International Development

After tough negotiations the Commission on Population and Development reached an agreed conclusion. Sexual and reproductive health and rights, an important area for Norway, has been among this year’s sensitive issues. Read more

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Bill Gates met in Oslo on the 22nd of January to discuss how to reach the Millennium Development Goals on global health. Progress is made, but work still needs to be done. Read more

Counsellor Merete Dyrud at the Norwegian Mission to the UN is elected to serve as vice president of the board of the UN development organizations UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS on behalf of the Western European and Others Group (WEOG). Read more

This is the first time for the UN General Assembly to discuss debt resolution mechanisms for developing countries. Read more

Mr. Helge Strand Østtveiten has been appointed Director of UNDP's Office of Audit and Investigations. Read more

The Norwegian Government proposes an additional allocation of NOK 650 million (approx. USD 100 million) to significantly step up Norway’s efforts in the area of maternal and child health. Read more

A new plan and set of recommendations to improve the supply and access of life-saving health supplies was submitted today to the UN Secretary-General by the members of the United Nations Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children. Read more

“Norway is the first country in the world to review its loans to developing countries, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on foreign debt and human rights. This means that Norway is setting the gold standard in this area,” says Minister of International Development Heikki Holmås. Read more

Norway’s Minister of International Development, Mr. Heikki Holmås, had three main messages at the UN Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc); the need for more equitable distribution between and within countries, the need to advance and protect women’s rights and strong support to the UN Secretary-General’s “Energy for All”-initiative. Read more

UN member states met on Tuesday July 26 to discuss how transnational organized crime and drug trafficking threaten development efforts. Norway suggested that a global UN strategy should be established to combat this. Read more

Norway and the United States had agreed to increase efforts together to improve women’s and children’s health in poor African countries through the Saving Mothers, Giving Life partnership. The commitment was announced at the conference - “A World in Transition – Charting a New Path in Global Health” - which took place in the Norwegian capital Oslo. Read more

Affordable, life-saving medicines and health supplies with the potential to save millions of lives are not reaching the children and women who most need them.To help change this, the UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children met in New York on May 22. The meeting was chaired by Norway's Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. Read more

After hard and long negotiations the resolution on the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) regarding youth and adolescence was adopted during overtime. Different fractions opposed each other during the negotiations, and the political differences were made evident. This was especially clear when it came to the case of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for youth, which w... Read more

It was full house when the Missions of Finland, Kenya and Norway to the United Nation together with International Planned Parenthood hosted an event titled “The need for Comprehensive Sexuality Education for Youth”. The event was arranged during the Commission on Population and Development (CPD). Read more

The theme of this year’s UN Commission of Population and Development (CPD) is Adolescence and Youth. Therefore, Norway brings its own youth delegate to the Commission. At 10:40, April 25th, the Chair of the Commission gives the word to Anette Remme. With confidence she speaks on behalf of youth. Read more

Today the 45th session on the UN Commission on Population and Development opened in New York. Norway held a statement on the human rights of young people that caused the listeners to applaud. Read more

In his first visit to the UN as Minister for International Development, Mr. Heikki Holmås emphasized the importance of women and showcasing results of development efforts in poor countries when he met with key UN leaders. Read more

Norway's Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg will be serving as one of the co-chairs for the new UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children which were launched March 23rd. The commission will work to improve access to essential but overlooked health supplies that could save the lives of millions of women and children every year. Read more

“2012 will be a bad year for red tape and bureaucracy at the UN”, Norway’s UN Ambassador Morten Wetland concluded at a meeting about the United Nations “Delivering as One” approach. Read more

Half of the world's population is younger than 30 years. - The fact that young people are not being heard is a waste of resources and could become a threat to the world peace. The UN now signals that they take this challenge seriously, said Norwegian Junior Minister for International Development Mr Arvinn Gadgil, after a meeting with UN Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-moon in New York. Read more