Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO, and Halvor Hvideberg, Ambassador of Norway to UNESCO, have signed the first three-year cooperation agreement between UNESCO and Norway. The country will provide a voluntary contribution of US$45 million to finance education programmes worldwide.
“There is no peace, no sustainable development, without education. Thanks to this funding from Norway, UNESCO will step up its action worldwide to guarantee everyone’s right to quality lifelong learning.”
“I highly appreciate UNESCO’s initiative and leadership in education. UNESCO’s normative role and concrete field programmes make the Organization a highly valued partner to Norway,” stated, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Norway’s Minister of International Development. “Education is fundamental for achieving poverty reduction, gender equality and climate action. We are very happy to increase our support and to enter into a long-term agreement with UNESCO. Together, let us promote good quality education for all.”
The funding from Norway will support UNESCO’s education programme from 2023 to 2025, and will significantly boost UNESCO’s initiatives on education for health and well-being, among other programmes. This agreement will also make it possible to scale up the UNESCO Qualifications Passport for Refugees and Vulnerable Migrants. Successfully tested in recent years, it helps recognize prior academic, professional, and vocational qualifications of forcibly displaced people so they can access learning opportunities abroad.
Norway’s continued support for UNESCO
Norway has long demonstrated its commitment to UNESCO’s work in education. Through its agency for development cooperation (Norad), the country contributes to programme operations mostly in least developed countries and in emergency contexts.
Norway’s investments have also supported UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, which both play a key role in monitoring global efforts towards educational goals. They have also benefitted work around comprehensive sexuality education, and promoted stronger school health systems and the prevention of school violence and bullying.
This new contribution from Norway comes in addition to the country’s $20 million contribution to UNESCO in 2022, to support actions for culture, heritage and freedom of the press. This bears witness to the Nordic countries’ strong confidence in UNESCO and their ongoing commitment to funding the Organization, including as leading voluntary contributors to its budget.
(Source: UNESCO)
