Bilateral Channels

The Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA) is an autonomous agency under the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs. ICEIDA's role set by law is to execute and administer bi-lateral development assistance provided by the Government of Iceland. ICEIDA aims to improve peoples´ quality of life by means of empowerment, capacity building and transfer of knowledge. ICEIDA´s long term objective is sustainable development, economic growth, equality, independence, democracy and the advocacy of human rights. ICEIDA emphasizes active local participation all through the project cycle in order to increase local ownership and sustainability.

In recent years, ICEIDA has been operating in six countries in the areas of fisheries, education, energy, health, and water and sanitation. However, since 2008 the number of partner countries has been cut down to three, all in Sub-Saharan Africa, namely Malawi, Mozambique and Uganda. Within the Agency, work has been on-going for some years on revising various aspects of its operation. Emphasis has been put on transferring as much of the implementation and management of projects and programmes to local institutions as possible. The main purpose of these changes is to promote efficient and effective development activities and to increase local ownership and responsibility of all operations. Both policy and emphases of Iceland and ICEIDA's partner countries, together with international commitments, guide the transition process. ICEIDA's cooperation is based on the partner countries' Poverty Reduction Strategies. Moreover, ICEIDA's support mainly consists of strengthening infrastructure and the basic pillars of society, focusing on human capital, education and capacity building. Recently ICEIDA started supporting the decentralisation of basic services, as well as improved local governance, as important instruments for better health, water and education services for the poor.