Society & Policy

“If one man can show so much hatred, imagine how much love we can show together.” So said a young woman who lost friends on the island of Utøya during the attacks of Friday 22 July. The quote has been widely embraced by survivors, families and political leaders in Norway. Read more

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The statutes below were determined by the Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs on February 9th, 2009. The international scholarships for Ibsen-related projects were established by the Norwegian parliament in relation to the central government budget for the fiscal year of 2007. 1. Scholarships are awarded to individuals, organizations or institutions within the artistic and cultural community... Read more

The appointment of Robert Mood as Head of Mission and Chief of Staff of UNTSO, the UN peacekeeping operation in the Middle East, will strengthen Norway’s presence in the region.   Read more

Final Chair’s Summary Ministers and senior officials of the AHLC members met at Lancaster House in London today to reaffirm their strong commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For the first time ministers outside the AHLC circle participated in the meeting. Their participation demonstrates the renewed commitment of the donor community expressed at the donor... Read more

Final Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, As Chair of the AHLC – let me too welcome you to London. And let me thank Foreign Secretary Miliband for kindly hosting this event. I extend a special welcome to Palestinian Prime Minister Fayyad and Israeli Foreign Minister Livni, as well as to the permanent members of the AHLC. I also welcome the bilateral invitees, who have been invited specially to... Read more

Norway is intensifying efforts to promote women’s rights and gender equality in international development policy. Read more

Norway is intensifying efforts to promote women’s rights and gender equality in international development policy. Read more

In relation to recent press reports,  the Representative Office of Norway to the Palestinian Authority would like to inform that Norway is not involved in any such negotiations. Read more

  Mr President Norway has persistently supported President Mahmoud Abbas in his efforts to foster democracy, stability and peace in the Palestinian Territory. We supported his decision to form a National Unity Government, which was meant to break a dangerous impasse and prepare the ground for renewed negotiations with Israel. We also supported his decision – under extremely difficult conditio Read more

Peace mediators from all over the world gathered in Norway at the Oslo Forum in the last week of June, to share experiences on ongoing mediation in peace processes in the Middle East, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Somalia. Read more

The humanitarian situation in the Palestinian Territory remains extremely serious. The civilian population is suffering, and women, children and young people face particular difficulties. In response to a humanitarian appeal by the UN, Norway has decided to provide NOK 75 million for the UN’s humanitarian effort in the Palestinian Territory. Read more

Statement (*) by Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre Read more

“Norway welcomes the formation of the Palestinian National Unity Government,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.   Read more

Mr Chairman, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, I would first like to pay tribute to the work of the High Commissioner and her office for the lead role they are playing in meeting the challenges to the realization of all human rights and in preventing human rights violation throughout the world.   The challenges are daunting. The world leaders at the World Summit resolved to strengthen the.. Read more

(Translation from the Norwegian)     Mr President, In times of change, contrasts can often be illustrated by snapshots from different periods. When I did my military service in the Navy between 1979 and 1981, the Cold War was still on. I remember two episodes that made a deep impression on me. One was the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The other was the strikes at the Polish shipyards o Read more

- As of 1st of February 2007, The Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) marks its 10th year of ongoing activity. TIPH is a civilian and unarmed observer mission in the West Bank city of Hebron, consisting of personnel from Norway, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland and Turkey. Its mandate is renewed every six months. Read more

“Norway welcomes the agreement to form a Palestinian unity government. This is an important step towards halting internal violence among the Palestinians and creating stability in the Palestinian Territory,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre." Read more

The meeting offered an opportunity to reflect onthe successes and failures of the Madrid process.It provided an excellent opportunity to reignite an interest among participants in moving forward on the challenges emanating from the conflicts in the region, as well as an opportunity forcivil society and officials to interact and exchange perspectives on the common goalof the conference. o We had... Read more