The global health and education initiative Vision 2030

Under Vision 2030, the Norwegian Government is inviting the Norwegian business sector and relevant experts to work together to find new and innovative ways for Norway to contribute to the realisation of ambitious goals on health and education.

Child mortality was halved in the period from 1990 to 2013, but still 6.3 million children die every year before they reach the age of five. The number of children without access to schooling has been halved since 1990, but 58 million children and 70 million young people do not attend school today.

‘Despite the progress that has been made, the health situation in many parts of the world is precarious. The quality of education is poor in many countries, and girls in particular often leave school far too early. We are launching Vision 2030 to encourage companies, experts and academia to come up with innovative ideas and concrete suggestions for how we can meet the major health and education challenges the world is facing. A range of institutions, academia, the private sector and the voluntary sector are already contributing to a growing international cooperation on research, projects and commercial solutions in the areas of both health and education. Development policy in the future will entail more than just aid. We must all pull together,’ said Minister of Foreign Affairs Børge Brende.

This joint effort will culminate in a conference in Trondheim in the winter of 2015. The best proposals will form part of Norway’s contribution to the negotiations in the UN on the new sustainable development goals. Once they are adopted, the new goals will apply for all countries, including Norway.

‘It is not just countries like Norway that are facing serious health problems related to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and mental illness. These are increasingly affecting poor countries as well. Education is important for a country to be able to develop good local health services. We want Norway’s expertise and experience – in both the private and public sectors – to benefit other countries as well,’ said Minister of Health and Care Services Bent Høie.

‘We are looking for solutions that will bring about improvements in education or health, or both – as these fields are closely connected. For example, we know that in developing countries girls with an education are less prone to early pregnancy, better able to protect themselves against infectious diseases, and more likely to have work and be able to support their family. Norway’s progress in terms of gender equality has given us plenty of experience that we can share with others,’ said Minister of Education and Research Torbjørn Røe Isaksen.

For more information, see http://www.norad.no/no/aktuelt/visjon-2030 (in Norwegian only)