Forum for utvikling og miljø

What Forum for utvikling og miljø does

Forum for utvikling og miljø (ForUM) is a Norwegian civil society umbrella organization founded in 1993 and headquartered at Hausmanns gate 19 in Oslo. It coordinates approximately 50-60 member organizations working across climate, environment, human rights, and development policy, including Naturvernforbundet, WWF Verdens naturfond, Kirkens nødhjelp, Changemaker, Framtiden i våre hender, Spire, and others. The organization's core function is policy advocacy and coalition coordination: it represents civil society in official Norwegian delegations to international forums including the UNFCCC climate negotiations (COP) and the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), and coordinates civil society input into Norway's Voluntary National Reviews to the UN.

ForUM's primary outputs include position papers, the annual civil society assessment of Norway's progress against all 17 Sustainable Development Goals, advocacy campaigns (e.g., the "Vi trenger en plan" fossil fuel phase-out campaign), newsletters, and events including participation in Arendalsuka. There are no technology products or digital services in the commercial sense; the underlying platform is a coalition coordination model operating through standard digital communications channels (newsletter, website, social media, Google Analytics 4) and in-person convening. GDPR compliance is maintained via a published privacy policy covering members, website visitors, social media users, and event participants.

The business model is non-commercial: revenue is drawn from membership fees (approximately 50 member organizations), project-based grants from Norwegian government sources (Norad information support, Ministry of Foreign Affairs climate finance, organizational support from revised national budgets), and Nordic programme funding (Demos) for cross-border projects with Fingo (Finland) and Globalt Fokus (Denmark). The organization is led by Secretary General Gina Ekholt and governed by a board chaired by Kari Eliassen (elected May 7, 2026), with a small staff of 1-10 employees.

Name

Forum for utvikling og miljø

Legal name

Forum for utvikling og miljø

Website

https://forumfor.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Forum for utvikling og miljø (ForUM) is a Norwegian civil society umbrella organization founded in 1993 that coordinates approximately 50-60 member NGOs on sustainable development, climate, and environmental policy, representing them in Norwegian government delegations and international forums such as UNFCCC and HLPF.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Society Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Business Associations (813910), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Policy advocacy
• Civil society coordination
• Sustainable development policy
• Climate advocacy
• NGO coalition building

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Aid Funding: Primary funding from Norwegian government sources including Norad information support schemes, organizational support from revised national budgets, and climate finance from Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Project-based funding for specific initiatives.
2. Membership Fees: Approximately 50 member organizations pay membership fees to participate in the coalition and access coordination services.
3. Nordic Programme Funding: Project funding from Nordic support programme Demos for cross-border collaboration with Finnish (Fingo) and Danish (Globalt Fokus) partner organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ForUM is a Norwegian civil society umbrella organization that coordinates approximately 50–60 member NGOs working on sustainable development, climate, environment, human rights, and development policy. It provides policy advocacy, coalition coordination, civil society representation in official Norwegian delegations to UN climate negotiations (COP) and the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), position papers and policy briefs, member communications via newsletters, and event participation such as Arendalsuka.

Product overview

Forum for utvikling og miljø (ForUM) is a Norwegian civil society umbrella organization that coordinates approximately 50-60 member organizations working on development policy, climate, environment, and sustainable development goals. The organization operates as a policy advocacy and coordination platform rather than a technology product company. Its primary offerings include policy advocacy and lobbying, coordination of civil society positions on climate and development issues, organization of events (including Arendalsuka participation), publication of position papers and reports (such as the annual civil society assessment of Norway's SDG performance), newsletter and member communications, and advocacy campaigns (such as the 'Vi trenger en plan' campaign for oil and gas phase-out). No distinct technology products, software platforms, or digital services are offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership coordination services for Norwegian civil society organizations Ongoing coordination, working groups, annual meetings, and representation services for approximately 50–60 member organizations (including Attac, Changemaker, Naturvernforbundet, WWF Verdens naturfond, Kirkens nødhjelp, etc.) engaged in sustainable development, climate, environment, human rights, and development policy.
• Policy advocacy and civil society representation at UN forums Representation of Norwegian civil society interests in official delegations to UNFCCC climate negotiations (COP and Bonn subsidiary body sessions) and the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), coordinated through working groups and delivered via position papers.
• Civil society SDG assessment reports for Norway Annual or periodic assessments across all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, produced jointly by 60+ Norwegian civil society organizations, submitted as input to Norway's Voluntary National Review (VNR) and the Topplederforum for bærekraftsmålene (Leader Forum for SDGs).
• Position papers and policy briefs to Norwegian delegations Position papers, briefs, and policy notes prepared by ForUM's climate and policy working groups and delivered to the Norwegian delegations to UNFCCC climate negotiations and to government consultations.
• Member communications and newsletter service Nyhetsbrev (newsletter) and digital member communications delivering news, advocacy updates, and coordination announcements to ForUM's member organizations, policymakers, and the wider public.
• Arendalsuka coordination and event presence Coordination of ForUM and member organization participation in Arendalsuka (Norway's annual democracy festival), including scheduling, joint events, and on-the-ground advocacy with policymakers.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Fingo (Finnish Development NGOs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinnish sister organization participating in the 'Nordic Voices for Global Solidarity' project to strengthen knowledge sharing and collaboration across Nordic civil society on sustainable development.
• Globalt Fokus (Danish Civil Society)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanish partner organization in the Nordic Voices for Global Solidarity project, collaborating on cross-border civil society cooperation and global solidarity initiatives.
• UNFCCC (UN Climate Convention)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial observer status enabling participation in UN climate negotiations. ForUM coordinates civil society representation in Norwegian delegations to COP meetings and subsidiary body sessions.
• Norwegian Government (Klima- og miljødepartementet, Utenriksdepartementet)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministries that provide funding through Norad and climate finance mechanisms, and engage ForUM in policy consultations, delegations, and official processes including Topplederforum for bærekraftsmålene.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fingo (Finnish Committee for European NGO Development): Finnish umbrella of development NGOs and the explicit sister organization to ForUM under the Nordic Voices for Global Solidarity partnership. Both coordinate Nordic civil society on development and sustainability policy with similar funding structures (government grants, member fees).
• Globalt Fokus: Danish platform of civil society organizations working on global development, sustainability, and climate - direct partner of ForUM in the Nordic Voices collaboration. Same coalition-umbrella model serving members with policy coordination and government engagement.
• CONCORD Sweden (Plattformen för det civila samhället): Swedish platform for global development and sustainability NGOs operating as an umbrella coalition analogous to ForUM. Comparable size and member-driven model focused on Swedish policy and EU/international advocacy on development and SDGs.
• BOND (British Overseas NGOs for Development): UK membership body for organizations working in international development. Highly comparable as a national-level NGO coordination and advocacy platform serving member organizations with policy engagement and capacity building.
• VENRO (Verband Entwicklungspolitik und Humanitäre Hilfe deutscher Nichtregierungsorganisationen): German umbrella association of development and humanitarian NGOs. The closest large-scale analog to ForUM in continental Europe, organizing member-driven advocacy on development, climate, and sustainability in its home jurisdiction.

Broad incumbents

• Climate Action Network (CAN) International: Global network of 1,800+ civil society organizations focused specifically on UN climate negotiations. ForUM is a node in this broader network and shares overlapping purpose of coordinating NGO participation at COP and climate policy forums.
• CIVICUS: Global civil society alliance working to strengthen citizen action and civil society. Comparable as a higher-level umbrella body advocating for civil society space and SDG implementation across multiple countries.
• CONCORD Europe: European confederation of relief and development NGOs representing national platforms (like ForUM and BOND) at EU level. ForUM's Nordic counterparts are members, making CONCORD the pan-European layer above ForUM-equivalent organizations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ForumNorway
• Facebookfacebook.com/ForumNorway
• Instagraminstagram.com/forumforutviklingogmiljo

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forum for utvikling og miljø