Burundi

The civil war has cost Burundi dear. In the aftermath of the war, political turmoil and social unrest have been widespread. The country is highly dependent on financial assistance from abroad.

The Norwegian focus:

• Peace and reconciliation
• Finding permanent solutions for former refugees and internally displaced persons
• Nation building and democracy building

Agriculture accounts for approximately half of the country's gross domestic product, but a large part of the land is exhausted. Coffee makes up three quarters of the export, hence the country's economy is highly dependent on the coffee prices on the world market.

Burundi's geographical landscape also represents a challenge as it makes it difficult to transport people and goods. In addition, the infrastructure is poorly developed and the goods must be transported over long distances. The agricultural areas are far away from the harbours on Lake Tanganyika. The country' economy is to a large extent based on a subsistence economy and agriculture with crops such as coffee, sugar, bananas, cotton, etc.

The high population density and the deforestation are having an increasing impact on Burundi. The average number of children per woman is still seven. Approximately half a million Burundian refugees have returned from Tanzania during the past couple of years and have caused increased pressure on the country's already limited resources.

After nearly 13 years of armed conflict, Burundi obtained a democratically elected government in August 2005, and is now experiencing the longest period of democratic rule in the country's history. The many internal conflicts have affected the development of the country in a negative direction. Besides conflict, the fight against poverty is one of the greatest undertakings on the road to securing lasting peace and development in the country.

Norway has increased its involvement in Burundi in an attempt to contribute to ensuring peace, stability and development in the country, and consequently also in the region as a whole. The Norwegian involvement has created a larger scope of action, and Norway's voice is heard in the government, by multilateral organisations and among other bilateral donors.

The support is channelled primarily in the form of budget support through the World Bank and Norwegian organisations.

Budget support and governance

Norway has provided budget support to Burundi since 2007. The goal of Norway's budget support is to help safeguard the peace process in the country by contributing to economic and social development through funds channelled via the authorities.

This budget support is important for promoting nation building and ensuring that the country does not fall back into open conflict.

In addition, the Norwegian government provides support to peace building, refugees, internally displaced persons and repatriated refugees, gender equality projects and women who are victims of sexual violence, as well as to other vulnerable groups, through Norwegian and international non-governmental organisations.

Peace and reconciliation

The United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) was established in 2006, and Burundi was soon placed on the PBC's agenda. The permanent Norwegian representative to the UN chaired the PBC Country-Specific Configuration on Burundi until Sweden took over in 2008. As a member of the PBC's Burundi Configuration Norway will continue to play an active role in Burundi also in the future. Norway is one of the main contributors to the UN Peace Building Fund. Norway also provides considerable support to demobilisation and reintegration.