Political Issues

The Government decided Friday that Myanmar should no longer be excluded from the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP). “This is a signal that Norway recognises the political reforms in Myanmar and hopes to see further democratic developments,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

The Government has decided that it will no longer urge Norwegian companies to refrain from trade and investment in Myanmar. This was an exclusively Norwegian policy. The decision has been made in response to the progress being made in Myanmar. Norway continues to align itself with the EU sanction regime, which will be considered more closely in the course of the spring.

Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden want Facebook to detail what it does with the information it collects from its more than 750 million users.

Former Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik will take part in a new international panel that will fight for children’s education in poor countries.

The Norwegian Government has published a report to the Storting (the Norwegian Parliament) entitled “An industry for the future – Norway’s petroleum activities” (Meld. St. 28 (2010-2011)). The Government wishes to facilitate focused efforts to keep petroleum production levels very high for generations to come. In this context, it is vital to ensure the inclusion of a range of participants and to promote healthy competition in all links of the production chain.

Norway has signed the Nagoya Protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the most important global environmental agreement since the turn of the millennium.

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.

On June 7, 2011 Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov exchanged the instruments of ratification of the Treaty on Maritime Delimitation and Cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean. “This is a milestone and a historic day for Norway. Our land borders and maritime boundaries are now all clearly established” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

“Millions of people have been forced to flee their homes because of climate-related natural disasters. We have a collective responsibility to address this challenge,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre commented, “The Norwegian Government has taken a particular responsibility, both politically and financially, in the efforts to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 on reducing child and maternal mortality and improving access to reproductive health services. We therefore look forward to playing an active role in the UN Commission on Population and Development.”