill preparedness, Norway’s government and the oil industry are building an offshore broadband wireless network.
“In times like these, when the security landscape is complex and uncertain, we need close allies. I am especially pleased with the strong UK-Norwegian relations, says State Secretary Tone Skogen. Earlier this week Minister for Defence Procurement Guto Bebb hosted Skogen on her visit aboard a US Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft – equipment which both the UK and Norway will soon own themselves.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Transparency in Payments (TIP) has been implemented in the Finland, Norway and Sweden markets. TIP, which is being introduced in conjunction with NewGen ISS, is an industry initiative focused on providing airlines with increased transparency and control in the collection of their sales generated in the travel agency channel. At the same time, it will enable travel agents to take advantage of new forms of payment for the remittance of customer funds.
The Oslo City Court has convicted a Syrian-Norwegian in his thirties to two and a half years in prison for breaking immigration laws and falsifying documents. While the court found that the life and the health of Syrian refugees was not in clear danger, it stressed the man should be punished nonetheless.
The Committee on the Rights of the Child this afternoon concluded its seventy-eighth session after adopting its concluding observations and recommendations on the reports of Argentina, Angola, Algeria, Montenegro, Russian Federation, Lesotho and Norway under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its two Optional Protocols.