The framework for Norad Director B\u00e5rd Vegar Solhjell\u2019s recent trip to\nthe Gulf was shaped by enormous global aid cuts and what Norwegian\nDevelopment Minister \u00c5smund Aukrust (Labour) describes as a new aid\nlandscape. But did the Norad director actually travel to the three Gulf\ncountries to seek new partners for Norwegian development assistance?<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Solhjell replies. He explains that Norad has, over time,\nsought cooperation with so-called emerging donors, for example through\n\u201cRethinking Development Cooperation\u201d, an academic collaboration that\nSweden\u2019s Sida and Norad have maintained with Colombia, South Africa,\nIndonesia, South Korea and Mexico.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough this, we have learned how large countries, which are often\nsmall donors, think differently and perhaps more freely about aid than\nwe do. The Gulf visit was an extension of this,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
However, the trip was also driven by the international situation,\nannounced cuts to US aid and quite substantial cuts from donors such as\nthe United Kingdom and the Netherlands, Solhjell notes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the world we are now entering, more wealthy countries must\ncontribute,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
The UAE gave USD 1.68 billion in aid in 2024, whilst Qatar gave\napproximately USD 660 million, according to recent figures from the OECD\nDevelopment Assistance Committee. By comparison, Norwegian authorities\nspent USD 5.18 billion \u2014 or NOK 55.7 billion \u2014 on aid last year. As a\npercentage of GNI (both gave 0.32 per cent), these are countries that\ngive less than Norway but more than the US and a number of European\ncountries \u2014 and Solhjell believes they can contribute more.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know less about Saudi Arabia. I do not have good figures for how\nmuch they give,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
The actors Solhjell met during his Gulf trip expressed a desire to\ncooperate with knowledge-based aid actors.<\/p>\n
Following meetings in the kingdom, Solhjell wrote on LinkedIn about\nSaudi Arabia\u2019s desire to open up more, and that development cooperation\nis an important part of that: \u201cSaudi Arabia is a substantial donor,\ndisbursing big funds to both development and humanitarian aid in the\nregion and beyond. King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center and\nNorad agreed to screen our work to look for potential cooperation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked which initiatives Norad sees potential for in cooperation with\nSaudi Arabia, Solhjell responds: \u201cDifficult to say. I think what we do\nin long-term development is quite different. Whilst some of what we do\nin the humanitarian sphere probably has quite a few similarities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia has been a \u201cparticipant\u201d, not a member, in the OECD\nDevelopment Assistance Committee since 2018, and last year a memorandum\nof understanding was signed to expand cooperation with the OECD. A note\nfrom King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) \u201cseeking\nto shed light on Saudi Arabian aid\u201d suggests why it is challenging to\ndetermine how much the country gives: \u201cFor many years, Saudi Arabia did\nnot publish data or reports on foreign aid. The kingdom kept a low\nprofile, in line with Saudi culture and the teachings of the Prophet\nMuhammad, peace be upon him: \u2018Let not your right hand know what your\nleft hand does.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
This may be about to change.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are interesting to them, they to us,\u201d Solhjell says. In the\nKSRelief note, reference is made to the Saudi Aid Platform, where one\ncan read that Yemen, Iraq and Palestine are among the largest recipients\n\u2014 and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) recently signed an agreement\nwith the kingdom on the reconstruction of Gaza.<\/p>\n
Solhjell says one example can provide insight into how much the Gulf\ncountry actually gives. \u201cUNDP told us that Saudi Arabia, in Yemen alone,\nspent around four billion dollars over the course of one year, which is\nan enormous sum.\u201d<\/p>\n
Solhjell\u2019s impression is that the Saudis were curious about how\nNorwegian bureaucrats work. \u201cWe are interesting to them because we are\nso professional, whilst they are interesting to us because they\nobviously spend quite substantial resources on humanitarian work. And I\nthink perhaps we can play a positive role in helping them spend their\nmoney in ways that deliver greater impact and become more integrated\ninto the international donor system.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to meetings in Saudi Arabia, Solhjell visited the Abu\nDhabi Fund for Development, the newly established UAE Aid Agency and the\nQatar Fund for Development. Asked whether these actors and countries can\nhelp offset the massive US cuts, he responds: \u201cNo one can offset the US\ncuts.\u201d After a pause, he adds: \u201cI don\u2019t think one should think that way\neither. Just as it is not reasonable to ask Norway to offset US cuts, it\nis not reasonable to ask Qatar to do so either.\u201d<\/p>\n
Solhjell believes there are significant differences between the three\ncountries, noting that the UAE and Qatar would be easier to begin\ncooperating with because they have greater transparency, participate in\nwork Norwegian bureaucrats are familiar with, and already contribute\nmoney to the multilateral system.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey support, for example, the Global Partnership for Education, as\nwe do,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Solhjell points out that there is a long history of aid in the\nregion. \u201cAbu Dhabi Fund is 50 years old, hardly a newcomer. But I think\nit is important that large, professional donors like Norway cooperate\nwith \u2018new donors\u2019, also to break out of the pattern of the West versus\nthe rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked about challenges relating to values \u2014 Norway\u2019s focus on women\u2019s\nrights, LGBTQ rights and workers\u2019 rights \u2014 and whether these countries\nare natural partners, Solhjell responds: \u201cIf a partner must resemble us,\ntry Sweden,\u201d he says with a smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut yes, these are countries that in terms of values are quite far\nfrom us, with entirely different views on human rights and democracy as\na form of governance. This means there are parts of our aid work that\nwould not be natural to do together with them. But my first impression\nis that our views on providing humanitarian aid are not so very\ndifferent \u2014 that neutrality applies, that it is about alleviating\nsuffering regardless of politics and religion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Differing values also exist with countries Norway knows better, such\nas the US, Solhjell notes. \u201cThe Gulf countries know we have different\nvalues from them, and I don\u2019t think they are particularly concerned\nabout our democracy. But I think they are curious about our knowledge of\nwhat works and what doesn\u2019t, and that is a good starting point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Solhjell says humanitarian cooperation is relevant for all three\ncountries, but the UAE and Qatar were also curious about Norway\u2019s\ninvestments in education and health.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have not entered into any concrete agreements \u2014 that is also a\npolitical question \u2014 but I believe there are good reasons to explore the\npossibilities for cooperation,\u201d he says, noting that any partnership\nwould need to begin with a screening process where the countries tell\neach other how they work. \u201cImplicit in that is that I am not certain it\nis a good idea to cooperate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked about Gulf countries\u2019 motives for their aid \u2014 in the context of\nChina\u2019s long-debated role in Africa \u2014 Solhjell responds: \u201cLike most\ncountries outside Europe, aid is often linked to foreign policy\ninterests. In Saudi Arabia, this is probably most evident. But what all\nthree have in common is that they provide significant humanitarian\nsupport, and a good deal of emergency relief goes through well-known\nchannels, such as the Norwegian Refugee Council \u2014 which has received\nmoney from several of these without having to compromise on its own\nvalues.\u201d<\/p>\n
He believes more Western countries will now turn their attention to\nthe Gulf region. \u201cThese are countries there are good reasons to be\ncritical of, particularly on human rights, but if through cooperation\nwith three wealthy countries we can help unlock more funding, that is\nvery important for international aid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last year saw a seven per cent decline in global aid, and with the\nworld\u2019s largest donor now having announced further cuts, the poorest\nwill be hit hard. The OECD Development Assistance Committee fears that\n30 per cent of aid could disappear before 2030, and the Norad director\nsays what we are witnessing represents the largest changes in\ninternational aid anyone has ever seen.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd in many ways there are good reasons for that,\u201d Solhjell says.\n\u201cWhen aid began, there was a world with some rich countries and many\npoor ones. That world no longer exists. But there are large, new global\nchallenges that do not fit into the established aid architecture. So in\nmany ways, I think it is good that the system is being shaken up, but it\nis unfortunate that this is happening through such massive cuts.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Norad director says it is serious that cuts are being made whilst\nneeds are growing. \u201cBut aid needs reform, and a discussion is long\noverdue. The UN must look at itself, and we must all think differently\nabout who gives and how we spend money. But if the result of the crisis\nis that we create more effective channels and mobilise new donors, this\ncould also prove to be important.\u201d<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/norad-director-explores-gulf-state-partnerships-amid-global-aid-cuts-1771302723", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }