Country Profiles
Norway
Context
Norway continues to be a committed political and financial supporter of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
The current Norwegian government has women’s bodily autonomy as one of their six priority areas for Norwegian ODA. This has been followed up with a strong voice from Norway at the UN level, and Norway continues to be a strong advocate for SRHR in high-level political forums and multinational organizations.
There is broad consensus across the political parties on Norway’s global SRHR policies with representation from all parties in Parliament in the All Party Parliamentary Group on SRHR (APPG Norway).
Norway’s total ODA expenditure in 2023 was slightly above 5 billion Euros (58,6 billion NOK). Even if there is a cross-party political agreement to spend 1% of GNI on international development, this principle has not been presented in the State Budget in the past few years. The government has further proposed cuts to ODA in the 2025 budget, due to the war in Ukraine and expected arrival of refugees.
Policies & funding
Norway has over the years been a strong supporter to SRHR. In 2022, the Government developed a new, updated Guideline for sexual and reproductive health and rights (2022), intended for Norwegian foreign missions. In 2023, the Government published a new Action Plan for Women’s Rights and Gender Equality in the foreign and development policy and a new Action Plan for Women, Peace and Security. In 2024, Norway also launched a new Humanitarian Strategy as well as a Regional Strategy on Africa, both with references to SRHR.
During the Nairobi Summit in 2019, Norway made important financial and political commitments to SRHR, including 1 billion Euros (9,6 billion NOK) for the period 2020-2026, 76 million Euros (760 million NOK) to eliminate harmful practices in 2020-2023, and 100 million Euros (1 billion NOK) to prevention of GBV/SGBV in humanitarian crises for 2019-2021. Norway fulfilled the promise of 76 million Euros, or 760 million NOK, to eliminate harmful practices, and is on track to fulfil its Nairobi financial commitment on 1 billion Euros or 9.6 billion NOK for 2020-2025. Norway also pledged to increase the percentage of bilateral development assistance that has women’s rights and gender equality as a primary or significant goal to 50%. This commitment is not being realized, and the level of such programmes in 2023 represented only 34% of the country’s ODA. Norway’s Nairobi commitments will expire at the end of 2025.
Internationally vocal
Norway remains vocal in global negotiations on the advancement of SRH/FP such as the UN Commission on Population and Development (CPD) and the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). In 2024, Norway hosted the 8th International Parliamentarians’ Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Action Programme. 172 parliamentarians from 112 countries issued a forward-looking inclusive declaration confirming their commitment to upholding universal sexual and reproductive health and rights. In the Oslo Declaration, the parliamentarians recognized the ICPD Programme of Action as “a beacon of hope,” and celebrated the progress that has been made for women and girls in the three decades since it was adopted. But they also pointed out that crises and polarization are shaking the world, and require them to set out an ambitious vision for the future they want to help create in their legislatures.
Key documents
- Country factsheet 2023-2024-Norway.pdf
- Action Plan: Women’s Rights and Gender Equality in the Foreign and Development Policy 2023-2030.
- Action Plan: Women, Peace and Security 2023-2030.
- SRHR Embassy Guidelines (2022)
- White paper: Partner Countries in the Development Policy (2017-2018).
- White paper: Norway´s Role and Interests in Multilateral Cooperation (2018-2019).
- Action Plan: Norway´s Humanitarian Strategy: An effective and integrated approach 2019-2023. In process of renewal
- Action Plan: Norway´s International Strategy to Eliminate Harmful Practices 2019-2023,
- Press release: Norway´s commitments to the Nairobi Summit (2019).
- White paper: Norway´s Action Plan to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 (2020).
- Action Plan: Action plan for continued reduction in the number of abortions – information and availability 2020 – 2024.
- Political Platform: The Norwegian Government’s political platform 2021 – 2025.