The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is responsible for Norway’s development cooperation and the formulation of development policy. Norway’s bilateral aid management is largely decentralized. While the MFA is responsible for the overall policy and budget allocation to partner countries, once funds are allocated through an appropriation letter, the embassies have financial and programming authority.

Norway sees the multilateral system as complementary to its bilateral efforts. Norway priorities the UN system in its multilateral allocations, with humanitarian assistance comprising a large share.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has a key coordination and advisory role in relation to the other ministries. As a specialist ministry, it is both a preparatory and an executive body on foreign policy questions, economic foreign policy issues and development-related matters.

Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) is a directorate under the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In matters regarding Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), Norad reports to the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment. Norad has five main tasks:

1. Aid advisory services:  Norad provides expert advice about development and aid and works together with a range of other players in development assistance.
2. Quality assurance and monitoring: Quality assurance of Norwegian aid measures is Norad’s most important responsibilities. This is a question of good financial management, prevention of corruption, practising a zero tolerance policy on corruption, and control over the use of development aid funds. 
3. Grant programmes: Norad grants funding to health and education, as well as organisations within civil society, research, higher education and industry that work with partners in poor countries.
4. Communication: Norad aims to provide information about Norwegian aid to the Norwegian public in a way that is easy to understand.

Evaluation. Norad is responsible for independent evaluation of activities funded over the Norwegian development budget. The evaluations are conducted by independent researchers or consultants who have not been involved in the projects.

Innovation Norway is the Norwegian Government’s most important instrument for innovation and development of Norwegian enterprises and industry. It supports companies in developing their competitive advantage and to enhance innovation. Norwegian enterprises have access to a broad business support system as well as financial means. Innovation Norway provides competence, advisory services, promotional services and network services. Innovation Norway is the Norwegian government’s official trade representative abroad.

Innovation Norway aims to assist Norwegian businesses grow and find new markets. Innovation Norway is represented in more than 30 countries worldwide and in all Norwegian counties. Innovation Norway is closely affiliated with Norwegian embassies and consulates.
 

Nortrade is Norway’s official trade portal. It provides up-to-date information for over 8000 Norwegian companies that deal in export, import or other forms of international operations, and provides services to foreign companies looking to establish partnerships and joint ventures with Norwegian companies. It hosts a database of products and services covering 35 business sectors.

Norwegian Accreditation (NA) is the Norwegian body for accreditation of laboratories, certification bodies, inspection bodies, EU ETS verifiers and environmental verifiers EMAS). It is also the Norwegian monitoring unit for Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) inspections in all areas according to OECD’s principles, and is the Norwegian signatory to the European Accreditation (EA) multilateral agreements on accreditation (MLA).

Norwegian Industrial Property Office (NIPO): NIPO’s primary role is to promote innovation and value creation, both as national intellectual property rights authority and as a guide and knowledge provider. NIPO is a government authority organized under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries. NIPO is responsible for processing applications for patent protection, and for trademark and design registration. It offers courses, seminars and lectures on the importance of intellectual property rights. Its customers include Norwegian and foreign companies, research institutions, inventors and innovators.

Norfund is Norway’s Development Finance Institution. Norfund's mandate is to support the building of sustainable businesses in poor countries and thereby contribute to economic and social development. Norfund is an active strategic minority investor – wholly owned and funded by the Norwegian Government.

Norfund was founded in 1997 by the Norwegian Government. By year end 2016, Norfund’s committed portfolio was NOK 16.5 billion and included around 750 companies. Norfund’s strategy is to invest in sectors and countries where the fund can have the greatest impact, where the private sector is weak and access to capital is scarce. The priority geographical area is sub-Saharan Africa, but Norfund has also investments in some developing countries in South East Asia and Central America. Norfund invests in three sectors: Clean energy, Financial institutions and Food and Agribusiness. Norfund also invests in Private Equity and Venture Capital Funds that target small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in need of early phase or growth capital.

Standards Norway (SN): Standards Norway (SN) is a private and independent member organization, and one of three standardization bodies in Norway. SN is responsible for standardization activities in all areas except the electro-technical and the telecommunications fields. SN is the national member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). SN’s income is based on the sales of standards and related products, grants from the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, membership subscriptions, and financial support for specific projects. SN is the WTO national enquiry point in Norway for technical barriers to trade.

In line with the recommendations of the 2005 WTO Task Force on Aid for Trade, Norway gives priority to Aid for Trade through multilateral organizations. Norway’s reliance on multilateral organizations as an important channel for Aid for Trade is also a reflection of the Government’s commitment to the Paris Declaration (complementarity and division of labor).

Below is a breakdown of Norway’s financial contributions to selected multilateral organizations:

• The Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF): EIF’s purpose is, through a unique global partnership, to support LDCs to use trade as a tool for economic growth and poverty reduction. EIF empowers LDCs to identify where trade can form an integral part of national development strategies and assists them to leverage Aid for Trade. Norway’s contribution for the first phase of EIF was NOK 150 million. The same amount has been granted to phase 2 (2016 – 2020), bringing the total Norwegian contribution up to NOK 300 million.
• UNIDO: Total contributions in 2016 amounted to NOK 41.4 million.
• WTO Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF): The DDAGTF provides capacity building in trade policy and WTO rules as well as training programmes for developing countries on WTO regulations. The grant for 2015 – 2016 was NOK 20 million.
• International Trade Centre (ITC): The Centre works to improve the international competitiveness of SMEs. The grant for 2014 – 2015 was NOK 40 million.
• Advisory Centre for WTO Law (ACWL): The Centre provides free advice on WTO law to LDCs and other developing countries, support for dispute settlement and legal advice and training in dispute settlement. Annual contribution is NOK 2.5 million.
• Standards and Trade Development Facility: The STDF is a global partnership that supports developing countries in building their capacity to implement international sanitary and phytosanitary standards, guidelines and recommendations as a means to improve their human, animal and plant health status and ability to gain and maintain access to markets. Annual contribution is NOK 4 million.
• WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility: The grant for 2015 – 2016 was NOK 30 million.
• Multi Donor Trust Fund for Trade and Development 2 (World Bank Group): The fund supports analytical trade work across the World Bank to implement the Trade Strategy from 2012-2015. The grant for 2013 – 2015 was NOK 30 million.
• Trade Faciliation Support Programme (World Bank Group): The grant for 2014 – 2015 was NOK 40 million.
• World Customs Organization (WCO): NOK 15.1 million for 2012 – 2017 for supporting the WCO capacity building programmes for customs administrations in 6 member countries, mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) is Norway’s major organization for employers and the leading business lobby. NHO’s main objective is to create and sustain conditions that secure the competitiveness and profitability of business and industry. The confederation is made up of 19 sectoral federations and 15 regional offices. NHO has a long history of engagement in the Norwegian development policy debate. The Secretariat for Private Sector Development (PSD) was established in 2002, with a specific mandate to focus on the role of business in alleviating poverty, and with the goal of supporting the development of a strong and sustainable private sector in developing countries. NHO also encourages Norwegian business to seek opportunities to invest and trade with business partners in developing countries.

Virke (the Enterprise Federation of Norway) organizes and represent over 20 000 businesses in Norway. Members come from industries such as trade, knowledge, technology, travel, service, health, care, education, culture and voluntary work. Virke operates in three key areas: 1) Influencing legislation and regulations on behalf of the members; 2) Negotiating agreements with the unions on behalf of the members and support employers in areas related to employment and labor law issues, personnel issues and HR; and 3) Tailoring industry communities, where Virke takes the initiative for innovation, establishing forums across industries, making industry and trend analysis and building the image of the industries in the public domain.

The Department of international Trade Cooperation (DITC) was established by a collaboration agreement between Norad (Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation) and Virke (The Enterprise Federation of Norway). The collaboration started in 2003 with an Import Promotion Office. In 2006, Virke and Norad signed a more comprehensive agreement to develop private trade and industry, and commercial institutions. Virke’s mandate in the main programme with Norad has been to increase import from least developed countries and emerging economies to the Scandinavian market. There are few tariff barriers form these countries. However, there are considerable market requirements, both legislative and non-legislative which can be challenging. Together with Norad, and in association with Nordic and local partners, i.e. sister organization, DITC has created different module based training programmes. The programmes aim at training top management, to develop their businesses, with CR and Good Governance as cornerstones, create value-added to their products, and to become a preferred partner on the European market. Hence increasing value and volume of their export, leaving the exporting businesses stronger, both financial and operational.