Dear Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

In his acceptance speech on February 2, 1946, the first Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Trygve Lie, who had until then been foreign minister of Norway, said:

"Those who gave their lives in order that we may be free, those who lost their homes, those who suffered, and still suffer, from the consequences of war have given us a sacred mandate: that is, to build a firm foundation for the peace of the world. We may find difficulties and obstacles ahead of us. But the harder the task, the higher the prize. It is the future of the whole civilised world which is at stake."

Trygve Lie sought to make his office a "source for peace" at a time when the powers of the world organisation were limited, its institutions new and largely untried. It is sobering to study some of the issues he was struggling with, half a century ago: The advent of the Cold War, The Partition Plan for Palestine, the two Chinas, the Korea conflict, weapons of mass destruction, the Kashmir dispute, the unanimity rule of the Security Council and the vetoes applied by the Great Powers, the financing of the organisations, the need to broaden the authority of the office of Secretary-General. Does this sound familiar? There were many more issues, including what he called "a world-wide crusade against that most ancient enemy of mankind, poverty."

Trygve Lie himself once said that "50 years is a very short time in which to accomplish so great a result as the prevention and abolition of war. I think it can be done and I am not an optimist."

When news went out that this year’s Nobel Peace prize was awarded to the United Nations and to Secretary-General Kofi Annan, it was met with praise all over the world.

The award is even more fitting in the year of the centennial anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize. I congratulate our guests from the UN. You are all distinguished representatives of your organisation. You contribute every day to the great task of making possible a peaceful and better world. You have dedicated your professional lives to the struggle to ensure that people everywhere can live in freedom from fear and freedom from want. We are grateful for the efforts you make and honoured that you are with us tonight.

The world is still scourged with violent conflicts and there are still millions of people who depend upon the UN in their daily lives. Afghanistan is just the latest of many battlefields. It is my hope and belief that we have learnt from past experiences, and that in Afghanistan we will get it right from the start. As Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said it himself: "The UN will be judged on how it handles the situation in Afghanistan." But this applies to the whole international community. In order to succeed, multilateral and bilateral actors must work together with the national authorities. We must ensure that a political solution is underpinned by the rebuilding of the country. Peace-building requires comprehensive approaches and long-term commitments. We must be ready to make them.

As you all know the United Nations represents a cornerstone of Norwegian development policy - as well as of Norwegian foreign policy. This government is determined to continue Norway’s longstanding support to the UN. This implies not least the efforts of the UN to ensure economic and social development. The post-September 11 ^th> situation clearly accentuates the importance of the UN in dealing with the global challenges facing us.

At the Millennium Summit last year we all agreed on the Millennium Declaration as a way of responding to the global challenges of poverty, disease, and environmental degradation. Norway remains strongly committed to the Declaration and plays its full part in the joint efforts to achieve the ambitious Millennium Development Goals within the 2015 timeframe.

There have been a lot of positive changes in the UN. It is my strong impression that the system is better co-ordinated, and that the joint analytical and programmatic tools are beginning to function well. As you know, Norway and the other Nordic countries have been favouring this development for a long time. I am happy to note that issues which were once sensitive and controversial, now seem to be at the core of the development debate in the UN. At the same time, there is always room for improvements. I encourage all of you to continue to give high priority to further improving the co-ordination within the UN-system and with the other development actors, including active participation in the PRSP-processes.

The Indian scientist and winner of the 1998 Nobel price in economics, Dr. Amartya Sen, has stated that development must be about expanding peoples’ freedoms. The freedom to live a life that each and every one of us has reason to value. This corresponds very much with the UNDP definition – development as policies that expand people’s choices. We all have a shared responsibility in making these choices real for everyone. Every single person.

We need to create access to basic education and health services for all, not least girls and women.

We must ensure the freedom of democratic participation for all citizens to engage in open, public debate without fear of any kind of retribution.

And finally, we need to ensure the possibility of all citizens to act as economic actors: to own, buy and sell assets.

This is related to freedoms – but not least to rights. The right to education and health services, to participation and to have access to markets.

There are three major events under the UN umbrella next year: the Conference on Financing for Development, the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+10), and the UN Special Session on Children, which was postponed due to the events of this fall. Each of these events provides an opportunity to determine our common future.

We are at a crossroads. The Secretary-General said last year during the Millennium Assembly that in order to make globalisation a success for all, we need to learn how to govern better together. Globalisation does not limit the need for effective, democratic governance. In fact, the opposite is the case. Yet, globalisation severely limits what even the biggest nation states can accomplish on their own, faced with issues and actors that are increasingly global. Thus, multilateralism is more important than ever - and in particular a strong United Nations.

When the Nobel Committee awarded this year’s Peace Price to the UN, it was not only in recognition of the work that the UN had done and is doing. It should also be seen as an encouragement to do even better in the time to come.

In his final statement before the General Assembly, on April 7, 1953, Trygve Lie said:

"Our Organisation reflects the imperfections of our time, but it is also an expression of the most constructive forces of our world and a symbol of hope for the future. ... I am no Utopian. I see in the United Nations a practical approach to peace and progress, not by any quick and easy formulas, but by wise, loyal, and persistent use of its institutions by the Member States over many years."

Tonight, on the eve of the ceremony, we salute you and the organisation you represent. We promise that we will be there together with you in the quest to make the UN even better.

Thank you.