59°54′52.56″N10°43′44.98″E / 59.9146000°N 10.7291611°E /59.9146000; 10.7291611
| Det kongelige utenriksdepartementet Det kongelege utanriksdepartementet | |
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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | 7 June 1905 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Norway |
| Headquarters | Victoria Terrasse, Oslo, Norway |
| Annual budget | Nok.34 billion |
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| Agency executive |
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| Child agencies | |
| Website | Official website |
| Footnotes | |
| List of Norwegian ministries | |
TheRoyal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NorwegianBokmål:Det kongelige utenriksdepartement orUtenriksdepartementet;Nynorsk:Det kongelege utanriksdepartementet orUtanriksdepartementet; UD) is theforeign ministry of theKingdom of Norway. It was established on June 7, 1905, the same day theParliament of Norway (Storting) decided to dissolve thepersonal union withSweden.
The ministry is headed by theminister of foreign affairs, currentlyEspen Barth Eide, who is a minister in theStøre cabinet that has governed since 14 October 2021.
The ministry also holds a position ofminister of international development. This position was established by thesecond Willoch cabinet in 1983, and existed until October 2013 when it was abolished by theSolberg cabinet and the foreign minister became the sole head of the ministry. The position was restored on January 17, 2018, when theLiberal party joined the Solberg government. The current minister of international development isAnne Beathe Tvinnereim from theCentre Party.
TheMinistry of Foreign Affairs was established on the same day that Norwaydeclared the dissolution of the union with Sweden: June 7, 1905. Although diplomats could not present credentials to foreign governments until the Swedish king formally renounced his right to the Norwegian throne, a number of unofficial representatives worked on the provisional government's behalf until the first Norwegian ambassador,Hjalmar Christian Hauge, sought accreditation by the United States secretary of state,Elihu Root, on November 6, 1905.
The initial purposes of the newly formed Foreign Ministry were to represent Norway's interests through diplomatic channels, and to provide consular services for Norwegian shipping and commerce overseas. In 1906, theStorting decided to establish six embassies in Europe, with two more in the Americas: one in the United States and one inArgentina. 20 consular offices were also opened.
DuringWorld War I, the foreign ministry was confronted with unprecedented challenges in maintaining neutrality for Norway, in particular in order to protect its merchant fleet.
In 1922, the ministry was consolidated and reorganised to ensure fuller cooperation between the diplomatic and consular branches. The reorganization included the formation of a designated career path for diplomats that included completion of a university entrance examination and professional experience from international trade. The economic hardship of the times forced austerity measures at the ministry for the next several years.
When Norway wasinvaded by Nazi Germany in 1940, the government fled to the United Kingdom and reconstituted in exile inBracknell, outside London.Kingston House in London was later used. The government moved back to Norway following the peace in 1945.
After the end ofWorld War II, Norway was a founding member of theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations, the latter having NorwegianTrygve Lie as inauguralsecretary-general. Norway was also part of the first slate of non-permanent members to theUnited Nations Security Council.[1]
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is organised with 110 foreign missions and three subordinate organisations:Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad),Norwegian Agency for Exchange Cooperation (Norec) and the development country investment fundNorfund. The Ministry and foreign missions have a total staff of approx. 2,400. While this is significant for a country with a small population, there are still some parts of the world for which Norway has no embassies or consultates, including states inCentral Asia.
The formal name of the ministry is the Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Bokmål:Det kongelige utenriksdepartement with the short formUtenriksdepartementet, andNynorsk:Det kongelege utanriksdepartementet with the short formUtanriksdepartementet), abbreviated as UD. The ministry is also sometimes known as the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Bokmål:Det kongelige norske utenriksdepartement orNynorsk:Det kongelege norske utanriksdepartementet). In everyday speech in Norway it is usually known under its short form, with the longer forms reserved for formal letters and documents.
Minister of Foreign AffairsAnniken Huitfeldt
Minister of International DevelopmentAnne Beathe Tvinnereim
The top public servant is the secretary general (utenriksråd) with an assistant secretary general as substitute (the latter also with a special responsibility for international development issues).
The ministry currently has nine departments, each headed by a director general[2] (known in Norwegian asekspedisjonssjef)[3]
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