In the first half of September, the team of Slovak Platform for development organisations – Ambrela went on a Study trip to Oslo. This was one of the activities of the ongoing project ‚Unlocking Potential: Discovering collaboration opportunities for Slovak and Norwegian Development Organizations‘ supported by an EEA and Norway Grants. As the name of the project suggests, it was about sharing experiences and exploring opportunities for future Slovak-Norwegian partnerships.

The first organisation visited was the project partner – The Norwegian Forum for Environment and Development (ForUM). ForUM is a network of 60 Norwegian organisations working in the field of international development, environment, peace and human rights. Their members include national branches of international organisations such as ADRA, Caritas, Fairtrade and UNICEF, which are also well known in Slovakia as members of Ambrela platform. ForUM represents a wide range of organisations and has a broad knowledge base with an emphasis on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (including innovative finance for development and climate change).

During the mutual discussions, Daniel Kaba, Executive Secretary of the Slovak Ambrela Platform, highlighted the solutions orientation of the Norwegian ForUM Platform, providing knowledge and sharing experiences that can contribute to policy making at both national and international level. „The goal of Slovak Ambrela, as in the case of Norwegian ForUM, is to be an agent of change and a relevant partner for our government,“ summarised Mr. Kaba.

Ambrela’s project manager for global education, Sabína Bieliková, highlighted „the sharing of knowledge and the search for opportunities for future cooperation between the 30 members of Ambrela and the 60 members of ForUM.“ Practical experiences and members‘ involvement in the life of the platform were also discussed. „To present their expertise and knowledge in the field of international development, global citizenship education and civil society empowerment, several members of the ForUM team will come in person to our Ambrela Development Forum (ADF) conference in Bratislava, which our organisations are already looking forward to,“ Ms. Bielikova added. 

For a greener future in a world without poverty

The second organisation visited was the Norwegian Directorate for Development Cooperation – Norad, which functions as an administrative and technical body for international aid and helps to implement Norway’s development policy objectives. The thematic areas of Norwegian Official Development Cooperation (ODA) in low-income countries of the world include: support for health; education and research; gender equality; climate change, food security, environment and energy; governance and economic development; as well as human rights and civil society, most of which are also among the priorities of Slovak ODA.

The Ambrely team highlighted „Norway’s active humanitarian assistance to Ukraine through Norwegian ODA instruments and the interest of the Norwegian development agency Norad in participating in the Slovak ADF conference, whose themes intersect in many ways with areas of the Norwegian development agenda.“ Ambrela also appreciated the discussion on the possibilities of cooperation with its member organisations.

Norad has also set ambitious climate change and environmental targets for its own operations, as well as for the implementation of the development cooperation and humanitarian aid projects it manages and finances. As a leader in change and a greener future, by 2030 Norad plans to halve emissions from its own operations in line with the 1,5-degree target of the Paris agreement. 

Other organisations visited included a stimulating meeting with a team from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) – an independent humanitarian organisation and a member of the ForUM, which primarily assists people on the run, refugees. NRC protects internally displaced and displaced people, supporting them to build a new future in a new homeland.

Everyone has a unique story to tell

In 2023 alone, NRC’s 15,000 aid workers helped nearly ten million people in need in 40 countries around the world, and NRC’s leadership emphasizes in meetings and in its reports that each and every one of them has a unique story that needs to be told so that the public understands the complex challenges of migrants and refugees. 

The Norwegian Refugee Council is guided by the principles of: preserving the dignity of people on the run / refugees; defending their rights; and trying to rebuild their future for the better. It provides them with the mental, physical and legal tools they need on their journey. „It has been very beneficial to see the positive impact that development activities can have when they have strong state support. In Norway, up to 1.09% of GNI is allocated to development cooperation (ODA), which is also 7 times more than in Slovakia,“ said Ambrela’s policy expert, Juraj Jando, at the end of his study trip to Oslo.

The study trip to Oslo fulfilled its purpose and offered a great opportunity to strengthen relations between Slovak and Norwegian civil society organisations in different areas of development. Selected representatives of the partner organisations visited will also come to Bratislava in October for the International Conference – ADF and subsequent bilateral events to explore opportunities for future cooperation and build trusted partnerships between Slovak and Norwegian organisations.

„Together for a green, competitive and inclusive Europe“. The initiative is funded by the Fund for Bilateral Relations at National Level financed by the EEA and Norway Grants 2014-2021. For more information, please visit: www.eeagrants.sk.