The September 2005 Summit at the
UN General Assembly represents an important opportunity to review
progress in implementation of the Millennium Declaration and in
addressing global issues that have become even more urgent since
the year 2000. We concur with the Secretary General in that the
aims of the Declaration can be achieved, but only if we, the member
states, are willing to adopt a package of specific, concrete
decisions this year.
- Norway supports the comprehensive approach in the
Secretary General’s report ”In Larger Freedom”, addressing
challenges in the field of security, development and human rights
as issues which are closely interlinked, but which are also
important in their own right
- Norway’s priorities include; improving the peace building
capacities of the UN, improving the human rights machinery,
endorsing the principle of responsibility to protect and promoting
the initiatives in the humanitarian and development field, with a
particular view to meet the Millennium Development Goals
- Cross-sectional issues such as gender equality, children,
development, environmental sustainability, HIV/AIDS and the role of
civil society in creating new partnerships should be reflected not
only as Millennium Development Goals, but as crosscutting issues
integrated into UN programs wherever relevant. Norway believes that
the Summit should endorse this basic approach
- An effective multilateral system is essential in order to
arrive at joint solutions to global challenges. As a strong
supporter of the United Nations, Norway will work for UN reform in
all areas highlighted in the Secretary-General’s report; reforms
that will enable the UN system to play a more effective role in the
management of global peace and security, in combating world poverty
and in human rights and other relevant areas
Development
The 2005 Summit should give a
strong impetus to reach the MDGs by 2015. MDG targets should be
better integrated into comprehensive, country-owned poverty
reduction strategies.
- The carefully negotiated balance in the Monterrey consensus
should continue to form the basis for the scaling up of financing
for development:
- The responsibility of developing countries for putting forward
sound, transparent and accountable governance and development
strategies should be emphasized
- Norway warmly welcomes the announcement by the European Union
to scale up ODA to the 0.7% level by 2015, as well as the
intermediate targets set for 2010. Countries that have not yet
announced such timetables are encouraged to do so
- Debt relief continues to be important for poverty eradication
and MDG fulfillment. We welcome the announcement of new debt relief
measures by the G-8 and stress the need for additionality in the
financing of debt relief measures
- As a means to ensure swift delivery, the new commitments on ODA
and debt relief should be closely monitored
- We support the call for a completion of the Doha Round of
multilateral trade negotiations in a way that will fulfill its
development promise no later than 2006, as well as duty- and
quota-free market access for all exports from the least developed
countries
- Private sector involvement and foreign direct investment will –
with due regard paid to corporate social responsibility,
accountability and transparency – be essential to generate growth
and employment in developing countries
- A global endorsement of the Paris Declaration on harmonization,
with a full list of targets for implementation should be included
in the outcome document
- We recognize that in order to reach the MDGs the systematic
subordination and inequalities facing women need to be
eliminated. Using the Beijing Platform for Action as the
foundation of which gender dimensions of these goals are understood
and addressed, development effectiveness can be
enhanced in a powerful way.
- We support the proposal to intensify the battle against
infectious diseases including malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS,
and pledge to step up our support to the global efforts. We support
the proposal to establish a specific target and accompanying
indicators under MDG 5 on universal access to sexual and
reproductive health services by 2015 through a strengthened primary
health care system. Sexual and reproductive health and rights are
essential components of HIV/AIDS prevention.
- The essential partnership in development efforts between the UN
system and the international financial institutions needs to be
fully recognized and reflected
- Environmental sustainability is a precondition for all efforts
to meet the MDGs. The Summit should therefore reconfirm the
commitments contained in the declaration from the 2002 World Summit
on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.
Peace and collective security
Norway is committed to working
for a strengthened system of collective security, based on the
Charter of the UN, to prevent, mitigate and remove threats to peace
and security, to promote economic development and human freedom,
and to provide effective security for all States and peoples.
- We remain dedicated to the special role of the UN in the
peaceful resolution of disputes, and we will continue to support
the good offices of the Secretary-General in conflict prevention
and mediation
- We have noted with interest the proposal to strengthen stand-by
capacities for rapid deployment of UN military peacekeeping forces
and civilian police. We are looking forward to taking part in more
detailed discussions on the subject. We welcome the increased
co-operation between the UN regional and sub-regional organisations
as yet another means of strengthening the global capacity for peace
operations.
- The full participation of women in peacebuilding and conflict
prevention and resolution must be emphasized by the Summit in
accordance with Security Council Resolution 1325.
- Norway supports the proposal to establish a new peacebuilding
commission in the UN and stands ready to take part in the
consultations now needed on composition, mandate and reporting
lines
- The proposal to set up a multiyear standing fund for
peacebuilding is positive. Clarification is needed on its
relationship to existing peacebuilding mechanisms within the UN, to
country-specific multidonor trust funds, to programs related to
post conflict and reconstruction in the international financial
institutions and to the composition of the peacebuilding
commission. Given satisfactory clarifications to the above, Norway
intends to make a substantial contribution to the proposed
fund
- Norway supports the idea of establishing a Peacebuilding
Support Office within the Secretariat. We believe that the office
should be relatively small, and with a primary aim of effectively
supporting operations in the field drawing on all relevant
competencies within the UN System
- We support the call for all States to pursue and intensify
negotiations to advance general and complete disarmament and
strengthening the international non-proliferation regime.
Compliance and verification needs to be clearly addressed
- Norway supports the comprehensive UN counter-terrorism
strategy. A comprehensive convention on terrorism should be
concluded as soon as possible
Human rights and the rule of law
Norway strongly supports the
proposals to elevate the position of human rights in the United
Nations, alongside security and development.
- We support a strengthening of the Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights to more effectively respond to the
broad range of human rights challenges facing the international
community. To this end we favour a doubling of resources to the
OHCHR from the UN’s regular budget. The treaty bodies and the
special mechanisms should in our view be made more relevant to
OHCHR’s operational activities, to the UN at field level and to the
reporting states. The effectiveness of the human rights treaty
bodies needs to be improved, including through additional
resources. The implementation of their recommendations should be
strengthened. We agree to the need to strengthen the mainstreaming
of human rights into the activities of the United Nations.
- Norway fully supports the recommendation to embrace the
responsibility to protect, and for States to act on it in
accordance with the Charter of the UN
- Norway strongly supports the proposal to strengthen the
capacity of the UN in promoting the rule of law, and welcomes the
establishment of a Rule of Law Assistance Unit within the UN
Secretariat
Strengthening the United Nations
To play its role and meet the
challenges of the 21
st> Century, the UN needs reform and modernization in
a number of areas. This remains a core objective for the
Summit.
- The General Assembly with its universal membership, should play
more important and focused role in addressing the major substantive
issues of our time. Its agenda and working methods must undergo a
major overhaul for the Assembly to revive this role.
- Norway believes that the Security Council must be reshaped and
expanded to strengthen its legitimacy and efficiency. We support an
expansion with both new permanent and non-permanent members, but do
not support providing new members with veto power. A decision on
Security Council expansion should preferably be taken before the
Summit and all efforts should be made to ensure broad based
agreement. We feel strongly that this matter should not hinder
reform efforts in other important fields discussed at the
Summit
- ECOSOC should engage itself more effectively to better address
the current economic, social, environmental, humanitarian and human
rights issues. We believe that ECOSOC could play an important
role in follow-up and review of the major UN Conferences
including by monitoring and reporting on developed and developing
countries’ progress to achieve the MDGs
- We support the proposal to up-grade the Commission on Human
Rights to a Human Right Council, reflecting the centrality of human
rights in the UN system. Its functional relationship with other
parts of the UN system should ensure that the Council is made able
to operate efficiently and effectively to strengthen the UN human
rights machinery. It is of crucial importance that the best
features of the Commission are retained, such as the special
procedures and the active participation of NGOs.
- Norway supports management reforms to make the United Nations a
more effective and efficient instrument for forging a united
response to common threats and needs. Efficient resource and
program management, accompanied with effective accountability, are
critical. It is therefore essential that matters of management,
administration, personnel, accountability, transparency and
oversight are dealt with in a comprehensive and integrated manner
at the Summit. This modernization of the United Nations should
also, while strengthening accountability, transparency and
oversight functions, safeguard the authority and responsibility of
the Secretary-General and prevent micro-management by Member
States
- We are concerned with the lack of progress with regard to
gender balance within the Secretariat. We need to utilize the
full potential of both men and women to create a more efficient
United Nations.
- Efforts within the UN Development Group to make the UN
development system less fragmented, more cohesive and aligned with
country development programs should be strengthened. Norway has,
together with a group of likeminded countries, presented
comprehensive proposals for reform of UN operational activities.
More radical reforms may be needed in the medium to longer term to
address structural constraints for improved system coherence
- Humanitarian reform needs to be addressed substantively, in
particular with regard to strengthening headquarters and field
coordination structures and the leadership of the UN humanitarian
coordinator. The humanitarian coordinator will need improved access
to funding. Norway stands ready to make substantial contributions
to the UN to improve the international response in humanitarian
crises
- We welcome the increasing cooperation between the UN and
regional organizations such as NATO, EU, AU, ECOWAS and others in
increasing the capacity of the international community to respond
more quickly and more efficiently to peacekeeping needs
