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Norway: Press releases
Norway pledges NOK 1 billion for girls’ education
NEW YORK, USA, 26 September 2008 – The Government of Norway has pledged to allocate Norwegian kroner (NOK) 1 billion (approximately USD 177 million) to promote education for girls through UNICEF’s work on supporting Education for All (EFA) in developing countries.
Norway’s Minister of the Environment and International Development, Mr. Erik Solheim, made the announcement on Tuesday during a high-level event at the United Nations in New York.
“Giving girls the chance to read and write is one of the most important things we can do to increase their opportunities in life. And let’s not forget that education is a human right,” said the Norwegian minister.
Norway is increasing its annual support to UNICEF from NOK 440 million in 2008 to 500 million per year in 2009 and 2010. These funds will be allocated to UNICEF’s efforts to provide quality education for children in fragile states affected by conflict.
At the same time the government will increase its support to the World Bank for the EFA-Fast Track Initiative by NOK 45 million (USD 8 million) to NOK 140 million (USD 24.8 million) next year.
The support also contributes towards achieving Millennium Development Goals 2 and 3, which are to ensure universal primary education for all girls and boys and to promote gender equality and empower women, respectively.
In December, Norway will be hosting the EFA High-Level Group meeting in Oslo to further explore how the goal of providing education for all girls and boys can be achieved.
The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) currently sits as a co-chair of UNGEI.
“On behalf of UNGEI, we commend Norway in their recommitment to girls’ education,” said Ms. Cheryl Gregory Faye, Head of UNGEI Secretariat. “They have long been strong supporters for education and continue to show great leadership in their commitment towards the rights of girls and boys everywhere.”
