Source description last updated: 18 March 2021

In brief: The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a humanitarian NGO headquartered in Oslo that seeks to safeguard the rights of people who have been forced to flee.

Coverage on ecoi.net:

Selected reports

Covered on ecoi.net on a quarterly basis, for countries of priorities A, B and C.

The NRC’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) is covered on ecoi.net as a separate source.

Mission/Mandate/Objectives:

“The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation working to protect the rights of displaced and vulnerable people during crises. NRC provides assistance to meet immediate humanitarian needs, prevent further displacement and contribute to durable solutions.”

The NRC’s “main activity is the delivery of humanitarian aid through programme activities in the field. NRC specialises in six areas of expertise, or ‘core competencies’: shelter and settlements; livelihoods and food security; information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA); education; camp management; and water, sanitation and hygiene promotion (WASH).

NRC advocates towards decision-makers in order to obtain full respect for the rights of displaced and vulnerable people. It advocates at local, national, regional and global levels, basing messages and strategies on first-hand experience and specialised expertise. [...]

NRC’s country programmes are managed and coordinated by four regional offices. The regional office for the Middle East is based in Amman, the East Africa and Yemen office in Nairobi, the Central and West Africa office in Dakar and the Asia, Europe and Latin America office in Oslo.” (NRC: Annual Report from the Board 2019, May 2020, p. 3)

Funding:

In addition to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which provided 21 per cent of NRC’s total income in 2019, the largest donors of the NRC in 2019 included the European Commission’s Directorate‑General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) (13 per cent), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (10 per cent), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) (8 per cent) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) (6 per cent). The NRC also receives “regular and one-off donations and pro bono support from private individuals and corporate partners.” (NRC website: Finances, undated)

Scope of reporting:

Geographic focus: Africa, Asia, Middle East, Europe and Latin America (NRC: Annual Report from the Board 2019, May 2020, p. 3 and 6)

Thematic focus: rule of law; human rights; shelter and settlements; livelihoods and food security; water, sanitation and hygiene; situation of unaccompanied minors; other topics (NRC website: Search resources, undated)

Methodology:

NRC reports may be based on research in existing literature published by the United Nations, the World Bank, and other sources (including published quantitative data cross-checked by NRC) as well as on empirical research in primary sources (see, for example, NRC: Raided and Razed: Attacks on West Bank Education , November 2020, pp. 8–­9 and NRC: Downward Spiral: the economic impact of Covid-19 on refugees and displaced people, September 2020, p. 6). This may include in-depth interviews with stakeholders that may be conducted in-person (see, for example, NRC: Profiling of IDP situation in Luhansk Region, Ukraine - Data-driven approach to durable solutions, December 2020, p. 7 and NRC: Raided and Razed: Attacks on West Bank Education , November 2020, p. 8) and/or by telephone (see, for example, NRC: Raided and Razed: Attacks on West Bank Education, November 2020, p. 8), as well as focus group discussions, needs assessments or quantitative surveys (see, for example, NRC: Downward Spiral: the economic impact of Covid-19 on refugees and displaced people, September 2020, p. 6). Some reports are researched and written in collaboration with other organisations, including as part of a joint programme. (see, for example, NRC/Mercy Corps: Baseline Household Vulnerability Assessment, November 2020)

Languages of publication:

English, French, Spanish

 

All links accessed 18 March 2021.