The United Nations’ General Assembly: The SDG Summit
The segment on Unity and Solidarity: Strengthening the multilateral system for enhanced support, cooperation, follow-up and review
Speech/statement | Date: 19/09/2023 | Office of the Prime Minister
By Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (New York)
– We must reduce risks. We must speed up investments in renewable energy. Norway will double its climate-related development funding by 2026 and support the transformation of food systems, said Prime Minister Støre.
Check against delivery
Mr/Mme Chair, Excellencies,
The 2030 Agenda is at a critical crossroad. We need to act – fast, efficiently, and together. We need to strengthen the multilateral system. No country is protected from global threats and challenges. We can only successfully address them together.
First, access to financial resourcesis critical. Norway supports a reform of the international financial system to make the most out of our combined resources and to channel money to where it is needed most. The implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development must be fast tracked.
We must reduce risks. We must speed up investments in renewable energy. Norway will double its climate-related development funding by 2026 and support the transformation of food systems.
We must jointly and speedily address the debt crisis. It threatens livelihoods, prosperity, and the planet.
Norway will maintain a high level of development aid. This is especially important in low-income countries. Key priorities to Norway are combatting rising poverty levels and basic food security.
Second, we must address the lack of trust, between east and west, between north and south, and between governments and citizens.
The Secretary General’s initiative “Our Common Agenda” is important. We need an effective multilateral system to deliver on the 2030 Agenda – for upholding human rights, women’s rights – leaving no one behind.
National resources for development must be mobilized. We need better and legitimate tax policies, preventing capital from escaping our economies into the pockets of the few.
We need to govern with integrity, transparency, and inclusiveness. Local commitment to the SDGs is essential for success. Local governments must be enabled to deliver important services to their people.
Civil society and youth must be engaged at all levels.
Finally, we need to share, transfer, and invest in technology, innovations, data, and business concepts.
COVID-19 demonstrated shared vulnerability, but also shared responsibility. We have learned that in partnership we do better.
As partners; we can exploit synergies and accelerate on the 2030 Agenda.
Thank you.