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NCA’s programmatic work is described in the Programme Framework 2025-2030. It is guided by the organisation’s global strategy, Faith in Action, and illustrates how we work to reach the Sustainable Development Goals as well as the national strategies and plans in the countries where NCA and its partners operate.
Norwegian Church Aid combines humanitarian response, long-term development, peacebuilding and advocacy efforts to achieve lasting change.
All our work supports the following goals.
Vulnerable and displaced people are protected, access life-saving services, and practice skills that enhance their personal safety, health, and wellbeing.
Inclusive and cohesive communities withstand and recover from shocks and crises, manage their resources sustainably and equitably, and lift themselves out of poverty.
Civil society actors hold national and international decision-makers accountable and influence progressive policy, norm changes, and more equitable distribution of resources.
A strong civil society and civic space is the basis for NCA’s work. We partner with faith-based groups and civil society organizations to achieve common goals. NCA supports locally led development, where empowered communities and individuals work together to promote democracy, accountable governance, and social justice.
The work NCA supports and implements together with partners falls within six thematic areas of expertise. All country programmes holistically combine components and outcome areas from these thematic categories to address the long-term goals.
NCA is committed to upholding human dignity and protecting the integrity of creation in keeping with the mission of the worldwide church. In our work are guided by the fundamental principles of being:
As a diaconal organisation, and a founding member of the ACT Alliance, faith is at the core of NCA’s identity, and it motivates our vision for a just world where human dignity and the integrity of creation are protected. It also informs our preference to work with churches in the ecumenical movement and engage in interfaith dialogue and cooperation. In a world where religion continues to play an important role in people’s lives and provide the basis for cultural norms and practices, mobilising faith assets to engage contextually and inspire positive change represents a key added value of NCA’s work.
NCA is committed to designing holistic programmes that support people’s needs in the short and long term and address inter-connected rights deficits, requiring NCA to move beyond thematic silos and integrate immediate humanitarian assistance, long-term development, peacebuilding, and advocacy efforts as we strive for sustainable and lasting change. When NCA’s programmes and interventions are holistic and complement the work of others, our efforts will be more effective and sustainable, and we are less likely to cause harm.
People and communities affected by crises have the right to participate in decisions that affect them and play a leading role in driving change in the local context. NCA’s preference is to work through faith-based actors and civil society organisations that are rooted locally and can facilitate the participation of communities in programme design and implementation. When NCA’s programmes and interventions are locally led, our efforts will have greater legitimacy and be less likely to build dependency.
Human rights and international humanitarian law form the basis for NCA’s work, and all our programmes and interventions address rights deficits. NCA applies a Rights-Based Approach (RBA) founded on the principles of participation, accountability, non-discrimination, empowerment, and link to human rights instruments. When rightsholders are empowered and mobilised for inclusive and collective action, civil society is better equipped to address the root causes of injustice and inequality and to hold duty-bearers accountable for fulfilling their obligations. In our humanitarian responses, we are guided by the humanitarian principles.
Additionally, NCA's work is guided by cross-cutting commitments: promoting women's rights and gender equality by empowering women and girls to live free from violence and discrimination, protecting the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting sustainable practices, and ensuring conflict sensitivity by using approaches that prevent the instigation or intensification of conflicts. These commitments aim to enhance the well-being and participation of communities while fostering sustainable development and peace.
As a Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) certified organisation, NCA is dedicated to delivering principled, effective, and accountable support to people and communities in situations of crises and vulnerability, while safeguarding their rights and dignity.
NCA has been certified against the CHS for its humanitarian, development, and advocacy mandates since 2017, with the current certification valid until May 2026. This certification ensures that our work is independently assessed to be principled, accountable, and of high quality. Read more about our CHS certification here:
Certified under the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability (CHS), NCA commits to implementing the CHS commitments and other sustainability standards in all aspects of its work. For NCA, sustainability standards refer to the rights-based approach, gender sensitivity, conflict sensitivity, anticorruption, environmental sustainability and accountability. Non-discrimination and inclusion of all marginalised populations is at the core of these standards.
In 2021, Norwegian Church Aid signed the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organisations and committed to set targets and develop action plans in response to the climate and environment crises.
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