Norway, 2005

I, too, congratulate you,

Sir, on your election as President of the General

Assembly at its sixtieth session.

Sixty years ago, the United Nations rose out of

the ashes of the Second World War. The creation of our

Organization was the fulfilment of people's hopes for a

better and safer future. Norway was honoured to

provide the United Nations with its first Secretary-

General, Trygve Lie.

Last week, we saw agreement on a summit

outcome document (resolution 60/1). The document

falls short of our expectations. Still, it provides

important direction on how to improve and strengthen

the role of the United Nations in building peace and

security and promoting human rights and development.

In some areas, Member States made considerable

progress; in others, better results should have been

achieved. In particular, I had hoped for ó and worked

for ó a substantial text on nuclear disarmament and

non-proliferation. The proliferation of weapons of

mass destruction represents a fundamental threat.

There is a growing risk of proliferation and of

catastrophic terrorism. At the same time, we see a

reluctance on the part of some to accept that all States

must advance disarmament and non-proliferation.

During the past week, I have repeatedly heard in

the General Assembly that we are willing to solve

common problems. Yet it has not been possible to

reach any consensus on how to address these truly

global threats. I can assure members that Norway will

take up the challenge set out by the Secretary-General

and will continue to seek consensus and concrete

results. We will do that together with Australia, Chile,

Indonesia, Romania, South Africa and the United

Kingdom and with all those countries that supported

our efforts.

Further progress is also urgently needed to

prevent the proliferation of small arms and light

weapons. Norway welcomes the outcome document's

call for implementation of the United Nations

Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light

Weapons. We would have liked, however, to see a

stronger commitment to controlling international

transfers of such weapons through legally binding

agreements.

The international community needs to cooperate

in order to meet global challenges. We are faced with

an array of new threats and challenges: I just spoke of

the risk of proliferation; terrorism is another. The

spread of new and infectious diseases is also a

frightening prospect. Multilateralism is the answer. We

must face all these threats together and reach

agreement on how to meet them. The global arena must

be continually reformed and adapted to make sure that

we have a United Nations that is in the best possible

shape. We cannot blame others if it does not function.

As the Secretary-General said in his statement to the

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summit, "Whatever our differences, in our

interdependent world, we stand or fall together"

(A/60/PV.2, p. 5).

Our greatest responsibility is to ensure that the

strong protect the weak. Our greatest failure is when

we, the Members of the United Nations, are unable to

prevent atrocities against innocent civilians. For the

first time, Member States have endorsed the principle

of the ìresponsibility to protectî. That creates an

important new basis for collective action in cases of

genocide, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing

and war crimes. We now have the tools to prevent

another Srebrenica or another Rwanda.

A greater consensus on collective action and early

diplomatic response are needed to prevent violent

conflicts. Addressing the needs of countries under

stress is a demanding challenge for the United Nations;

so is assisting countries suffering from conflict and in

transition from war to peace. The peace process that

Norway is facilitating between the Government of Sri

Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has

benefited from United Nations support. The

Organization's role in providing humanitarian and

development assistance to all areas of Sri Lanka has

been indispensable.

I therefore welcome the initiative to establish a

Peacebuilding Commission to marshal resources, give

advice and propose comprehensive strategies for

peacebuilding and post-conflict recovery. The situation

in the Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo

and other conflict-afflicted areas clearly demonstrates

the need for a Peacebuilding Commission. As long as

the Security Council remains actively seized of a

matter, the Peacebuilding Commission should provide

advice to the Council. Norway will contribute $15

million to the Peacebuilding Fund. The role and the

needs of women should be duly reflected in the

establishment of a Peacebuilding Commission. The

Commission should contribute to the follow-up of the

binding commitments set out in Security Council

resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and

security.

While supporting the establishment of the

Peacebuilding Commission, Norway places great

emphasis on the need to maintain and strengthen the

activity of the Secretary-General to take initiatives

through his good offices.

As we convene here in New York, an estimated

10 million people are facing severe food shortages in

Southern Africa. According to the Secretary-General,

the chronic state of emergency in the region is caused

by a combination of HIV/AIDS, food insecurity and a

weakened capacity for governance. During recent

months, there has also been a severe drought in Niger

and in parts of the Sahel region.

The response capacity of the United Nations is in

need of reform. That means improving the speed,

equity and predictability of humanitarian response. An

upgraded and expanded Central Emergency Response

Fund is an important step in the right direction; so is

improved coordination at the field level, including the

Humanitarian Coordinator system. The General

Assembly must now take the decisions necessary for

the new Fund to become operational as early as

possible. Norway has pledged $15 million to the Fund,

and we stand ready to assist in putting in place the

necessary organizational framework.

The United Nations is making a significant

contribution to development. The universal

endorsement of the Millennium Development Goals

and the renewed commitment to achieving them by

2015 are key results of the summit; so are the

strengthened commitments concerning increased

official development assistance (ODA) and debt relief

made during the preparations leading up to the summit,

particularly by the European Union and the Group of

Eight. The world community must now make sure that

promises are followed by payments and that the focus

on Africa remains strong. Norway will do its part by

increasing its ODA contributions to Africa for 2006 by

$150 million.

International trade is a prerequisite for economic

growth and development. Norway is committed to the

further development of a rule-based and fair

multilateral trading system. The ongoing World Trade

Organization negotiations are approaching a crucial

crossroads in Hong Kong in December. We must

redouble our efforts to achieve the fullest possible

realization of the Doha work programme in order to

successfully complete the Doha development round in

2006. Particular attention must be paid to the needs and

interests of developing countries.

No cause can justify acts of terror. The United

Nations should have a central role in leading and

coordinating the international fight against terrorism. A

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broad-based strategy is necessary to counter this threat,

as recommended by the Secretary-General. The fight

against terrorism must be based on the rule of law. The

role of the United Nations is essential, because it can

provide the legal instruments and frameworks we need.

I encourage all States to sign, ratify and implement the

13 United Nations conventions related to terrorism.

Norway strongly supports the efforts to conclude a

comprehensive United Nations convention on

international terrorism.

Terrorism must be fought by a broad range of

means, including military and legal means. Other

threats to peace and stability must also be addressed,

such as poverty and unemployment, lack of social and

political rights, absence of the rule of law and lack of

access to education. The United Nations has a vital role

to play in all those areas. It has more experience on

those issues than any other organization and possesses

the most suitable tools to address them.

Defending human rights is a principal universal

objective. When human rights defenders are silenced,

violations of human rights go unnoticed, unexposed

and unopposed. The issue of individuals and groups

subject to human rights violations should be put firmly

on the agenda of all countries. I call for members'

continued support for a draft resolution to that end.

It is vital that we assign human rights their

rightful place as a fundamental pillar of the United

Nations. Our goal in the coming months must be to

bridge the gap between expectations for credible

United Nations action in the field of human rights and

the capacities of the Organization. We must take the

following steps.

We must create a new standing human rights

body as soon as possible, preferably as a principal

organ of the United Nations. It must focus on both

implementation and capacity-building. It must also be

able to deal swiftly with human rights violations

worldwide in a credible and effective manner. The

strengths and best practices of the Commission on

Human Rights must be retained and its weaknesses left

behind.

And we must strengthen the Office of the United

Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights by

respecting, in the Fifth Committee, the decision of the

summit to double the regular budget resources of the

Office.

There is a need for stronger executive leadership

and thorough administrative reform of the

Organization. Corruption, mismanagement and sexual

exploitation and abuse are examples of conduct that

cannot be tolerated.

We have decided to make the Office of Internal

Oversight Services more independent. The Office's

capacity to carry out audits and investigations will be

significantly strengthened. It is necessary to further

strengthen the accountability of the Secretariat and

improve management performance, as well as reinforce

ethical conduct. Responsibility for many of the

weaknesses in the United Nations system, however,

lies with the Member States themselves.

We need a more relevant General Assembly as

the chief policymaking body of the Organization. That

will require strategic leadership on the part of Member

States. The Secretary-General, as the chief

administrative officer, must be granted sufficient

authority and flexibility to carry out his duties. In order

to strengthen the Organization's capacity to ensure that

mandates are fulfilled, we need to provide the

necessary resources. In order to maintain an efficient

organization, we need to review existing mandates and

revoke those that are no longer relevant.

The management reform process provides a

golden opportunity to increase the recruitment of

women at all levels of the United Nations. Good

governance in a modern organization requires

contributions from women on an equal footing with

men.

Some have called the results of the summit just

another step along the way. In my view, many

important steps were taken. Now it is up to the General

Assembly to follow up. I promise that Norway will do

its part. We will continue to work for reforms. The

United Nations system must become more effective in

securing global peace and security, combating poverty

and promoting human rights. In the end, it is we, the

Member States, who are responsible for making that a

reality.