Norway is to provide 300 million kroner ($28.7 million) in emergency funding to help NGOs hit by the US aid freeze, the government announced yesterday.

"The funds will go to Norwegian organisations which have been hard hit by the loss of US funding and to UN efforts against gender-based violence and for reproductive health," a statement read.

Reproductive health includes all aspects of reproduction and sexuality.

President Donald Trump's administration at the end of February announced a huge cut in US foreign aid, notably suppressing 92 percent of funding for overseas programmes of the USAID agency.

"The international humanitarian system is a success," said Norway's minister for cooperation and development, Asmund Aukrust.

"Millions of lives have been saved, in part thanks to the financing and political leadership of the United States.

"We cannot accept the idea that it is a waste of money.

"But the system can be a lot more effective than it is today. Norway has long supported reform and rationalisation."

Of the emergency funding, at least 220 million kroner will be allocated to Norwegian NGOs and will be used "to protect displaced persons, children and young people, as well as against landmines and other explosives".

Some 40 million kroner will be earmarked for efforts to counter sexual and gender-based violence and access to sexual and reproductive health services during humanitarian crises.

The remaining 40 million kroner will be allocated to major shared services such as logistics and analysis in the humanitarian system, the government added.