The Norwegian Fast-Start Finance Contribution

This working paper by the World Resources Institute assesses Norway's 'fast-start finance' (FSF) contributions for 2010 and 2011, examining the distribution, reporting transparency, and additionality of these funds within the context of UNFCCC pledges.

• Norway provided significant bilateral climate finance in 2010 and 2011, totaling USD 676 million and USD 734 million respectively. These contributions primarily supported mitigation efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+).
• Norway's FSF consists exclusively of public grants, many of which are channeled through multilateral institutions like the Climate Investment Funds, which may then provide concessional loans to developing countries.
• The additionality of Norway's FSF is debated because while the share of bilateral climate finance in total official development assistance (ODA) rose from 3 percent in 2006 to 21 percent in 2011, Norway includes funding from pledges made before 2009 as part of its FSF.
• The report identifies gaps in Norway's reporting transparency, noting the absence of a comprehensive list of all projects supported by FSF, which hinders independent scrutiny despite Norway's participation in the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI).
• The authors recommend that Norway improve its reporting by disclosing project-level spending, consistently specifying recipient institutions, and reporting more clearly on the status of project disbursements.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). The Norwegian Fast-Start Finance Contribution. https://www.wri.org/research/norwegian-fast-start-finance-contribution

Chicago

World Resources Institute. The Norwegian Fast-Start Finance Contribution. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/norwegian-fast-start-finance-contribution.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=The Norwegian Fast-Start Finance Contribution |url=https://www.wri.org/research/norwegian-fast-start-finance-contribution |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendnorwegian, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{The Norwegian Fast-Start Finance Contribution}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/norwegian-fast-start-finance-contribution}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }