Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation

Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad)

Norad
Government agency overview
Formed	December 1, 1968; 55 years ago (1968-12-01)[1]
Jurisdiction	Government of Norway
Headquarters	Bygdøy allé 2, Oslo, Norway
Employees	224 (2013)
Annual budget	26.2 billion kroner
Government agency executive	Bård Vegar Solhjell[2], Director
Parent Government agency	Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Website	www.norad.no

The 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's functions are laid down in the agency's terms of references and annual letters of allocation issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Climate and Environment.

Norad works to ensure effective foreign aid, with quality assurance and evaluation. Norad finances NGOs and does its own research and projects. The current director general is Bård Vegar Solhjell. Norad used to be the official development assistance organization in Norway. As of mid-2004, the responsibility for state-to-state official development assistance has been transferred to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while Norad continues to fund NGO activities in developing countries (particularly through its NORHED program), and contributes to the management of development funds while ensuring that Norwegian development cooperation is accurately evaluated and efficiently implemented.