The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) have signed a historic three years partnership agreement with NRC, worth 993 million NOK. It supports NRC’s work for people displaced by war and conflict and will directly benefit approximately 800,000 people in 2013 alone.
It is the first time NRC has signed a global partnership agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Norad. The three years agreement will replace a dozen separate contracts.
- This agreement is a milestone for NRC and is very important in terms of providing predictability and flexibility for NRC’s work. The agreement enables NRC to assist more than 800,000 displaced people this first year. The funds will be used to provide children schooling and building shelters for displaced families, says Toril Brekke, Acting Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
The agreement covers humanitarian assistance in 19 countries, including Somalia, Mali, DR Congo and Afghanistan, as well as Syria's neighboring countries.
- NRC has scaled up our response to the crisis in Syria significantly over the last months, assisting a rapidly growing number of Syrian refugees in the region. To achieve this, we need donors who responds quickly and substantially, like the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, says Brekke.
She gives the Norwegian government credit for being a good humanitarian donor:
- There are international principles for good humanitarian donorship . Norway is in the forefront when it comes to follow these principles, says Brekke.
NRC has grown during recent years to become Norway’s largest humanitarian organization with an annual turnover of 1.4 billion Norwegian kroner. In addition to Norway, other major contributors include the UN, EU, Sweden and the UK.
- Holistic partnership agreements with donors, spanning several years and having built in flexibility is important in order for us to work effectively with lasting impact. Norway is still our main supporter, but more than half of NRC's funding comes from international donors, says Brekke.