In 2008, Norwegian aid to Lebanon administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs amounted to more than 12 million USD: 7.5 million USD out of which were channelled as Humanitarian assistance, projects with a total of more than 1.4 million USD were funded by the section of Peace and Reconciliation, in addition to a 1 million USD worth of cooperation between the Norwegian Red Cross and Lebanese/Palestinian Red Crescent Societies. In addition to these figures Norway responded to emergency appeals and pledged more than 2.4 million USD in response to the Nahr El Bared Crisis.
Norway’s foreign policy and development cooperation initiatives promote a culture of peace and reconciliation, human rights & humanitarian assistance, poverty eradication, women and gender equality, environmental protection and sustainability, while empowering capacities of local partners.
These policies are translated through multilateral paths of cooperation. On one hand Norway has always been an important contributor to the work of the World Bank and a loyal supporter of the UN system. The United Nations Development Programme UNDP and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East UNRWA are two main organisations supported by Norway.
On the other hand, Norwegian bilateral development policy is implemented by a range of Norwegian, international and local actors. The following is a brief of who they are and what they do.
International organisations:
Right To Play (RTP) is a humanitarian organization that uses sport and play programmes to improve health, develop life skills, and foster peace for children and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world. In 2006 RTP successfully started implementing projects in Lebanon notably in the North and central Lebanon.
http://rtpca.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=Lebanon_ProjectPage
Mines Advisory Group (MAG) is a humanitarian organisation clearing the remnants of conflict for the benefit of communities worldwide. MAG first came to Lebanon in 2000 and following the ceasefire of the 2006 conflict. Since then, MAG has steadily worked on ‘battle area clearance’, which concentrates on removing cluster submunitions and unexploded ordnance.
http://www.maginternational.org/maglebanon/
Search for Common Ground (SFCG) was founded in 1982. It aims at transforming the way the world deals with conflict - away from adversarial approaches and towards collaborative problem solving. They work with local partners to find culturally appropriate means to strengthen societies' capacity to deal with conflicts constructively: to understand the differences and act on the commonalities.
http://www.sfcg.org
Conflicts Forum began in 2004. It aims to open a new relationship between the West and the Muslim world. At a time when it becomes increasingly clear that the West’s military intrusion into the Islamic world is not serving as an instrument of constructive political change, Conflicts Forum’s aim is to engage and listen to Islamists, while challenging Western misconceptions and misrepresentations of the region’s leading agents of change.
http://conflictsforum.org
International Alert is an independent peacebuilding organisation that works to lay the foundations for lasting peace and security in communities affected by violent conflict. They work in over 20 countries and territories around the world, both directly with people affected by violent conflict as well as at government, EU and UN levels to shape both policy and practice in building sustainable peace.
http://www.international-alert.org
Soliya is a non-profit organization launched in 2003. It uses internet technology to improve inter-cultural understanding between the "West" and the "Muslim World". Their core program is the Connect Program - a cross-cultural education program that directly connects university students in the US, Europe, Middle East and North Africa. As part of an accredited course at participating universities, the students engage in dialogue through a web-based videoconferencing application and collaboratively analyze and produce their own media products.
www.soliya.net
Lebanese organisations:
Nahwa Al-Muwatiniya is based in Beirut, established by Lebanese young professionals and activists in January 2005. It works towards effective democracy and promotes engaged and informed participation of citizens in public affairs through 4 main strategies: dialogue, education & awareness, advocacy & lobbying, and research.
http://www.na-am.org/
The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies (LCPS), established in 1989, is a non-partisan not for profit research center with a practical aim. LCPS’s objectives are research and publication, advocacy, training, and cooperative efforts. While LCPS focuses on Lebanon the center does work throughout the Middle East and North Africa region. LCPS is concerned with a variety of issues including governance, elections, social and economic development, judicial reforms, and media reform.
http://www.lcps-lebanon.org/index.asp
Zakira - Image Festival Association is an organization whose main purpose is to promote photography as a credible reporting tool in history, politics, economic, social, cultural, and artistic activities in Lebanon and the world. Zakira is formed by a group of Lebanese volunteers, amateur and professional photojournalists; with a first mission of bringing art education to the children of the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.
http://www.zakira.org/index.php
The Lebanese Association for Civil Rights (LACR), founded in August 2003, is an active association involved in disseminating non-violence, non-sectarianism, human rights and democracy values and constructive alternatives, through education, awareness, training as well as defending social, economic, political and ecological causes non-violently.
info@houkoukmadania.org
The Lebanese Red Cross (LRC) is a humanitarian organization established on July 9, 1945 as an independent national society. In 1946, it was recognized by the State as a public non profit organization and as an auxiliary team to the medical service Lebanese Army. It is led by volunteers, whose mission is to provide relief to victims of natural and human made disasters, and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies, and to mitigate the suffering of the most vulnerable.
http://www.redcross.org.lb
Norwegian Organisations:
Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) is a humanitarian organization of the Norwegian trade union movement. In its work NPA is guided by the values of national and international solidarity, human dignity, freedom and equality. NPA came to Lebanon in 1982 following the Israeli invasion. NPA’s activities have two main sources of funding: Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).
NPA’s main areas of action involve: local NGOs organizational development, youth empowerment, rights of the disables, human rights and advocacy, humanitarian aid and mine action.
http://www.npalebanon.org/
Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent, humanitarian non-governmental organisation providing assistance, protection and durable solutions to refugees and internally displaced persons worldwide.
NRC has been active in Lebanon since July 2006, providing protection and humanitarian assistance to refugees (Palestinians and Iraqis) and internally displaced persons notably Lebanese post the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon. NRC’s priorities and programme implementation involve two major areas of action: rehabilitating and sheltering in south of Lebanon, Nahr el Bared and Beirut and an education project to facilitate enrolment of Iraqi refugee children in Lebanese schools.
http://www.nrc.no/?aid=9167173
The Norwegian Aid Committee (NORWAC) is a humanitarian organization founded in 1983. NORWAC works mainly with health care issues. The programme of work comprises emergency medicine, and long term health planning, both in hospitals and primary health care. NORWAC’s approaches in Lebanon are implemented through partners such as the Palestinian Red Crescent Society - Lebanon branch, National Institution of Social Care and Vocational Training (Beit Atfal Al Somoud), Marouf Saad Social and Cultural Foundation.
http://www.norwac.no/lebanon.htm