Opening Statement by Mr. Thorbjørn Jagland
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway
The Academic Council on the United Nations System
Thirteenth Annual Meeting
Oslo 16-18 june 2000
Ladies and gentlemen,
Allow me to begin my remarks by thanking the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) for bringing us together here on the occasion of the thirteenth annual meeting of the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS). The Government of Norway is very pleased to be able to support this conference.
ACUNS is pivotal in fostering closer ties between the academic community and officials and diplomats within the UN system. Drawing on the best of both worlds is essential if we are to have any hope of meeting the numerous international challenges facing us.
The theme of this conference is a highly relevant one. Today, the concept and practice of traditional national sovereignty is under attack from many directions. There are many problems that no country - not even the most powerful - can solve on its own. International cooperation is essential to safeguard national interests. This is not an entirely new development. The United Nations was created because states saw that they could only pursue their own interests through common efforts and international cooperation. In today's globalized world, this need is stronger than ever.
The United Nations has been given a unique role in the maintenance of international peace and security. However, it will always be the responsibility of member countries, the Security Council and the Secretary-General to equip the organization with the resolve, skills and resources it needs to deal effectively with threats to peace and security.
This means that we must get better at recognizing potential threats to peace and security at an early stage, and respond quickly to fast-breaking emergencies and crises.
The lack of response to emerging conflicts not only opens the way for violence, bloodshed and mass killings, it also erodes the very rules and norms of behaviour states have sought to establish among themselves.
The United Nations is our primary international instrument for preventing deadly conflict. It should be at the forefront in preventing armed conflict by addressing the root causes of conflict.
The member states must provide the United Nations with the necessary tools. The Secretary-General must always be in a position to obtain the information he needs when he needs it. He must always be in a position to provide the Security Council with relevant advice, and help it make appropriate and timely decisions. He must always be given the resources to conduct effective preventive diplomacy.
This will of course require funds and people with the necessary skills and experience. To this end, Norway will continue its active support for the United Nations, including the Trust Fund for Preventive Action.
We must also improve the rapid reaction capacity of the United Nations, including the capacity of the UN Secretariat to conduct integrated planning for peace support operations. I have recently discussed this issue with some of my colleagues, including Canada's foreign minister Axworthy. I feel we need to start a more systematic process of consultations with the UN Secretariat in New York and other key countries.
Peace operations need highly skilled leadership and staff. In this connection, Norway and the UN together organized the UNSMAS 2000 seminars last month in Oslo and New York. The aim of these two seminars was to train international civilian and military staff for key positions in UN-mandated peace operations.
We must also take steps to counter the illicit trade and spread of small arms and light weapons. Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes have demonstrated their relevance in Sierra Leone and elsewhere. Post-conflict rehabilitation and peace-building efforts are critical for preventing smouldering conflicts from bursting into open flame.
Norway is strongly committed to providing assistance in mediation and peace efforts. We believe we can play the role of an honest broker and can be called on by the parties to a conflict. This is why we are supporting the peace and reconciliation efforts of the United Nations and regional organizations in, for example, the Middle East, Colombia, Sri Lanka and Guatemala.
Since 1947, more than 60 000 Norwegians have served in peacekeeping operations all over the world. Right now, Norway has about 1400 military and police personnel participating in a majority of the UN-mandated operations world-wide. In the Middle East, our troops took part in UNIFIL in Southern Lebanon for 20 years and in UNTSO for over 50 years. We are ready to do our share in supporting the recent progress in the Middle East peace process.
International peace and security can only be maintained by international cooperative efforts. National sovereignty must be reconciled with international commitments. Our concept of security must include the individual as well as the state.
We must continue our efforts to ensure that individuals cannot commit war crimes and crimes against humanity with impunity. This will deter conflict. I warmly welcome the statute establishing an International Criminal Court. We must now seek the speedy entry into force and implementation of the statute.
The ad hoc tribunals for Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia have proved their usefulness. Now we need an international criminal court that is permanent and effective.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We need to keep a steady focus on the root causes of conflict - poverty, environmental degradation and lack of economic opportunity.
Financial assistance is essential. My Government intends to increase Norway's development assistance, which is currently at 0.9 per cent of our GDP, to a full one per cent (1%) of GDP.
Norway firmly believes that conflict prevention, humanitarian relief, and long-term development cannot be regarded as separate tasks. We need an integrated approach in which crisis management and peace-building are part of an overall development strategy.
Development assistance can only be one element in such a strategy. But we are convinced that it is an important one. We therefore call on other donor countries to follow the Nordic countries and the Netherlands and fulfil the UN target of allocating at least 0.7 per cent of GDP to development efforts.
This would be a clear sign of a renewed common commitment to poverty alleviation. It would also promote the dialogue between donor and recipient countries on ways to create inclusive structures and the broadest possible national ownership, so that long-term development becomes an ever more effective means of conflict prevention.
Norway is a major provider of humanitarian aid and emergency relief in areas affected by natural disasters and conflicts. The UN is the largest recipient and channel for our assistance. So far this year we have donated 70 million dollars to the consolidated appeals of the UN humanitarian office.
I see this not only as a means of meeting basic humanitarian needs, but also as a means of supporting conflict prevention, democracy, peace and reconciliation efforts and human rights. In this way, we try not only to save lives, but also to help build a culture of prevention and stop the spread of conflict to new areas and new countries.
Humanitarian aid and long-term development efforts are key elements in conflict-prevention strategies.
We can only make a difference to the lives of those suffering persecution and hardship if we remain true to the ideals and values on which the United Nations is founded. We can only make a difference if we work together to promote peace and security. We can only make a difference if we become better at identifying problems before they escalate into open conflicts.
We must do our utmost to contain and resolve conflicts at an early stage. In the words of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, "We have no excuses anymore. We have no excuses for inaction and no alibis for ignorance. Often we know even before the very victims of conflict that they will be victimized. We know because our world now is one -- in pain and in prosperity. No longer must the promise of prevention be a promise deferred. Too much is at stake, too much is possible, too much is needed."
Thank you.