Section for Human Rights, Partnerships and New Technologies

The Section has responsibility for promoting and safeguarding human rights, democracy and equality as an integral part of Norway’s foreign and development policy, including efforts to promote cultural rights, and to protect cultural and world heritage.

The Section coordinates Norway’s multilateral human rights and gender equality efforts in, among other things, the Council of Europe, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the work on Universal Periodic Reviews (UPR), the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the UN Commission on Population and Development and the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Issues Committee (Third Committee) of the UN General Assembly in New York. Efforts relating to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the International Labour Organization (ILO), UN Women and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), as well as strategic dialogue with the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on freedom of expression and cultural rights are also part of the Section’s remit.

The Section is also responsible for policy development on enhancing support for civil society in long-term development cooperation efforts.

The Section oversees the Ministry's coordinating role in foreign policy with regard to new technology, artificial intelligence and digital public goods for civilian use. The Section works to ensure that a human rights perspective is incorporated into international regulation of new technology, and to safeguard Norwegian interests in relevant international forums in collaboration with the Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance (DFD).