Norwegian Politics

"The fight for strengthening human rights is the common thread in everything Norway commits to internationally," said Minister of Foreign Affairs Børge Brende. Human rights are under pressure internationally. Norway will therefore step up its efforts to promote and protect human rights Read more

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2014 has been awarded the Indian child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi and the Pakistani children’s education activist Malala Yousafzai. Read more

World leaders descend on New York for high-level meetings at the United Nations from September 22-26th. A number of topics will be tackled, such as human rights, poverty reduction, climate change and gender equality, all of which are key priorities for Norway. Read more

On a two-day visit to London, the Norwegian Standing Committee on Justice will be in London to learn from the British experiences with the Police Reform, Emergency Services Coordination and Serious Crime. Read more

Norway is hosting a pledging conference for South Sudan in Oslo on Tuesday 20th of May, in cooperation with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Read more

Having marked the International Women’s Day this weekend, we take the opportunity to focus on violence against women in Europe – a violation of fundamental human rights which cuts across all levels of society. Read more

Norway is to play a significant role in removing chemical weapons from Syria and transporting them out of the country for destruction elsewhere. Read more

Norway’s new Government was appointed on 16th October by His Majesty the King. It is a conservative minority government formed by the Conservative Party and the Progress Party, with Conservative Party leader Erna Solberg as Prime Minister. Read more

Rising temperatures and sea levels, shifting rainfall patterns, melting glaciers and snow: Addressing the impacts climate change in Europe is a priority for Norway. The role of water will be the topic at an international conference supported by the EEA and Norway Grants in Lisbon 7-9 October. Read more

The Government has decided to accept 1000 Syrian refugees for resettlement to Norway. The war in Syria has led to an acute refugee situation. Syria’s neighbouring countries have taken in close to two million refugees. The capacity of these countries is at breaking point and the UNHCR has appealed to other countries to help,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide. Read more

The results from the election to the Norwegian Parliament – the Storting - on the 9th of September show that the centre-right has won a majority. Leader of the Conservative Party, Ms Erna Solberg is likely to become Norway’s second female Prime Minister and the first Conservative Prime Minister since 1990, ending an eight year tenure for Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and his centre-left... Read more

The Norwegian Government has released a new report on developing countries’ debt to Norway. This is the first time any country has undertaken such a process. “We are doing this to make sure that we are living up to our responsibility as a lender to developing countries” said Minister of International Development, Heikki Eidsvoll Holmås. Read more

100 years after Norway introduced full voting rights for women, the Norwegian Parliament voted to adopt compulsory conscription for women as well as men with an overwhelming majority. – This is an historic day for equality and for our armed forces, said Norway’s Defence Minister, Mrs. Anne-Grete Stroem-Erichsen, on the day of the vote. Read more

Norway is mobilising against hate speech in Europe. Through the EEA and Norway Grants we have entered into a strategic partnership with the Council of Europe's youth project on combating hate speech online launched this week. Read more

Norway is considered to be one of the countries where gender equality is most fully realised. This is a result of long-term political efforts by a series of Norwegian governments backed by the Norwegian parliament. One of the most famous and contested such measures is the “Women on Boards” Act, internationally dubbed the Norwegian Quota Law. Read more

Worldwide, International Women’s Day on 8 March is an annual event to celebrate the progress of women in society and to focus on remaining issues of gender equality. In Norway, this year’s 8 March calls for special celebrations as 2013 marks the centenary of women’s suffrage and Norway becoming a true democracy. Read more

How to tackle and combat hate speech online? This important question will be discussed at a two-day international conference in Budapest from 27th-28th November. The conference is organised by the Council of Europe and the EEA and Norway Grants together with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Read more

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2012 has been awarded to the European Union. Read more

‘Education is key to reducing poverty. It is particularly important for us to ensure that more girls have access to education,’ says Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg. Education was a key theme when the Prime Minister visited three African countries on July 1-4. Read more

The European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement ensures that Norway can take part in the EU single market, and thus benefit from the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital. It guarantees non-discrimination and equal rules and competition throughout the EEA. Read more