The Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi

May-Elin Stener is currently Ambassador of Norway to India.  Since 2020, she has been Deputy Director General of the Regional department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, covering Africa, Asia, Latin -America and the Middle East, as well as peace and reconciliation issues. Until 2020, May-Elin headed the section for Horn of Africa and West-Africa. She has been Norway’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations headquarter in New York (2014-2018) as well as Deputy Head of the Norwegian Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa (2007-2011). She has worked for the Norwegian Foreign Service since 1995, and has extensive diplomatic experience multilaterally, with a focus on humanitarian affairs. She has also been posted to the UN offices in Geneva and has headed the Section for Humanitarian Affairs in the Ministry.

Stener is married with one adult daughter and two adult stepchildren. She is a lawyer by training.  

Ambassador May-Elin Stener CV.pdf

Our priority areas in India follow the Norway India 2030 strategy and cover democracy and rule-based world order, oceans, energy, climate and environment as well as higher education and global health.

Norway and India enjoy long-standing relations in institutional cooperations and research. The aim of Norway’s support is to contribute to India’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Through all our five main cooperation areas, Norway promotes human rights, women’s rights and gender equality, climate and environment and anti-corruption.

The official cooperation relations with India began in 1952 with the fishery projects in Kerala. From 2004 the cooperation has focused on technical cooperation and knowledge transfer with good results. Norway also gives support through multilateral partners and global programs.

Transparency and open data

Norway MFA Grants Portal (regjeringen.no) gives an overview of all the grants from the Ministry and Norad to India.

Bistandsresultater (norad.no): Norwegian Aid Statistics will give access to all the official statistics about Norwegian development assistance from 1960 until today. There are several options for choosing content and scope of the report, which can be presented in maps, graphs or tables. 

Public Holidays 2023

1 January            New Year’s Day (Sunday)

26 January          Republic Day India

8 March               Holi

7 April                 Good Friday

1 May                   Labour Day

17 May                Constitution Day Norway

29 June                Eid-al-Adha

15 August           Independence Day India

2 October           Gandhi Jayanti

24 October         Dussehra

27 November    Guru Nanak Jayanti

25 December    Christmas Day

26 December    Boxing Day

Public Holidays 2024

1 January            New Year’s Day

26 January          Republic Day India

25 March            Holi

29 March            Good Friday

1 May                  Labour Day

17 May               Constitution Day Norway

17 June               Eid-al-Adha

15 August           Independence Day India

2 October           Gandhi Jayanti

1 November        Diwali

15 November      Guru Nanak Jayanti

25 December      Christmas Day

26 December      Boxing Day