Norwegian People's Aid and Norad renew agreement to support life-saving work in 20 countries
— Norwegian humanitarian funding is crucial, especially in view of the US aid freeze, says Secretary General Raymond Johansen. — Norway is known as a flexible and responsive partner, choosing to stand by its principles at a time when many countries are withdrawing from international humanitarian responsibilities.
The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and Norwegian People's Aid have signed a five-year agreement worth NOK 1.22 billion. The funding supports ongoing efforts to protect civilians in war and conflict from explosive weapons, provide food to people affected by crises, and protection against sexual and gender-based violence.
— We thank Norad for this important partnership during an uncertain time, says Johansen. — The funding enables us to continue clearing unexploded ordnance — that will not only allow displaced people to return home, but also prevent more individuals from suffering severe injuries. Additionally, the agreement ensures that life-saving information reaches civilians affected by war and conflict in Yemen, Palestine, Myanmar, and Syria, helping them to protect themselves from deadly explosives.
Norwegian People's Aid also works in partnership with local organizations to strengthen their preparedness and crisis response capacity. In places like Sudan and Myanmar, where humanitarian access is extremely limited, this is now more critical than ever. The agreement with Norad will help maintain locally led emergency responses in Lebanon, Sudan, Palestine, Mozambique, South Sudan, Syria, and Myanmar.
— This new strategic agreement with the Norwegian government has been long in the planning, and it is a continuation of the previous strategic agreement covering the period 2020-2024. As such, 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, says Johansen.
