On 8 March 2007 State Secretary Anne Stenhammer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, launched the Norwegian Government's new Action Plan for Women's Rights and Gender Equality in Development Cooperation.

The Government (2005-2009), in their Soria Moria declaration, maintained that a national Plan of action for female entrepreneurs shall be established. The plan will, among other things cover measures and financial mechanisms that will stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship among women. This work has begun and the aim is to present the Plan in the autumn of 2006.

The Government (2005-2009) has developed a Norwegian action plan to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. The plan was developed by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Justice and the Police, and Children and Equality. The implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 is in keeping with Norway’s commitment to promoting global security, peace and justice, as set out in the Government’s policy platform.

Norway intends to support both Norwegian and international NGOs, focusing particularly on and promoting the participation of women in the management of natural resources. The plan also states that “key principles are that developing countries must own their development agenda, and that our contributions must be rights-based and emphasise women’s rights and their importance for development." 

The strategy covers the period 2006-2015, and will be reviewed and, if necessary, revised in 2010. It is states that "promoting girls’ right to take part in sport on an equal footing with boys, for instance, is controversial in many communities."

The approach of this action plan to help and protect is to take victims of violence and their experiences seriously. The measures in the plan aim to support the victims’ own efforts to get out of the situation they are in and to make it possible for them to take responsibility for their own lives and for the lives of any children they may have. Moreover, the perpetrators must make it their responsibility to change a violent pattern of behaviour. Society must pave the way for such developments by reacting clearly and providing help and treatment.

The action plan is a contribution in the efforts to promote the fundamental human rights and health of girls and women, and is a follow-up to the Norwegian Government’s Action Plan for Combating Poverty in the South, which was launched in March 2002.

The Action Plan contains measures designed both to prevent, detect and prosecute crimes linked to trafficking in women and children, and to protect and assist those who have been and are victims of such crimes.

The action plan against genital mutilation was put forward in December 2000. The plan includes many measures.

The plan states that: It is particularly difficult for people who are discriminated against both on grounds of their beliefs, skin colour or ethnic or national background and on other grounds, such as gender, disability, illness or sexual orientation. In these cases, discrimination within a person’s community or family is an additional burden on top of the discrimination exercised by the majority community.

In 1997 the Storting (Parliament) asked the then current government to make an action plan against forced marriages. The plan aims to prevent young people from being exposed to forced marriage and to provide better help and support to young people who are, or have been exposed to forced marriage.