Norwegian Embassy Contributes USD 4.8 million to One UN Tanzania

Today. the Royal Norwegian Embassy signed an agreement with One UN Tanzania which will see the embassy donate approximately USD 5 million (equivalent to TSh11 billion) for development activities over the next two years. The agreement was officially signed at the Norwegian Embassy in Dar es Salaam in a ceremony between the Ambassador of Norway, H.E. Hanne-Marie Kaarstad and UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Mr. Alvaro Rodriguez. The funds will primarily support the UN’s efforts to assist refugees in Kigoma Region, empower female entrepreneurs and combat violence against women and children.

Speaking during the signing ceremony, Norwegian Ambassador in Tanzania, H. E Hanne-Marie Kaarstad saluted efforts by the government of Tanzania to accommodate new Tanzanians by naturalizing over 160,000 Burundi refugees and hosting over 200,000 from neighbouring countries. Recognizing that the additional influx of refugees since May 2015 has put Kigoma region and its host population under additional strain, Ambassador Kaarstad underlined that the assistance to refugees through the Kigoma Joint Programme will support medium to long-term development in the region by increasing self-reliance through livelihoods and income generation activities. This will also bring benefits to the host communities, she added.

Explaining the importance of the One UN Fund, Ambassador Kaarstad said that Norway is a strong believer in the One UN vision. “We believe this is crucial in enabling the UN to deliver on its many important mandates, while at the same time reducing transaction costs. This is why Norway has supported the One UN Fund with USD 13.7 million since its inception, and have decided to further extend support to the United Nations Development Assistance Plan 2016-2021 (UNDAP II) through the One UN Fund”. She further added that the Resident Coordinator’s Office plays an important part in making sure that the UN in Tanzania is ‘fit for purpose’.

Ambassador Kaarstad highlighted that Norway is a long-term global supporter of women’s rights and Norway’s support to the UNDAP II will both empower women through entrepreneurship as well as contribute to efforts to end violence against women and children. This is in line with the2016 Universal Periodic Review (UPR) recommendation, approved by the Tanzanian government, she said.

Mr. Rodriguez thanked both the government and the people of the Kingdom of Norway for their sustained support noting that Norway has been a steadfast development partner for One UN activities as well as for Tanzania. “Norway has been a strong partner of Tanzania and the United Nations for many decades. Focusing on the needs of the most vulnerable, these resources will make an important contribution to address the needs of those ‘furthest behind’ as called for in the Global Goals.”Additionally, Mr. Rodriguez expressed that One UN Tanzania is eager to further strengthen its partnership with Norway in the coming years in order to assist Tanzanian men, women and children reach their full potential.

Norway’s contribution will be channeled through the Tanzania One Fund, which is a fund established for UN agencies in the country to help implement UNDAP II.