Humanitarian Issues

“I am concerned about the situation in Kyrgyzstan. Large numbers of people in the south of the country have been caught up in the recent violence, resulting in urgent humanitarian needs,"said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Read more

Norway will be an important partner for Haiti in the country’s reconstruction efforts following the disastrous earthquake in January. Read more

Norway is to increase its humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe in 2010 by NOK 10 million, to NOK 30 million. This increase is due to the situation in Zimbabwe, which is cause for grave concern. Read more

The Government has proposed increased funding to Haiti in its revised budget for 2010. Read more

“The people of Haiti still need our help. The UN has so far received only half of what they have asked for. That is why we double Norway’s contributions to the emergency relief work on Haiti”, says Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. Read more

Norwegian aid to the earthquake victims in Haiti is to be increased to NOK 100 million (USD 17.5 millon). Read more

The earth quake in Haiti is a humanitarian disaster striking a people living in poverty. Norway will contribute NOK 40 million to imminent relief efforts. Read more

In her statement to UNHCR’s pledging meeting on December 8th, Ambassador Angell Hansen pledged 290 million Norwegian kroner in an un-earmarked contribution towards all four pillars constituting UNHCR’s 2010 annual budget. Read more

12 million people in Africa are forcibly displaced within their own countries by armed conflict and war. African countries have now agreed to strengthen the rights of the internally displaced. Read more

Minister of the Environment and International Development Erik Solheim has pledged 20 NOK million in emergency relief to Indonesia and the Philippines. These densely populated countries have been struck by two major natural disasters in the space of a few days’ time. Read more

In the statement under International Protection at the 60th session of UNHCR's EXCOM, Norway voiced concern over highly divergent refugee recognition rates among European countries and called for efforts towards a more harmonised Eropean practice. Also highlighted was the exceptionally sharp increase in asylum seekers, including unaccompanied minors, arriving in Norway. This has put huge strain... Read more

In her statement to the "60th Session of the Executive Committee of the high Commissioner's Programme, Norwegian Deputy Foreign minister, Ms Gry Larsen, pledged continued Norwegian support to the office - both politically and financially. Among other matters she encouraged UNHCR to contribute towards a more predictable approach with regard to protection of IDPs in natural disasters. She also un... Read more

Strong support to ongoing reform efforts. Call for increased efforts with regard to Results-Based Management framework as well as swift implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the Boards of Auditors and the OIOS. Read more

In the face of multiple challenges Norway is convinced that UNHCR is now moving in the right direction. Norway stands ready to support UNHCR in conducting a survey on how best to prepare for an expected increase in climate-related conflicts and is eagerly following the organisation's work to mainstream gender equity within its own ranks. Read more

The new Norwegian Humanitarian Policy paper was launched by Foreign Minster Støre on  15 September 2008 and is now available in English. Read more

Humanitarian crises are increasing in number and complexity. The international community is increasingly facing situations where fragile states are affected by conflicts and natural disasters at the same time. This calls for a rethinking of policies and approaches. Read more

At the December 9 pledging meeting, Norway announced a contribution of NOK 290 million (approximately, 41, 5 million US $) to the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees and its 2009 appeal. The pledge represents an increase in NOK 50 million or about 17 % in Norway's non-earmarked core contribution to the Office. Read more

Call for reintensified effort to address protracted refugee situations. Support to the High Commissioner's upcoming dialogue on protection and expressed need to scrutinize the usefulness of and the process in which EXCOM conclusions are elaborated. Read more