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News / The UN diplomat heading the task force of the UN80 reform process defends the idea of merging two agencies, UNFPA and UN Women, as part of an effort to reign in the sprawling, under-funded UN system. “There’s a false calculus. Having two agencies doesn’t mean we do twice as much,” he says to Development Today. Sweden has been a leading force resisting the merger. UN Under Secretary General Guy Ryder leads the task force of the UN80 reform process. (Photo by UN Photo / Manuel Elias)

News / The Norwegian government has backed down in its current effort to seek parliamentary authorisation for a NOK 30 billion (USD 3 billion) loan for Brazil’s Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF). In a letter to the Conservative Party’s parliamentary group, the government promises a new round in Parliament before a legally binding agreement can be considered. All opposition parties opposed the loan, marking a crack in the 18-year political alliance behind Norway’s rainforest initiative.

News / Norway has made little progress on a promise dating back to 2021 to increase direct climate financing to Indigenous Peoples’ organisations. The aid agency Norad recently finalised a multi-year grant competition focused on tropical forest protection, but Indonesian AMAN was the only Indigenous organisation to be selected. Norad’s eligibility criteria make it nearly impossible for others to apply. Photo by Ken Opprann / Norad For subscribers, please log in.

News / The Nordics will soon have two positions on the board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Former Norwegian Prime minister Erna Solberg (Conservative) has been appointed chair and Sweden’s Gunilla Carlsson confirms to Development Today that she continues as board member. Former Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg assumes Chair of Global Fund in October 2026. (Photo by Hans Kristian Thorbjørnsen) For subscribers, please log in.

/ After more than two months of negotiations, Denmark finally has a new four-party centre-left cabinet, labelled the “four-leaf clover” government. The country maintains aid at 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) and the foreign minister will continue to oversee aid. The government declaration points to a more inward-looking Danish political agenda. After 69 days of negotiations, Denmark has a new government.

News / Against a backdrop of global democratic backsliding and crashing aid budgets, Norway is re-thinking the way it allocates a NOK 2.5 billion envelope to civil society organisations. Key themes include: more predictability, more international competition, and shifting power to the Global South. Norwegian organisations broadly welcome the change of direction but warn that a similar recent process in Sweden “gives reason for caution.” For subscribers, please log in.

News / A group of countries, including Canada, Brazil and Sweden, reject the proposal of the UN80 reform working group to merge UNFPA and UN Women which, they say, “would not sufficiently preserve key normative mandates” like gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Special report News / For Brazil’s Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) to be viable, its bond earnings must nearly quadruple those of the Norwegian oil fund over the past decade, an analysis by Development Today shows. Economists doubt this is viable. The Norwegian government is seeking parliamentary authorisation for a NOK 30 billion loan to TFFF which aims to invest USD 125 billion in fixed-income assets, mainly in emerging markets.

News / New estimates of Gross National Income (GNI) show that the Norwegian economy has received a huge boost due to spiking oil prices and war, this time in Iran. Development Today has calculated that the current aid budget is on a path to 0.92 per cent of GNI, far below the level presented in the revised budget Tuesday, which uses old economic forecasts. Norway’s Minister of Finance Jens Stoltenberg presented the revised fiscal budget Tuesday. (Photo by Ida Laingen)

News / The Norwegian oil fund has invested NOK 88 billion in fixed-income securities issued by international organisations. Many of these bonds finance development programmes initiated by institutions like the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and the vaccine alliance GAVI. The fund has not incurred losses on these bonds, and its largest investments are in EU institutions, where further exposure is expected in the years ahead.