Norway hasn’t been immune to the aid cuts that have swept traditional donor countries — last year, its budget declined by 5%. But it’s still the globe’s most generous donor, giving 1.02% of gross national income in official development assistance last year, a level it plans to maintain in 2026.
Part of the mandate of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, or Norad, said the agency’s director general, Gunn Jorid Roset, is to inform not just politicians but the public about its work.
“I think that is where also the public trust in what we do comes in. And … I think it’s very important that we do that: We inform about results, we inform about dilemmas, maybe also about the international discussions surrounding us when it comes to this landscape,” she said during a Devex Impact House event on the sidelines of the World Bank-International Monetary Fund annual meetings. That communication is a part of the agency’s work, alongside advising the Norwegian government on development-related matters and answering questions from politicians who challenge the effectiveness of their work on aid.
About the author
Fiona Zublin
Fiona Zublin is Devex's Deputy Managing Editor. Prior to joining the Devex team, she worked at OZY, NPR, and The Washington Post. Originally from the United States, she now lives and works in Paris.
