Financed entirely by eleven donors, the World Bank-administered Emergency Services Support Program (ESSP) Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) provided key financing for the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) social sector emergency program. This program was successfully implemented, despite the difficult security context, and benefited the entire Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza. At the conclusion of the project, public facilities continued to operate at the same or higher levels than the 2007 baselines.

Challenge

“Somalia is in a critical phase. Norway aims to support that the progress made so far is not reversed. That is why we are increasing our development assistance by NOK 150 million and strengthening our cooperation with the Government of Somalia,” said Minister of International Development Heikki Eidsvoll Holmås.

Mr Holmås is today taking part in the international Somalia Conference 2013 in London. The conference is co-hosted by President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

“Given the grim situation in Syria today, it is important to support efforts to build up local civil leadership. Norway will provide funding to strengthen civil society capacity in Syria with a view to a political process and stabilisation in the future,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide.

Copenhagen/Oslo – Responding to the continuing challenges in Niger and the Sahel, the Government of Norway has announced an additional contribution of NOK 25 million to the United Nations World Food Programme’s activities in Niger.

The long-standing commitment of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden to international development has rooted them firmly as leaders in international development assistance. They are strong advocates on human rights issues––addressing inequalities between and within countries––and have forward thinking policies for social development and health.

MUHEZA, Tanzania (AlertNet) - Khadija Mtungakoa, a 38-year-old mother of three, wears a broad smile as she prepares food on her energy-saving stove.

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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.

The Government of Malawi has donated to the UN World Food Programme an extra 47,466 metric tons of maize from the country’s Strategic Grain Reserve. This allocation, valued at $11.6 million (MK 4.18 billion), will bolster relief operations for nearly 2 million people identified by the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee as food insecure. This brings the total Government of Malawi relief contributions since August to 72,466 tones, worth $ 17.1 million (MK 6.2 billion).

02/06/2013 15:49 GMT

OSLO, Feb 06, 2013 (AFP) - Uganda has returned three million euros in aid to Norway after it was misappropriated, the Norwegian minister for development aid said Wednesday.

"Corruption is (the same as) stealing from poor people, and for that we have zero tolerance," Heikki Holmaas said on Twitter.

"Uganda has repaid us 23 million 'corruption kroner' (3.1 million euros or $4.2 million)," he added.