Norway to Fund Six Humanitarian NGOs with $171 Million Annually
OSLO: Norway said on Monday it would sign multi-year funding agreements with six humanitarian NGOs, several of which were hit by the sudden freeze in practically all US aid spending.
Background
The Norwegian funding will improve the NGOs’ financial mid-term visibility but will not replace the US funds, having been designed to work in parallel. The Norwegian government announced it would allocate a total of 1.9 billion kroner (US$171 million) per year to six NGOs for "rapid, flexible and targeted emergency aid" over the five-year period from 2025 to 2029.
Need for Emergency Aid
"The need for emergency aid has reached an unprecedented level and global funding for humanitarian efforts is more uncertain than it has been for a long time," international development minister Asmund Aukrust said.
Funding to Six NGOs
The six NGOs include several which recently announced major cuts in their humanitarian efforts following President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze practically all US aid spending. Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), which specialises in demining operations, said last week it would be forced to more than halve its staff and lay off 1,700 employees in 12 countries. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which received around 20% of its budget from the US in 2024, also said it would have to suspend activities in nearly 20 countries at the end of February.
NGO Reactions
"This agreement means a lot for NRC, as it provides much needed predictability and flexibility," Camilla Waszink, head of NRC’s partnership and policy, told AFP in an email. "However, this is part of already budgeted Norwegian humanitarian funding and will therefore not address our many US-funded programmes now stopped due to the foreign aid freeze," she added.
NPA echoed that sentiment. "This agreement has been planned to work in parallel with the US funds that NPA has received up until now, and will not alleviate any of the effects the US aid freeze has on our projects," NPA spokesman Hakon Odegaard said.
US Aid Freeze
On his first day back in office, Trump issued an executive order freezing US foreign aid for 90 days, except funds for Israel and Egypt. He said the move was to determine if the aid was in line with his views on abortion, family planning, diversity and inclusion. A US judge last week temporarily lifted the freeze.
Global Aid Landscape
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has a budget of US$42.8 billion, representing 42% of humanitarian aid disbursed worldwide. According to the UN, 300 million people were in need of humanitarian aid in 2024, compared to 78 million in 2015.
Conclusion
The Norwegian funding agreements with six humanitarian NGOs will provide much-needed support to these organizations, but it is essential to recognize that this funding will not replace the US funds. The global community must work together to address the growing need for humanitarian aid, which has reached unprecedented levels.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the purpose of the Norwegian funding agreements?
A: The funding agreements are designed to provide "rapid, flexible and targeted emergency aid" to six humanitarian NGOs over the five-year period from 2025 to 2029.
Q: How much funding will be allocated to the NGOs?
A: The Norwegian government will allocate 1.9 billion kroner (US$171 million) per year to the six NGOs.
Q: Will the Norwegian funding replace the US funds?
A: No, the Norwegian funding is designed to work in parallel with the US funds, and will not replace the US aid freeze.