The role of the Norwegian Agency for International Development changed dramatically in 2004. Starting April 1 of that year, Norad - as the agency is otherwise known - no longer handled bilateral aid programs.
“The government-to-government and bilateral aid is at the Ministry [of Foreign Affairs] and the embassies,” according to Oskar Oskarsson, senior adviser at Norad’s Department of Quality Assurance.
Specifically, Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs took charge of planning and executing bilateral aid activities and decentralized decision making. The embassies, meanwhile, became responsible for program implementation and coordination.