Norway, 1999

The tragedy in East Timor

shows us again that when war and violence erupt the world

community turns to the United Nations for the resolution of

conflicts and the preservation of peace. We welcome the

Security Council’s action to endorse the multinational force

that is now moving in to bring security and aid to the

people of East Timor. Norway will contribute with

personnel and financing.

We look to the United Nations for hope and solutions,

and for the protection of human dignity and shared values

in a world of injustice and conflict. That is why the United

Nations is indispensable. And that is why we, the Member

States, must make use of the United Nations for peace and

development, whether it be in East Timor, in Kosovo or in

the Congo. In preparing for the Millennium Assembly, let

us together address global challenges in a new spirit, with

a new sense of purpose.

I would like to congratulate you, Sir, upon your

election to the presidency of the General Assembly.

Norway looks forward to working with you. I also warmly

welcome the three new Members of the United Nations, the

Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru and the

Kingdom of Tonga.

At the end of this century, globalization presents us

with political and moral dilemmas. There has been

remarkable progress in technological innovation and in

economic and democratic development. But at the same

time, while the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting

poorer. Poverty and pollution, violent conflict and violations

of human rights continue to haunt far too many people

around the world. Combatting poverty, preventing conflicts,

promoting human rights: these are the main challenges at

the top of our common global agenda for the next century.

We must ensure that globalization benefits all, not just the

few, and we must protect the environment.

To achieve this, we need to strengthen the multilateral

system. We must support the United Nations and its work

for global peace, security and sustainable development. We

must put the United Nations first.

Together we possess the knowledge and the resources

needed to eradicate poverty. But still, 1.3 billion people live

in extreme poverty. This is unacceptable, morally and

politically. It is an injustice and an obstacle to economic

and democratic progress. For all Member States, in the

North and in the South alike, changing this situation must

be our priority. And the United Nations must be the

primary instrument. There is no alternative. Let us build

a global partnership aimed at eradicating poverty. Let us

start by mobilizing the political will and the financial

resources needed to meet the target of cutting global

poverty in half by the year 2015. It is a matter of political

will; it can be done now.

National Governments have the primary

responsibility for sustainable development and for meeting

social needs. They must promote and protect the rule of

law, human rights and democracy. They must fight

corruption and pursue sound economic policies. There is

no doubt that development assistance is most effective in

countries where government is based on the principles of

good governance.

The international community must also do more to

create economic opportunities for the developing world.

The following steps would have a major impact.

First, we need to increase the transfer of official

development assistance from the North to the South.

Norway has been well above the United Nations target for

two decades. We intend to increase our development

assistance further, up to 1 per cent of gross domestic

product.

Secondly, we need partnerships that enable national

Governments to lead the way and determine their own

priorities. The private sector and business interests must

be brought into the development process, as the

Secretary-General has underlined.

Thirdly, development assistance and debt relief must

go hand in hand. Creditor nations must now give the

poorest members of the world community a new start.

Norway’s national debt-relief strategy is particularly

designed for this purpose. We also support the momentum

created by the Group of Seven States to give highly

indebted poor countries substantial debt relief.

Fourthly, the entry of developing countries into the

global market must be facilitated, not obstructed. This

must be focused on during the new round of multilateral

trade negotiations in the World Trade Organization.

In recent years, we have seen an increase in civil

wars, often with an additional element of foreign

involvement. The root causes can often be linked to

ethnic tension, as well as to inequity in the distribution of

17

resources - economic, social, natural and political. During

the 1990s, the activities of the United Nations have been

more extensive than ever before in the conduct of

preventive diplomacy, in the deployment of peacekeeping

forces and in the provision of humanitarian aid to the

victims of war.

But at the same time, there are critics who claim that

the United Nations has failed. Of course, many things could

have been done better, but we must not forget the many

successes and we must not forget that it is we, the Member

States, who are responsible for giving the United Nations

the mandates to act and the money and the means to

succeed. Let us not make the United Nations a scapegoat

for our own shortcomings. Instead, we must make sure that

the Security Council can fulfil its primary function in

international peace and security. We must act in accordance

with the United Nations Charter and international law. We

must put the United Nations first.

This means enhancing the capacity of the United

Nations for conflict prevention, crisis management and

long-term development. All Members must meet their

financial obligations to our world Organization and its

peace operations. Creating common security is not cost-

free. In particular, it is the duty of the most powerful

members of the United Nations to set an example for

others.

The United Nations must develop further its

cooperation with regional organizations. As Chairman-

in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation

in Europe (OSCE), Norway has been working to build

closer relations with the United Nations system. We need

constructive interaction between all international,

governmental and non-governmental organizations involved

in peacekeeping and post-conflict work in Europe and

elsewhere.

Kosovo is a tragic example of the complex conflicts

that we have seen in recent years. Building lasting peace

there will require the concerted efforts of all actors

involved: the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty

Organization (NATO), the OSCE, the European Union and

others. Our immediate concern is to secure a safe

environment for all the people of Kosovo through a credible

international presence.

We must promote integration between all the peoples

and nations of south-eastern Europe. We must include

everyone and isolate no one. This summer, at the Sarajevo

Summit, we pledged to make the Stability Pact a key

element of our efforts to ensure that democracy, peace

and prosperity become firmly rooted all over south-

eastern Europe.

At the same time, our efforts to build peace in the

Balkans must not be made at the expense of the poorest

people elsewhere in the world. They should not pay the

bill.

The United Nations and its agencies play a central

role in providing emergency aid to victims of war

everywhere. Humanitarian assistance should be

complemented by efforts to promote reconciliation,

democratic development and respect for human rights.

Compliance with international instruments is needed

to protect civilians in armed conflicts. We welcome the

Secretary-General’s report and the Security Council

resolution adopted last week. At the forthcoming Red

Cross Conference in Geneva, we must generate the

momentum needed to secure the protection aspects of

international humanitarian law. The early entry into force

of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

will be a vital contribution to the rule of law.

We must focus on human security, taking individuals

and their communities as our point of departure.

Combating poverty is crucial to human security.

The proliferation of anti-personnel mines and small

arms and the use of child soldiers pose a threat to human

security. They inflict deep wounds on society and

individuals. Recently, in Russia, we have seen how

terrorism strikes innocent people. We strongly condemn

such terrorist acts, for which there can be no excuse.

International efforts to deal with these serious issues must

be intensified.

We must vigorously pursue nuclear disarmament and

non-proliferation. The principles and objectives set out

under the process established by the Treaty on the Non-

Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) must be

honoured. The early entry into force of the

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and ratification

of the Treaty on Further Reduction and Limitation of

Strategic Offensive Arms (START II) are crucial

priorities. So are START III negotiations to lower nuclear

arsenals, and so is a cut-off treaty. These are all crucial

elements in a global agenda for sustainable human

development.

18

When natural disasters strike, the poor are the most

vulnerable. The recent tragedies in Turkey and Greece

affected us deeply. Increasingly, man’s pressure on the

environment seems to be a contributing factor to natural

disasters, which often cause extensive destruction in

developing countries. We must step up our efforts to assist

developing nations so that they become less vulnerable. In

this regard, Norway attaches great importance to the special

session of the General Assembly, to be convened next

week, on the Barbados Programme of Action for the

Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing

States.

Conflict prevention, humanitarian aid and development

efforts must go hand in hand. We must deal with the

underlying causes of poverty and need, not just the

symptoms. Political and economic reform should run in

parallel with humanitarian aid. We must close the gap

between relief and long-term development. This calls for

closer cooperation and the involvement of the whole United

Nations family as well as the Bretton Woods institutions.

The Secretary-General’s reports on Africa (A/52/871-

S/1998/318 and A/54/133-E/1999/79) clearly demonstrate

that poverty, underdevelopment and violent conflicts are

closely linked: we cannot address one without addressing

the others.

The Secretary-General has pointed to the need for a

comprehensive approach and better coordination of conflict

prevention and post-conflict peace-building in the United

Nations system. The Secretariat has already embarked on

the process of implementation and follow-up. Norway fully

supports the Secretary-General’s initiative and is ready to

provide practical and financial support for this important

endeavour. We will set aside $3 million for the Secretariat

to use for this purpose.

The situation in Africa gives rise to concern. Armed

conflicts are hampering development in many countries.

AIDS is also taking a heavy toll. There are positive signs

too: we are witnessing the growth of democracy, transfers

to civilian rule, free elections and economic and political

reforms in many African countries. But poverty remains a

major challenge.

Norway remains firmly committed to peace and

development in Africa. We will work with our African

partners for conflict management and development

cooperation. We will work with the United Nations, the

Organization of African Unity, subregional bodies such as

the Southern African Development Community, the

Economic Community of West African States, and others,

to achieve our common aims.

The Middle East peace process is at a critical

juncture. The vision that the parties had in 1993, when

the Oslo Accords were signed, is still valid. The fact that

Israel and the Palestinians have now embarked on final

status talks is a very positive sign. Strong support for the

peace process must remain a high priority for the

international community. We must work together with the

parties to achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace

that will guarantee prosperity and security for all

involved.

The world needs an effective multilateral machinery

to cope with common challenges. For the next century,

we must, first, build a stronger United Nations in the

fields of global security and economic and social

progress; secondly, use the United Nations as the primary

instrument for peace and development, democracy and

human rights; and thirdly, tackle poverty and conflict

prevention as the main challenges at the top of our

agenda. It is up to us, the Member States, to make this

possible. Together, we must make it happen.