Norway has supported humanitarian aid and development in Afghanistan for the past thirty years. Until the fall of the Taliban, this support was channelled through the United Nations, the Afghanistan Support Group and non-governmental organisations.
Stability, reconstruction and economic and social progress in Afghanistan cannot be achieved by military means alone. The Norwegian Government has therefore intensified its efforts to promote reconstruction and social and economic development in accordance with the Afghanistan Compact, the comprehensive plan agreed on in London in January 2006. In the Compact, the Afghan government and the international community affirmed:
“their shared commitment to continue ….to work towards a prosperous and stable Afghanistan with good governance and human rights protection for all under the rule of law” and furthermore “Resolved to overcome the legacy of conflict in Afghanistan by setting conditions for sustainable economic growth and development; strengthening state institutions and civil society; removing remaining terrorist threats; meeting the challenge of counter-narcotics; rebuilding capacity and infrastructure; reducing poverty; and meeting basic human needs”.
The first Norwegian resident ambassador to Afghanistan, H. E. Mr. Jan Erik Leikvang, took up his post in October 2004. Since July 2008, the ambassador of Norway to Afghanistan is H. E. Mr. Kåre R. Aas.