Stability in the Middle East and in Lebanon is important for our national security as well.

News story | Date: 23/05/2025 | Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Norway gives high priority to enhancing stability, security and development, and this was highlighted during the visit by Minister of International Development Åsmund Aukrust to Lebanon today. Norway and Lebanon enjoy good, long-standing bilateral relations. Norway is seeking to promote stability and growth in Lebanon. Norway’s vision is a country where the people can live in peace – and we will do our part to achieve this.

AUK på besøk — Utviklingsminister Åsmund Aukrust besøkte Norsk Folkehjelps mineryddingsteam sør i Libanon. Her rydder de et jorde som relativt nylig har blitt forurenset av ueksploderte bomber. Credit: UD/Ryeng

The painstaking work to clear mines and unexploded ordnance in southern Lebanon requires courage, knowledge and a great deal of patience. There are no shortcuts to the post-conflict clean-up process to prepare areas for a new future. Today, Mr Aukrust visited one of the projects being carried out by Norwegian People’s Aid in Tayr Debba. Centimetre by centimetre, cluster munitions are being cleared from the land to make cultivation of food crops possible.

Minerydder — Krig tar ofte liv lenge etter at krigen er over. Det tar lang tid å rydde miner og bomber. Sikkerhet for den som rydder er helt avgjørende. Credit: UD/Ryeng

‘In many areas, the effects of the war continue for decades after hostilities have officially ended due to unexploded ordinance and mines that remain. Cluster bombs are particularly harmful as they release numerous bomblets across a large area, posing a risk to the population. Norway played a key role in the process leading to the adoption of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2008. This and other agreements such as the Mine Ban Treaty are now under pressure. This is why it is particularly important to be here in Lebanon and show our support,’ said Mr Aukrust.

Lebanon has the largest refugee population per capita in the world. The situation is placing great strain on Lebanese society and causing social tensions between different population groups. Refugees and vulnerable Lebanese alike are contending with economic hardship and poverty. The scale of humanitarian need in the country remains high. There is also a major need to advance reconstruction, and the country is facing a challenging economic and security situation. The new political leadership has introduced a number of important reforms, and there is hope that this will help to secure financial support for reconstruction and attract foreign investment. Mr Aukrust has had several political meetings where this was on the agenda, including his meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri.

AUK med fiskere — Utviklingsministeren besøkte et fiskemarked i Saida, som har fått midler fra UNDP til modernisering som gjør at kvaliteten på fisken bevares. UNDP er en viktig partner for Norge. Credit: UD/Ryeng

‘I am concerned about the daily breaches of the ceasefire that was agreed in November last year. We call on Israel to uphold its side of the agreement. Ensuring that the ceasefire holds is vital to promoting stability in Lebanon and facilitating the reconstruction of the country. Norway supports the efforts of the Lebanese authorities to implement UN Security Council resolution 1701, which includes provisions on exercising full sovereignty, strengthening the Lebanese armed forces and disarmament of armed groups such as Hezbollah,’ said Mr Aukrust.

In addition to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Mr Aukrust also visited a health clinic managed by UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. UNRWA, which is delivers basic services to Palestinian refugees in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, is in a deep political and financial crisis. The impacts have been most severe on its work in Palestine, but it has also become more difficult in Lebanon.

‘The staff I met were in despair as they face impossible choices, as the funding has declined. The health services offered by UNRWA are the only ones offered to the Palestinian population. For those with serious conditions, such as cancer, they are the difference between life and death. UNRWA is under a political attack, and they thanked Norway for standing up and defending the organisation. If UNRWA falls, an entire population will lack basic services. That’s critical for every individual affected, but also the stability of the region,’ said Mr Aukrust.

The Middle East is part of Europe’s southern neighbourhood, and Norway has sought to promote stability and development in the region for many years. This is also a matter of our own interests and security. Norway and Lebanon have a long tradition of friendly relations, and today’s visit reaffirms this. Many Norwegians have served in the UN peacekeeping force, UNIFIL, and have lasting memories of their time in the country.

‘We wish the new Government every success in its efforts to achieve security, stability and sovereignty and to create economic and social opportunities for the Lebanese people. Stability in the region and in Lebanon is important for Norway’s national security as well,’ said Mr Aukrust.