The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is compiling a list of think tanks and foreign policy institutes that have received support from the ministry following scrutiny from the Epstein cases.
In the wake of renewed attention on Norway's support for foreign think tanks due to the Epstein cases, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently undertaking efforts to provide a comprehensive overview of institutions that have received funding. This review is being facilitated by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), which has indicated that this task presents challenges due to the lack of a clear definition of what constitutes a think tank.
According to Norad's knowledge director, Håvard Mokleiv Nygård, the ministry had not previously seen the necessity for a regular overview of such organizations, which has now become essential. The need for transparency has emerged amid scrutiny and calls for greater accountability regarding foreign assistance provided by the Norwegian government. While it is noted that there is complete openness about all partners in Norwegian aid, the specific category of think tanks has not been strictly delineated in Norad's statistical reports.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Climate and Environment (KLD) have not specifically requested Norad to report on assistance given to this category of partners. The potential implications of this oversight could lead to greater scrutiny and possibly a reassessment of how Norway categorizes and reports its foreign funding practices moving forward.
