Minister of International Development (Norway)

Minister of International Development of Norway
Bistands- og utviklingsministeren
Incumbent Åsmund Grøver Aukrust since 4 February 2025
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Member of	Council of State
Seat	Victoria Terrasse, Oslo
Nominator	Prime Minister
Appointer	Monarch with approval of Parliament
Term length	No fixed length
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Norway
Precursor	Minister of Foreign Affairs
Formation	8 June 1983 (originally) 17 January 2018 (re-established)
First holder	Reidun Brusletten
Abolished	16 October 2013
Deputy	State secretaries at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Website	Official website

The Minister of International Development (Norwegian : Bistands- og utviklingsministeren) is a councillor of state and the chief of the international development portfolio of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway. ^[1] The ministry was responsible for the foreign service, the country's international interests and foreign policy. Most of the ministry's portfolio is subordinate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. ^[2] The prime operating agency for international development is the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. ^[3] The position has been held by ten people representing five parties.

The position was created with the appointment of Willoch's Second Cabinet on 8 June 1983, ^[4] with Reidun Brusletten of the Christian Democratic Party appointed the first minister. ^[5] From 1 January 1984 to 31 December 1989, the minister had their own ministry, the Ministry of Development Cooperation. ^[4] Eleven people from four parties had held the position, with Hilde Frafjord Johnson of the Christian Democratic Party being the only to have held it twice. Erik Solheim of the Socialist Left Party has sat the longest, for six and a half years. Solheim also acted as Minister of the Environment from 18 October 2007 to his retirement. ^[1] Heikki Holmås of the Socialist Left Party, who was appointed on 23 March 2012, ^[1] became the last Minister of International Development when Stoltenberg's Second Cabinet resigned on 16 October 2013. In Solberg's Cabinet, issues related to international development were transferred to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. ^[6] The position was re-established in 2018 after the Liberal Party joined the Solberg Cabinet.

Key

The following lists the minister, their party, date of assuming and leaving office, their tenure in years and days, and the cabinet they served in.

   Centre Party
   Christian Democratic Party
   Conservative Party
   Labour Party
   Socialist Left Party

Ministers

Photo	Name	Party	Took office	Left office	Tenure	Cabinet	Ref
—	Reidun Brusletten	Christian Democratic	8 June 1983	9 May 1986	2 years, 335 days	Willoch II	[5]
—	Vesla Vetlesen	Labour	9 May 1986	13 June 1988	2 years, 35 days	Brundtland II	[7]
—	Kirsti Kolle Grøndahl	Labour	13 June 1988	16 October 1989	1 year, 125 days		[7]
—	Tom Vraalsen	Centre	16 October 1989	3 November 1990	1 year, 18 days	Syse	[8]
	Grete Faremo	Labour	3 November 1990	4 September 1992	1 year, 306 days	Brundtland III	[9]
—	Kari Nordheim-Larsen	Labour	4 September 1992	17 October 1997	5 years, 43 days	Brundtland III Jagland	[9] [10]
	Hilde Frafjord Johnson	Christian Democratic	17 October 1997	17 March 2000	2 years, 152 days	Bondevik I	[11]
	Anne Kristin Sydnes	Labour	17 March 2000	19 October 2001	1 year, 216 days	Stoltenberg I	[12]
	Hilde Frafjord Johnson	Christian Democratic	19 October 2001	17 October 2005	3 years, 363 days	Bondevik II	[13]
	Erik Solheim	Socialist Left	17 October 2005	23 March 2012	6 years, 158 days	Stoltenberg II	[1]
	Heikki Holmås	Socialist Left	23 March 2012	16 October 2013	1 year, 207 days		[1]
Abolished between 2013 and 2018
	Nikolai Astrup	Conservative	17 January 2018	22 January 2019	1 year, 5 days	Solberg	[14]
	Dag Inge Ulstein	Christian Democratic	22 January 2019	14 October 2021	2 years, 265 days		[15]
	Anne Beathe Tvinnereim	Centre	14 October 2021	4 February 2025	3 years, 113 days	Støre	[16]
	Åsmund Grøver Aukrust	Labour	4 February 2025	present	92 days		[17]

References

1. "Jens Stoltenberg's Second Government". Government.no. Archived from the original on 11 April 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
2. "About the Ministry of Foreign Affairs". Government.no. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
3. "Development cooperation". Government.no. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
4. "Norwegian Government Ministries since 1945". Government.no. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
5. "Odvar Nordli's Government". Government.no. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
6. "Solberg kutter bistandsministeren" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. 16 October 2013.
7. "Gro Harlem Brundtland's Second Government". Government.no. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
8. "Jan Syse's Government". Government.no. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
9. "Gro Harlem Brundtland's Third Government". Government.no. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
10. "Thorbjørn Jagland's Government". Government.no. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
11. "Kjell Magne Bondevik's First Government". Government.no. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
12. "Jens Stoltenberg's First Government". Government.no. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
13. "Kjell Magne Bondevik's Second Government". Government.no. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
14. "Her er Erna Solbergs nye mannskap: – Vi skaper historie" (in Norwegian). NRK. 17 January 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
15. "Her er den nye regjeringen" (in Norwegian). Aftenposten. 22 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
16. "Norge har fått ny regjering" (in Norwegian Bokmål). NRK. 14 October 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
17. Skårdalsmo, Kristian; Rønning, Mats; Tomter, Line; Hjetland, Geir Bjarte; Grasmo, Julie (4 February 2025). "Nye statsråder: Stenseng inn i regjering – Skjæran får toppjobb på Stortinget" (in Norwegian Bokmål). NRK . Retrieved 4 February 2025.