Minister of International Development Hilde F. Johnson is travelling toLondonandWashingtonDCon 9-11 March for a series of meetings.

In London the minister will be making the Norwegian presentation at a high-level meeting on the financing of the work against HIV/AIDS. The meeting is being organised by UNAIDS, the UK, the USA and France. One of the purposes of the meeting is to put in place commitments for intensifying the efforts and making them more effective.

On 10-11 March the minister will have a series of meetings in Washington DC. In addition to meetings with World Bank director James Wolfensohn and IMF director Rodrigo de Rato, she will have meetings at the US State Department and with the head of USAID. Some of the topics that will be discussed are financing for development, the report on the Millennium Development Goals and Sudan. On 11 March the minister will give a lecture on peacebuilding at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Press contact: Deputy Director General Per Egil Selvaag, mobile phone: 90 04 56 51