On 20 June 2023, the Norwegian Government established a Committee to investigate international adoptions. The investigation was initiated following inquiries into international adoption practices in other countries, information revealed through adult adoptees’ searches for their origins, and media reports concerning irregularities in international adoptions to Norway. The Committee commenced its work in the autumn of 2023.
The Committee was tasked with investigating whether Norwegian authorities exercised sufficient oversight of international adoptions and whether illegal or unethical practices occurred in connection with international adoptions to Norway. The full mandate (in English) can be found here.
The Committee examined international adoptions at a systemic level. For this purpose, it reviewed a selection of individual cases but did not assess or provide conclusions regarding specific adoption cases.
The Committee submitted its final report, NOU 2026: 7 – Forsvarlighet, risiko og tillit (Soundness, Risk and Trust), to the Ministry of Children and Families on 22 June 2026. The report presents the Committee’s findings and assessments regarding the Norwegian system for international adoptions, including whether Norwegian authorities exercised adequate control and whether illegal or unethical practices occurred in adoptions to Norway. An English Executive Summary is included in the report (Appendix 2, p. 739).
The final report is available here