Humanitarian Efforts

Norway is increasing its support for flood victims in Pakistan to NOK 115 million (about USD 19 million). Much of it will be channeled through the UN. The flood disaster in Pakistan is an enormous humanitarian crisis. It has affected 20 million people, six million of whom are in need of emergency food assistance. So far, 900.000 homes have been washed away. Read more

Last year, the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) supported 466 projects in 51 countries. Norway contributed with about USD 43 million, or 11% of the total, according to CERF’s annual report that has just been published. Read more

Earlier this month a team from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs travelled to the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince to assess how Norway’s USD 100 pledge of support for Haiti could be put to good use. First Secretary Julie M. Jacobsen Takahashi, from the Permanent Mission of Norway to the UN, went with them. This is her personal account of the visit. Read more

Norway will be an important partner for Haiti in the country’s reconstruction efforts following the disastrous earthquake in January. The Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC), of which Norway is now a member, held its first meeting on 17 June in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince. Read more

Norway will provide assistance totalling NOK 800 million (USD 100 million) to Haiti over the next four years. The announcement was made by State Secretary Ingrid Fiskaa at the International Donors' Conference Towards a New Future For Haiti which was held at the United Nations headquarters in New York today. Read more

“Haiti's people still needs our help. The UN has so far received only half of what it has requested. That’s why we will double the Norwegian contribution to humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti,” said Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. Norway’s contribution to Haiti now stands at NOK 200 million (USD 35 million). Read more

Norwegian aid to the earthquake victims in Haiti is to be increased to NOK 100 million (USD 17.5 million). “I am deeply saddened by the extremely difficult situation in Haiti. Although aid is flowing into the country, the needs will continue to be great in the weeks and months ahead,” said Minister of the Environment and International Development Erik Solheim. Read more

“The earthquake in Haiti is a humanitarian disaster striking a people living in poverty. Locals have made major life-saving efforts, but it is now crucial that we see a broad and coordinated international relief operation. Norway will contribute NOK 40 million (USD 7 million) to immediate relief efforts”, says Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. Read more

The aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti set a grim backdrop to the first UNICEF executive board meeting of 2010. Delegates gathered at the UN headquarters in New York from 12 to 14 January to discuss the departure of UNICEF’s Executive Director Ann Veneman and the need for sustained support for the fund, but the situation in Haiti became a natural talking point. Read more

The UN General Assembly held an extra-ordinary session today to discuss the situation in Haiti following the devastating earthquake which struck near the capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday. Millions of people in the Caribbean nation have been affected. The UN has so far allocated USD 10 million in aid from the UN Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF), which Norway supports with substantial sums. Read more

“We want to show our strong commitment to UN humanitarian efforts at a difficult time,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, commenting on Norway’s increased contribution to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and a new multi-year cooperation agreement with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Read more

In its just-concluded session, the General Assembly’s committee on human rights agreed to increase the protection of internally displaced persons. The adopted text, proposed by Norway, contributes to the strengthening of a rights-based approach to protecting and assisting the internally displaced. In agreeing to the text, member states recognized the increased impact climate change can have on... Read more

Norway has decided to increase emergency relief to Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia because of the drought. At the same time it is important to increase food security. Read more

Every day, armed violence kills more than 2000 people. The large majority are civilians. Backed by Norway, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is stepping up to support affected governments to reduce the demand for arms – by developing comprehensive Armed Violence Prevention Programmes. Read more

On Thursday 24 September, Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will chair this year’s Trygve Lie Symposium in New York. The theme this year will be the protection of civilians and international humanitarian law. Read more

In today’s Nordic meeting of the Foreign Ministers in Oslo, the five ministers released a common statement regarding the situation in Sri Lanka Read more

There have been alarming reports from Gaza of ambulances and convoys carrying humanitarian relief supplies being impeded, and personnel from humanitarian organisations being killed as a result of the fighting. Several organisations have chosen to suspend their efforts in Gaza because the risk involved is too great. Read more