Policy Updates

On April 11, 2024, during the 8^th IPCI, Norway announced NOK589 million (US$54.3 million) in core funding to UNFPA in 2024.

Norwegian Minister of International Development Anne Beathe Tvinnereim noted that UNFPA is one of Norway’s key partners to promote the health, dignity, and rights of women and adolescents. Access to safe abortion, LGBTQI+ rights, sexual education and violence against women, indigenous rights were among the topics discussed during the conference.

The funding will enable UNFPA to respond to the many crises affecting women and adolescents, including the conflicts in Gaza and Sudan. The funding will also support work to uphold and advocate for women's rights.

On March 28, 2024, the IPCI/IPCD announced that IPCI 2024 would be held on April 10-12, 2024, in Oslo, Norway.

The event marks the 30^th anniversary of the Cairo Conference, where both women and sexual rights became part of the parliamentarians’ agenda. The ICPD or Cairo Conference was a ten-day conference held in November 1994, where representatives of the nations of the world discussed the future of the world’s population.

The 8^th IPCI will gather around 200 parliamentarians, ministers, UN experts, civil society leaders and other stakeholders.

The conference agenda includes on the following topics:

• How global trends such as demographic diversity and the climate crisis impacts the ability to achieve universal access to SRHR;
• The impact of the growing threat of digital violence on women leaders; and
• The challenges facing the funding landscape for SRHR as governments’ priorities come under threat from security concerns.

During the conference, Norway is also expected to announce its core contribution to UNFPA, one of Norway’s key partners in the fight for women’s and young people’s health and rights.

On February 12, 2024, Norwegian Church Aid launched a report titled The West against the rest, which contained several development suggestions to Norwegian political parties as the parties draw up their programs for the 2025-2029 parliamentary period.

Norwegian Church Aid argued that, compared to most countries, Norway has a unique financial leeway considering its notable additional income from oil and gas sales following the war in Ukraine. As such, Norway has an opportunity and a special responsibility to contribute to worldwide development.

Norwegian Church Aid presented a variety of program proposals with the expressed hope that the political parties will take them into consideration.

The suggestions included:

• Ensure that, as a general rule, investments in global common goods are financed outside the one percent. The investments should still be earmarked for development assistance for poverty reduction and emergency assistance;
• Step up climate financing in line with Norway's fair climate responsibility;
• Work on international regulations making it possible to collect illegal or illegitimate debts;
• Support a tax convention in the UN;
• Actively support free media, independent courts, and local civil society;
• Step up work against GBV in areas of crises and conflict;
• Invest a larger share of the Norwegian Oil Fund in low-income countries; and
• Enshrine further measures to ensure that Norwegian weapons are not used in violation of humanitarian law and human rights.

As a response to these suggestions, both the Labour Party and the Conservative Party underlined that Norway must continue to be an international bridge builder. The SV called for more political solidarity.

Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide has promised that 1% GNI/ODA will still go to development assistance. The Conservative Party stated that, going forward, it would be imperative to discuss how Norway spends money allocated to international development, and the Norway must be more concerned about the results and effects of development assistance.

On October 16, 2023, the governments of Norway and Ghana, alongside the UNFPA, launched the Equity 2030 Alliance, an initiative to employ data-driven strategies to create women-focused and gender-inclusive health solutions by 2030.

The initiative was launched at the WHS 2023 in Berlin, Germany. The BMZ was also listed as a member.

Speakers at the event noted that evidence shows that despite substantial recent progress in innovation and technology, many technological advancements do not address the needs of all populations. The absence of women in the design of global health innovations have often produced gender-blind solutions, particularly disadvantaging women. They promoted an ultimate goal to cultivate gender-equitable solutions for women's health with direct input from women, fostering economic growth and equality.

From September 18-19, 2023, during the high-level week of the 78^th UN General Assembly in New York, the Norwegian delegation emphasized global health and disease control as a development priority and underlined the importance of cooperation to secure better health for all.

One of the main global health messages from Norway was emphasizing UHC as a cornerstone of robust health systems. Norwegian Minister of Health Ingvild Kjerkol stated the need to accelerate work on UHC to achieve SDG #3 during the meeting. Norwegian Minister of International Development Anne Beathe Tvinnereim emphasized the need to harmonize health investments following the COVID-19 pandemic. She noted that robust UHC forms the foundation of good PPR.

Combating non-communicable diseases was also a health priority for Norway during the General Assembly. Kjerkol noted at a meeting led by the WHO that non-communicable diseases account for a predominantly large share of the global disease burden, disproportionately affect the most vulnerable, and are worsened by climate change.

Tvinnereim also participated at ICPD30, where several countries expressed a concern about SRHR being under increasing pressure. Tvinnereim underlined a need for broad consultations ahead of the ICPD's 30^th anniversary to build a vision for the future of the ICPD beyond 2024.

During the high-level meeting on tuberculosis, Kjerkol emphasized that solid and accessible health systems are necessary for access to basic services and the fight against tuberculosis.

On September 20, 2023, Norwegian Minister of International Development Anne Beathe Tvinnereim and Norwegian Minister of Health Ingvild Kjerkol participated at the UN High-Level Meeting on PPR at the 78^th UN General Assembly.

The session was the first high-level meeting on PPR. Tvinnereim underlined the importance of learning from the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent, detect, and respond to new infectious diseases to limit the negative effects of future pandemics.

Kjerkol contributed to a discussion on capacity building and financing for global pandemic preparedness. She conversed with colleagues, including representatives from France and Estonia, about sustainability challenges in the health sector and Norwegian participation in the EU's health union.

Kjerkol also participated in a discussion about promoting the commitment to One Health alongside the WHO, the US, Indonesia and Canada. One Health is an integrated approach to drive the health system transformation required to mitigate the impact of health challenges at the global, regional, and national level.

On August 25, 2023, the Norwegian government announced that Norad is to take on greater responsibility for the management of Norwegian development funding, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to receive a clearer responsibility for development policy formulation.

The Norwegian government expressed an aspiration to further refine the distinction in responsibility between the Ministry and Norad. A clearer division of labor is intended to provide better and more efficient management of Norwegian ODA.

Management of international development, which currently is under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is slated to be transferred to Norad beginning early 2024. The change will give Norad authority over the following budget items:

• Humanitarian assistance;
• Global security issues and disarmament;
• Human rights;
• A large portion of funding for the UN; and
• Funding for Europe, Central Asia, and Afghanistan.

Minister of International Development Anne Beathe Tvinnereim stated that the change is intended to bridge international development knowledge communities to secure a more holistic approach to ODA. A holistic approach is meant to help produce the best possible results in LIC ODA for both acute crisis and long-term development funding. The government expressed a need for greater support between long- and short-term funding.

On August 15, 2023, during Arendalsweek, State Secretary Bjørg Sandkjær of the Norwegian Ministry of International Development (Centre Party), Ingjerd Schou (Conservative Party), and Marian Hussein ( SV) discussed Norway's support of UHC in LICs.

Sandkjær emphasized the need to use health assistance effectively to build up good and efficient health systems and improve both access and healthcare rights. She noted the need to both support multilateral actors and allow donors the opportunity to take ownership of the systems they support, identify healthcare priorities, and find partners.

Hussein stated that Norway must improve their contributions to UHC. She criticized the government for cutting global health ODA and expressed skepticism for multilateral ODA. Hussein also criticized what she described as a myopic focus on determining exact funding lines for ODA, rather than focusing on the concrete goals and targets of the assistance. Hussein advocated that partner countries be given more self-determination and flexibility with funding.

Schou pointed out the need for the health assistance to be effective and results-driven. She stated that Norwegian funding must effectively mobilize resources and be predictable, lasting, and sustainable. Schou advocated for the use of multilateral funds to promote professional development, knowledge sharing, and efficiency in partner countries.

On June 26, 2023, Anniken Huitfeld, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Minister of International Development announced that Norway will allocate NOK98 million (US$9 million) to 11 research projects targeting global health, the arctic, and northern areas and Russia.

The funding aimed to support Norwegian researchers in developing recommendations to inform Norwegian foreign policy in an increasingly fraught geopolitical context.

NOK48 million (US$4 million) of the sum was allocated to four research projects contributing to better health for vulnerable groups in LICs and MICs.

Tvinnereim noted Norway's historical leadership on international global health, and stated that she looks forward to the insights produced by the researchers.

On June 5, 2023, Minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim announced that Norway, in close collaboration with other donor countries, will review the cooperation with all partners in Uganda after its June 1, 2023, passage of an anti-homosexuality law.

Tvinnereim underlined that human rights and equality are cross-cutting priorities in all Norwegian development funding. She also expressed concern about the situation for LGBTQ+ people in Uganda, who are already experiencing increased discrimination and harassment.

Most of Norway's funding towards Uganda is allocated through Norwegian organizations, such as the Norwegian Refugee Council, Save the Children, Plan, Caritas and Strømmestiftelsen, in addition to multilateral organizations such as the UN.

After the passage of a similar bill in 2013 in Uganda, Norway withheld NOK50 million (US$5 million) in ODA. The funds were then paid out in 2014 and 2015, after the law was struck down by Uganda's court system.

In Uganda, Norwegian funding supports programs for food security, girls' education, women's rights and participation in peace and security efforts, energy access for vulnerable groups, and safeguarding refugees and their host communities.