News & Events

Today one hundred years have passed since Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his expedition became the first to reach the South Pole. In a speech at the South Pole Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg today honoured Amundsen and his men. He also paid tribute to the bravery of British explorer Robert F. Scott and his expedition. Read more

Norway Cup 2012 will be held from July 29th to August 4th Read more

The International Summer School at the University of Oslo is now accepting applications for 2012. Application deadline for scholarship applicants is February 1, 2012. 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

Our sincerest condolences and sympathies to the Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia and its people following the death of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abd Aziz al-Saud Read more

The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution today condemning the Syrian authorities’ grave and systematic human rights violations. “The resolution sends a clear signal to the Syrian pro-democracy movement that it has the international community’s support,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Read more

A national memorial ceremony to commemorate the 77 victims of the 22 July terror attacks took place in Oslo on Sunday 21 August. Read more

Following the horrific attacks in Oslo and Utøya, the acting governor of Riyadh, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz visited the Norwegian Embassy in Riyadh to pay his respect to the victims and sign the Book of Condolences. 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

“I am delighted that the UN Secretary-General has appointed Hilde Frafjord Johnson as his new special representative for South Sudan. Norway has actively promoted this important appointment,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre. Read more

Oslo, Norway: With 1.5 billion people living in areas affected by political conflict and criminal violence, citizen security, justice and jobs are the most effective measures to ensure development, says the World Bank. Read more

The Norwegian government has granted NOK 3 million ($ 600.000) in humanitarian aid to Yemen. 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

Today, Norway signs a new two-year agreement with UNICEF. The Norwegian funding will be used to ensure that children are able to go to school in crisis and conflict situations and to improve the quality of education in several countries. In addition, this money will used with particular focus on girls’ access to education. Read more

The UN General Assembly today called on member states to establish a moratorium on executions as a step towards the abolition of the death penalty. Norway, in cooperation with a group of countries from all parts of the world, led the initiative, which was supported by 107 countries. Read more

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo for his longstanding non-violent fight for human rights in China. Read more

A 19-year-old chess Grandmaster from Norway competes against the whole world, and the northern city of Tromsø makes a bid to host the World Chess Olympiad in 2014. Can Norway become a key player in international chess? Read more

Norway hosts a great variety of popular festivals during the summer months, extending across the entire music spectrum, from the more classically-based Bergen International Festival to the modern Øya Festival in Oslo. Read more

At the Ice Music Festival in Geilo, the timing of the concerts is set by the moon and the music takes its resonance from the weather. Innovative use of nature’s own materials is front and centre at this one-of-a-kind music festival. Read more

For the first time ever, leading international scientists have drawn up a report on the status of the parts of the world covered by snow and ice. The conclusion is that they are disappearing faster than anticipated. “This is disturbing news. The world’s leaders must reach an agreement that ensures dramatic cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases,” commented Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr... Read more