Norway, 2009

In recent weeks, we have

witnessed a resurrection of the authority of this

Assembly and a new commitment to multilateral

cooperation and a belief that it can and must be made

to work. The new tone of voice we have heard from the

United States here in New York is setting forceful

persuasion above persuasive force and extending a

hand to those who are willing to unclench a fist.

We must all seize this moment. Every country —

including the smallest and weakest — can make a

difference. Building bridges means that we must all

reach out from where we stand today as we struggle

together with the crises in finance, food, energy,

climate and health. New efforts must be undertaken to

break cycles of impasse, including moving decisively

towards peace in the Middle East and a peace

agreement that can deliver a Palestinian State living in

peace side by side with Israel.

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Last month, the Secretary-General visited

Norway’s Arctic to study the effects of global

warming. As we approach the Climate Change

Conference in Copenhagen, the pace of negotiations

must accelerate. Economy-wide reduction targets must

be set for all developed countries. Large and more

advanced developing countries should commit

themselves to measurable, reportable and verifiable

actions. Cuts in emissions from rainforest preservation

must be institutionalized — as stipulated under the

United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing

Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation

in Developing Countries — funded and included in the

new treaty.

Financing is key to success in Copenhagen. Our

Norwegian contributions and proposals may generate

substantial new and additional financing for measures

in developing countries, based on public finance and

dedicated income from the carbon market.

The financial crisis has pushed millions of people

back into the trenches of poverty and made us stumble

in our pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals.

Loss of income is placing public policies at perilous

risk, potentially undermining services on which the

poorest and weakest depend the most, such as health

and education services. Norway supports all the

Millennium Development Goals. We will, for the

second year in a row, surpass the 1-per cent mark in

official development assistance (ODA). After the

financial crisis hit us, we increased our ODA in

absolute terms to show solidarity with those who are

less fortunate than we are.

We focus our action on particular areas where

Norway can make a difference. We will continue to

take on a special obligation with regard to the health-

related Millennium Development Goals. We have

tripled our contributions to health care since the year

2000. Millions of lives have been saved through the

efforts of a broad alliance of partners, private and

public alike. We will continue to play a leading role

until we have achieved those Millennium Development

Goals.

The most disgraceful underachievement of the

effort towards the Millennium Development Goals is

the lack of progress to improve maternal health. While

we can vaccinate children and give mothers a bed net

under a tree at a particular time, what women need are

round-the-clock services in clinics to ensure safe

deliveries, as well as preparedness for transfer to a

hospital in the event of complications. Strengthening

health services is key to reducing maternal and child

mortality and is also a vital element in guaranteeing the

rights of women and children. New and dedicated

efforts to combat maternal mortality will now be

mobilized.

The appalling rise of rape and other forms of

sexual violence reveals an ugly story of men around

the world still regarding women and children as

secondary citizens. We must never rest as long as

women are denied the services and rights that we men

take for granted. Nothing less than our claim to

civilization is at stake.

Today, as we speak, the Security Council is

debating the situation in Afghanistan after the

elections, as well as the need for a new Afghan

Government to connect more strongly with its people,

fight corruption and narcotics, empower State

institutions and protect human rights, and in particular

women’s rights, so that the day may soon come when

Afghans can take care of Afghanistan’s security and

when Afghan men and women can run a democratic

Afghanistan.

We must continue to support the United Nations

Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which

has a mandate to coordinate international assistance

with the Afghan Government. UNAMA requires

additional resources, as well as a strong commitment

on the part of all United Nations Member States to the

coordination of efforts under Afghan leadership.

We stand on the threshold of a new era of nuclear

disarmament. The Review Conference of the Parties to

the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear

Weapons next year must set a clear and specific agenda

for the elimination of existing nuclear arsenals and for

ensuring that nuclear technologies are only applied

peacefully, to the benefit of mankind. Recent

information casts new doubt about Iran’s nuclear

ambitions. Iran itself has the opportunity and

responsibility to remove this doubt, and it is imperative

that it do so.

Furthermore, while nuclear weapons pose a threat

of mass destruction, actual destruction of mass

proportions is caused every day by small arms, cluster

munitions and landmines. Motivated by the

unacceptable harm that these weapons cause to

civilians, Norway is committed to humanitarian

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disarmament. We urge all States to accede to the

Convention on Cluster Munitions and to join

intensifying efforts to control small arms and the arms

trade.

Norway is honoured to have been elected a

member of the Human Rights Council and will work

with others to raise the credibility, effectiveness and

visibility of that important body. Last week, Norway

submitted to the Council its first report on the human

rights situation in my country, taking a critical look at

our own record and inviting constructive criticism. We

encourage all States to submit to similar constructive

criticism of their own records so that the review

process becomes substantial and meaningful.

Here in New York, we welcome the decision to

establish a new and enhanced gender entity and hope to

see it operational as soon as possible. We will pursue

the United Nations reform agenda and system-wide

coherence, as well as the Delivering as One agenda.

The United Nations should take pride in being subject

to more public scrutiny; reform must be an ongoing

effort. Only such an approach will allow us to keep

lending the United Nations all the support this noble

body deserves.