Minister of Foreign Affairs Bjørn Tore Godal

The 50th session of The United Nations, General Assembly

New York, 25 September 1995

Fifty years ago, my countryman Trygve Lie became Secretary General of an organization with a very modest structure but with a "sacred mandate", as he said in his acceptance speech, "... to build a firm foundation for the peace of the world". Since then, ever greater demands have been made on the United Nations in terms of leadership, ideas, manpower and finances. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the United Nations we must empower the UN to work with renewed vigor and effectiveness in promoting peace, human rights, sustainable development, equality, justice and understanding among peoples.

Rather than being poised to take on new challenges, however, the UN finds itself in a financial crisis of major proportions. The Secretary General has recently pointed out that the Organization is in a technical sense insolvent - yes, bankrupt. Only prompt payment by a small number of Member States has enabled it to continue to operate. The situation is more serious than ever before because of the unprecedented amounts involved and the fact that one major contributor's payment is being withheld and is expected to be unilaterally reduced in the years ahead.

The desperate financial situation reflects the inadequate priority given to the United Nations by many of its members, which is in clear violation of their obligations. It may sound harsh, Mr. President, coming from a country which consistently pays USD 100 per capita to the UN system, I have difficulties in explaining to my electorate that other rich countries are not even willing to provide one tenth of that level.

At the same time, I realize that the UN assessment system should be reformed without delay. Moreover, experience has shown that the United Nations itself needs to be reformed, restructured and modernized. Norway wholeheartedly supports the reform process launched to strengthen the UN system and make it more representative and effective. This should include expansion of the membership of the Security Council and increased transparency of its methods of work.

Mr. President,
To meet the twin challenges of peace and sustainable development, the United Nations and its Member States should proceed along five parallel paths:

Firstly, we must help to increase local and regional capacity to handle conflict situations. For instance, African countries have signaled via the OAU that they are prepared to take on a larger share of the responsibility for solving their own problems. In response, Norway will cooperate with partners in Southern Africa building up standby reserves of qualified personnel for peace operations under UN or OAU auspices.

Secondly, more nations must be willing to contribute to the UN peacekeeping forces. Traditional troop contributors do not have the capacity to provide all the personnel that will be needed in future peacekeeping missions aimed at solving disputes, protecting local populations and providing humanitarian assistance. Both the UN and the traditional troop-contributing countries must assist potential troop contributors with competence-building measures, just as the Nordic countries are assisting the Baltic states.

Thirdly, the rapid reaction and standby capability of the UN must be improved. Norway is prepared to join in efforts to develop new, much-needed instruments to deal quickly and effectively with crisis situations. The rapid reaction capability must also include humanitarian assistance. The UN should continue to play a central role in coordinating humanitarian relief efforts.

Norway has given high priority to measures that enable us to respond expeditiously to requests for assistance. We have established an effective preparedness system for emergency assistance that covers both personnel and materiel. Emergency equipment can be airborne within 24 hours. Experienced personnel can be in the field within 72 hours. In Rwanda, a fully equipped field hospital, accompanied by the necessary personnel, was recently at short notice delivered to the UN in accordance with these procedures. With a view to improving the UN response to support requirements, Norway has offered to provide facilities for a UN medical depot where medical equipment and supplies for peacekeeping and humanitarian operations can be stored and maintained.

Fourthly, we must put even greater emphasis on conflict-prevention measures. The international community must be present in unstable areas, and must provide economic incentives, mediation expertise and human rights monitors. Conflict prevention is the most effective way of using limited resources. Norway will continue to shoulder its share of the responsibility, for instance in Guatemala where we are actively involved in the peace process together with the other members of the Group of Friends. Norway has established a special human resource bank for human rights and democracy which is able to offer experts at short notice to assist countries and peoples in their efforts to build democratic societies.

The international community must be prepared to act decisively when atrocities are committed. Serious crimes should be prosecuted by an International Criminal Tribunal. The establishment of ad hoc tribunals in former Yugoslavia and Rwanda has provided momentum for the efforts to establish a permanent court. The Tribunal's role should be limited to cases where national jurisdiction is unavailable or ineffective.

Fifthly, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, we call on the UN to take a decisive lead in promoting sustainable development and eradicating poverty. Efforts to improve global security must address the issues of economic growth, development and poverty, while ensuring that the use of natural resources is kept within the carrying capacity of the Earth. The UN must become a driving force for sustainable development.

The UN is the only forum with a mandate to tackle the truly global problems affecting the environment and the sustainable management of natural resources. The Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks provided an invaluable contribution to the management of fishery resources. We are also pleased that, just a few days ago, the UN Panel on Forests was able to take the first steps to protect, preserve and manage the world's forests in a sustainable manner.

I would like to stress the need for a concerted effort within the UN system to ensure that the results from the major conferences in Cairo, Copenhagen and Beijing on population, social development and women actually become translated into law and realities locally, nationally and at international level.

With a growing world population, we have witnessed the spread of the gravest insult to human dignity - poverty. Our inability to eradicate poverty haunts our common conscience. As long as the gap between rich and poor, whether between states or within states, continues to widen we cannot claim to be on the right track. If we are to alleviate poverty, both donors and recipients must make more resources available for social welfare activities. At least 20 per cent of development assistance budgets and national budgets of recipient countries should be allocated to the social sector.

Mr. President,
The conflict in the former Yugoslavia is far from being solved, even though the prospects for a negotiated solution now appear much better than they did until recently. Norway welcomes the agreement on basic principles which resulted from the Geneva meeting on 8 September. The United States deserves praise for her persistent efforts in this regard. It is vitally important that the members of the international community, in particular the Contact Group countries, continue their common approach to the solution of the crisis. In this context, the UN and EU mediators can make a valuable contribution.

The success of the mediation efforts depends entirely on the readiness of the parties to compromise. We strongly urge all the parties to show flexibility and restraint, and to refrain from attempting to obtain further advantages on the battlefield. Special attention must be given to displaced persons, who whenever possible must be allowed to repossess their homes.

The time has come to start reflecting on the reconstruction of this war-devastated region. This will require a sustained international effort. The UN system together with the European Union and others must play a leadership role in coordinating programs in various fields such as economic reconstruction, humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees, democracy-building and human rights. Local leaders have a heavy responsibility to prevent a new arms race, human rights abuses and renewal of tensions in the area. Norway will continue to support the process of building peace and prosperity in the former Yugoslavia.

I call on the General Assembly to lend its full and undivided support to the peace process in the Middle East. The new interim agreement is a significant and necessary follow-up of the Oslo Agreement. Today we salute once more Israeli and Palestinian leaders for their courage and determination. As chairman of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee to coordinate donor activities, I strongly urge the donors to continue to support the Middle East peace process by providing economic assistance to the Palestinian people. Our common interest in peace in the Middle East is the best argument for economic support to the Palestinian areas.

Mr. President,
Nuclear testing is a threat to our search for common security and the environment and should be banned. We deeply deplore the Chinese and French tests, which we fear may complicate the ongoing negotiations in Geneva on a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. We would once again urge all nuclear weapons states to refrain from further nuclear testing during the negotiations and until the treaty enters into force.

Land mines are among the most insidious weapons in common use. They cause indiscriminate and widespread suffering and continue to spread terror for years or even decades after hostilities have ended. We call for a total ban on the production, stockpiling, trade and use of anti-personnel land mines. In the absence of such a ban, we urge all countries to adhere to the UN 1980 Weaponry Convention. No strengthening of the Land Mine Protocol will be effective unless adherence to it becomes universal.

Mr. President,
Let us seize the opportunity offered by the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations to renew our support to the UN and to its aims. Each and every one of us must help to ensure that the United Nations becomes what we need and what future generations have the right to expect: an effective tool to harness our strength and unite us in maintaining peace, promoting social progress and protecting human dignity.