Norway, 2004

When we met here in

the General Assembly last year, it was against the

backdrop of the terrible and devastating attack on the

United Nations headquarters in Baghdad. This year we

are meeting after a number of terrorist attacks, most

recently the gruesome terrorist attack on children on

their very first day of school in Beslan, Russia.

Terrorism is not a new threat. But the scale and

brutality of recent terrorist operations have altered our

lives and our thinking and forced us to take new

measures to protect ourselves against this threat.

Terrorism can strike anywhere and at any time.

Terrorism is a threat to our security; it creates fear and

want, and severely hampers economic and social

development. No cause, however legitimate, can justify

acts of terrorism.

The fight against terrorism must continue to be a

top priority for the United Nations and the world

community. We must act in accordance with

international law and human rights. Democratic values

and the rule of law are our strongest cards in the fight

against terror.

We, the Members of the United Nations, have a

responsibility to make the Organization robust enough

to address the many tasks we have assigned it. The

challenges are many. Unified efforts are needed to

bring peace and stability to Iraq. Security Council

resolution 1546 (2004) stresses that the international

community must help the new Iraqi Government in its

current effort to create a better future. However,

functional national democracies and constitutional

institutions are not created by United Nations

resolutions. In Iraq, they can be created only by the

Iraqis themselves. The international community and

the United Nations can, and should, facilitate and assist

in this process, provided that the necessary security is

ensured. Our Government fully supports the efforts of

the Special Representative of the Secretary-General,

Ashraf Qazi, and his team of dedicated women and

men.

Afghanistan is at a critical juncture. More than

1,000 people, both Afghans and internationals, have

been killed there so far this year. Reconstruction efforts

and efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the

most vulnerable are being hampered. Development

activities are key elements in ensuring stability and

security. Without security there will be no progress,

and without progress there will be no security. There is

a continued need for international security forces. The

political process leading to elections is another

essential requirement for stability. The United Nations

must continue to play an important role.

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While the world is waiting for a political solution

to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, the

situation continues to worsen. The construction of the

separation barrier and the expansion of settlements are

serious threats to the two-State solution.

The Israeli plan to withdraw from Gaza and four

settlements in the West Bank could be a step in the

right direction if it is implemented in accordance with

the road map and Security Council resolutions, and in

keeping with the vision of a two-State solution.

A viable and well-functioning Palestinian

Authority is critical to a peaceful solution to the

conflict. The Palestinian leaders themselves must

contribute by implementing reforms as set out in the

road map. The Palestinian Authority has a clear

responsibility to fight Palestinian terrorism.

In my capacity as Chairman of the Ad Hoc

Liaison Committee for Assistance to the Palestinian

People, I am encouraged by the many statements that I

have heard to the effect that the international

community stands ready to assist in the implementation

of the planned withdrawal. However, key issues must

be addressed. Most importantly, withdrawal from Gaza

must be carried out in a way that is conducive to the

normalization of the Palestinian economy.

Norway, together with other partners in the Ad

Hoc Liaison Committee, will host a donor conference

before the end of the year. I appeal to the States

Members of the United Nations to support the

Palestinian Authority.

In Darfur we are facing another crisis, which is

first and foremost a question of the safety and security

of the civilian population, humanitarian access and the

provision of food, medicine and shelter. The concern of

the international community was expressed in Security

Council resolution 1564 (2004), adopted on Saturday.

All armed groups must cease the violence. The

Norwegian Government expects the Sudanese

authorities to fully comply with Security Council

resolutions.

The Darfur crisis makes it even more important to

continue the Naivasha peace process. A comprehensive

peace agreement for southern Sudan will lay the

foundation for a national solution to the political issues

in Darfur. We welcome the decision to resume the talks

between the Government of the Sudan and the Sudan

People’s Liberation Army in Kenya. We urge them to

work without delay to conclude a comprehensive peace

agreement.

Targeting humanitarian personnel in conflict

areas is absolutely unacceptable. Such acts of violence

constitute grave breaches of international humanitarian

law. We are being forced to rethink our approach to

security. It is important, however, to avoid a situation

where overly strict security measures prevent the

United Nations from acting effectively on the ground.

Such rules might further distance the civilian

population and therefore result in a loss of legitimacy

and local support.

Providing security for United Nations personnel

is not without costs. When we ask the United Nations

to carry out difficult tasks in unsafe environments, we

must also be willing to cover the expenses involved.

We look forward to the Secretary-General’s

recommendations on the basis of the report of the

High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change.

That report will come at a crucial point in time for the

United Nations. The United Nations needs to take

earlier and more coordinated action as threats to peace

and security emerge. Such action also needs to be

sustained in a coordinated and effective fashion.

We agree that our collective security system

needs reform. Such reform must include, among other

issues, the sensitive question of Security Council

enlargement. We hope that a broad set of concrete

recommendations by the High-level Panel will enable

us to agree on measures to better meet current and new

threats and challenges. The Panel should take care to

ensure that both hard and soft security issues are

addressed, as well as the linkages between them.

Member States have the responsibility to ensure that

the Secretary-General’s recommendations, based on the

report of the Panel, are actively followed up.

The resolution of armed conflicts is not solely the

province of the United Nations. Regional organizations

also have significant contributions to make — and their

capacities should be strengthened. The United Nations

is indispensable in delivering legitimacy. Regional

organizations, with their local knowledge, are well

placed to meet challenges on the ground. Yet the

institutional mechanisms for ensuring effective

partnership and real burden-sharing between the United

Nations and regional organizations are not in place.

This situation must be rectified.

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A case in point is the involvement of the African

Union (AU) in Sudan. Norway welcomes the response

to the Darfur crisis by the AU and its member States.

The AU mission must be enhanced both by becoming

more pro-active and by increasing the number of

participants. Norway has supported the AU and the

United Nations in providing security and humanitarian

relief in Darfur. We stand ready to continue to support

those efforts.

I believe that strengthening Africa’s capacity for

peacekeeping and peace-building is essential if we are

to deal with the challenges that United Nations

peacekeeping is facing. For nearly ten years, Norway

has contributed to peacekeeping through our Training

for Peace in Southern Africa Programme. We plan to

expand that programme to West Africa.

It is uplifting to see the progress being made in

many African countries. We applaud the basic

principles and political priorities being addressed by

the New Partnership for Africa’s Development and

welcome last week’s inauguration of the Pan-African

Parliament. This strengthening of the political

dimension of regional cooperation testifies to the

dedication of African leaders and holds promise of an

even more active and efficient role for the AU in the

years to come.

Without economic growth there will be no

improvement in welfare and wealth distribution, and

little hope of peace and security. International trade

may be an important engine for creating growth and

welfare. However, this will not happen by itself. A

sound basis for growth and welfare that benefits all

countries can be created only by means of fair trade

rules developed through international cooperation. In

this respect, the World Trade Organization framework

agreement reached in Geneva in July is a milestone.

We avoided any deadlock or setback, and now we can

renew our efforts to achieve substantial progress on the

Doha Development Agenda. I noted that in his speech,

President Lula da Silva said that “If successful, the

Doha Round could lift more than 500 million people

out of poverty”. This certainly shows the opportunities

of globalization. However, ensuring that economic

growth actually improves the livelihoods of ordinary

people requires adequate domestic policies.

In an ever more globalized world, we need

forums to develop the international guidelines

necessary to facilitate cooperation. However, we all

need to do our part. It has been 10 years since the

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate

Change entered into force. More than 120 countries

have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, and we are now

awaiting the ratification that will allow it to enter into

force. I welcome the news that Russia is seriously

considering the ratification of the Protocol, but I regret

that some countries have not yet been willing to join

forces in facing one of the most serious global

challenges of our time.

Fulfilling the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol

is a first step towards coming to grips with the

challenge of climate change. The entire international

community, and notably the largest emitters, must

make a much more ambitious commitment in this field;

we have no time to lose. In the Arctic region we are

already experiencing the effects of climate change as

seen in a temperature rise that is substantially greater

than the global average.

Next year we will take stock of developments

since the Millennium Declaration was adopted. This is

an opportunity to review progress and, where

necessary, intensify efforts to fulfil our commitment to

reducing poverty and achieving development. True

gender equality and education for all stand out as

crucial in this regard. The Summit in 2005 should also

focus on international efforts to promote peace-

building, reconciliation, global security and respect for

human rights. We must take decisive steps during the

next General Assembly to meet development targets

and create a safer and more peaceful world.

The United Nations is indispensable as our most

universal and representative organization. Norway has

devoted a great deal of effort to building the

multilateral system. We are proud of our political and

financial contributions to the United Nations system.

We are eager to see the United Nations strengthened

and reshaped, so that it can remain our most important

instrument for addressing global challenges. Norway

remains committed to supporting the United Nations in

meeting those challenges.