Society & Policy

On 21 December 2011 the Norwegian government announced they will offer up to 6 billion SDR (equivalent to 7 billion euros) to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as a bilateral loan to contribute to stabilising the European and international economy, and thus also contribute to safeguarding the Norwegian economy and Norwegian jobs. Read more

“Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman are each in their own right worthy winners of the Nobel Peace Prize. The Government welcomes the award of this year’s prize to these three women. It is recognition of women’s non-violent efforts to promote peace and democracy,” said Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Read more

The 7th Sino-Norwegian Social Policy Forum will be held in Haikou, Hainan, 10 – 11 December 2011. Read more

China’s labour market is in rapid transition, which affects Chinese and foreign companies alike. The Business for Social Responsibility and Ethical Trading Initiative Norway, with support from the Norwegian Consulate General Guangzhou, organised a seminar on current labour issues in Shenzhen. Read more

China Radio International (CRI) hosted an event on 17 August where Joanna Syson, a Norwegian woman who lost her large collection of family photos in Beijing in the 1990s, was reunited with her photos due to the persistent efforts of Chinese actor Wang Weiguo and the help of CRI. Read more

The decision to hold a national memorial ceremony for those who were killed or injured in the attacks on the government offices and Utøya on 22 July was taken together with the political parties represented in the Storting. The ceremony was held in Oslo Spektrum on Sunday 21 August at 15:00. Read more

“If one man can show so much hatred, imagine how much love we can show together.” So said a young woman who lost friends on the island of Utøya during the attacks of Friday 22 July. The quote has been widely embraced by survivors, families and political leaders in Norway. Read more

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said, “We congratulate South Sudan on becoming the world’s newest state. Norway has been an active player in the peace process in Sudan, and we will continue our engagement with both South Sudan and Sudan.” Read more

The University of Bergen and Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou cohosted a workshop on work/life balance in Guangzhou 27-28 June. Read more

The Norwegian Government will provide NOK 30 million for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre commented, “UNODC is one of our most important tools in the global fight against organised crime.” Some of these funds will used to support the UN’s new working group on organised crime. Read more

Today Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov exchanged the instruments of ratification of the Treaty on Maritime Delimitation and Cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean. “This is a milestone and a historic day for Norway. Our land borders and maritime boundaries are now all clearly established” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Read more

Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre commented, “The Norwegian Government has taken a particular responsibility, both politically and financially, in the efforts to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 on reducing child and maternal mortality and improving access to reproductive health services. We therefore look forward to playing an active role in the UN Commission o... Read more

Industri Energi, a Norwegian federation of trade unions, annually presents an international award to a person or organisation that has been instrumental in promoting union rights and strengthening trade union organisation. Representatives and employees of trade unions worldwide are invited to propose candidates. Read more

This week Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg attends the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. A central topic is the “Nordic experience”. Read more

1 August 2010 marks a triumph for international humanitarian efforts as the Convention on Cluster Munitions enters into force. Read more

More than 60 countries agreed to concrete measures to address armed violence in Geneva on 12 May. Read more

Together with the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association (CACDA), the Norwegian, Dutch and Swedish Embassy organised a one day seminar in Beijing on 25 March on disarmament and non-proliferation issues. Read more

The introduction of a comprehensive social security system is a much debated question in China – and questions related to social security and equitable distribution of wealth is an area of co-operation between Chinese and Norwegian institutions. From January 6 to 8, Norwegian economist Jo Thori Lind held a series of lectures in Guangzhou on the Nordic Model of social security. Read more

Twenty years after the Samediggi (the Sámi parliament) was established, the number of individuals registered as part of the Sámi population has risen from 5 500 to almost 14 000. Read more

On 3 November 2009, the Norwegian Embassy in Beijing hosted a mini-seminar on highly enriched uranium (HEU) minimization, entitled “Getting Bomb-Grade Uranium Out of Civilian Hands: Implementing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1887”. Read more