Senator Nelson,
Congressman Lantos,
Rabbi Melchior,
Ladies and gentlemen,

“Sometimes we must interfere.
When human lives are endangered,
when human dignity is in jeopardy,
national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant.

Whenever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe.”

I have borrowed these words from Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel because they fit so well with the reason why we are here this evening. We are here to honour two people who did indeed “interfere” when many others did not, and who had the courage and compassion to act when they saw that human lives and human dignity were in danger: Hans Christian Mamen, who risked his life to save Jewish refugees during World War II, and Trygve Lie, whose efforts as Secretary-General of the United Nations helped to make the organization the most important forum we have for dealing with strife and suffering.

We are also here today to commemorate the history of Jewish life in Norway, which goes back more than 150 years. It is a history that holds both triumph and tragedy, a history that has not been shared well enough or widely enough. The Jewish community in Norway has always been small, but many of its members have played a prominent role in Norwegian society.

The exhibition reflects this, and I hope that you and other visitors will leave with a more complete picture of Norway over the past century-and-a-half.

The atrocities of World War II reached Norway as well as most of the rest of Europe, and Jews in Norway were not spared. Half of Norway’s Jewish population perished during the Nazi occupation. This exhibition pays tribute to their memory and reminds us yet again of what can happen if we do not “interfere”, if we do not get involved when human life and human dignity are at stake.

I am pleased to note that the exhibition includes an account of how Norway, as the first country in the world, has completed a restitution process to compensate Jews for their loss and their suffering during the Nazi occupation. In 1999, the Norwegian government, of which I was a member at the time, granted the equivalent of 64 million dollars for this purpose. As part of this process, the Center for Studies of Holocaust and Religious Minorities has been established. It will move to Villa Grande, which was once Vidkun Quisling’s mansion in Oslo, in 2005, the year Norway celebrates its 100 ^th> anniversary as an independent nation.

This evening, we also have an opportunity to learn more about a Norwegian who dedicated much of his life to an organization that was born out of the horrors of WWII, the United Nations – an organization created in the hope that nations, by working together, could prevent conflict and war and make sure that there would never be another Holocaust. Trygve Lie, as the first Secretary-General, stood at the helm of the brand new UN, and steered the organization through its first turbulent years.

Listen to what he said in the summer of 1950:

“Hundreds of millions of human beings are anxiously awaiting the dawn of a new life. The interdependence of all continents….does in fact require a series of bold acts….(This) will prove of benefit to the whole world.”

Between 1946 and 1952, Trygve Lie set the United Nations on a course of bold action to secure and sustain peace. His life and work were of benefit to the entire world. This evening we can view a unique collection of photos from his life, thanks to his daughter, Mrs.Guri Lie Zeckendorf.

The common denominator for the two parts of the exhibition is human rights. One of the first priorities addressed by Trygve Lie’s United Nations was to codify a set of universal rights for individuals, rights that applied to everybody, regardless of religion or race. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in December 1948, in the hope that it could prevent the horrors of war from being repeated.

That hope has been shattered many times over. But the Declaration remains the bedrock of our human rights efforts today, laying down the fundamental right of all people to a “life in dignity and freedom”. This right, for all people, in all countries, must be something we are prepared to fight as hard for today as Trygve Lie did almost 60 years ago.

The absence of war is an essential basis for a life in “dignity and freedom”, but so is the absence of poverty. This is why Norway is so deeply involved in efforts in the developing world, and why these efforts enjoy such strong support among the Norwegian people.

I believe there is a strong link between the fight for human rights and the fight against poverty.

Poverty is often an underlying cause of conflict, instability and displacement. Poverty is the major obstacle to development. Poverty prevents the realisation of human rights for millions of people around the world today.

A life in poverty is not only a life without sufficient food, shelter and clean water – it is also a life deprived of dignity and freedom, deprived of choice, and deprived of the hope of a better future. I see this in the eyes of the people I meet when I travel in the developing world – the loss of dignity, the lack of hope. It is unbearable, unfair, and unacceptable.

Development cooperation is about justice and rights – not about charity. Almost all states, in all parts of the world, have made a moral and legal commitment to focus on human rights in development. This gives cause for optimism. But we must all play our part in making sure that legal commitments are translated into more than fine words on paper – so that we can make real progress in improving the lives of the poor.

I would like to end by sharing with you a few lines from one of my favourite poems, written by the Norwegian poet Arnulf Øverland back in 1937. It is called “Dare not to sleep”, and is a powerful call to action during the darkest days of our history.

“How dare you endure, sitting smug in your home
Saying: Sorry, so sad, poor they are, and alone
You cannot allow it! You dare not, at all.
Accepting the outrage that on all else may fall.

I cry with the final gasps of my breath
You dare not be seated, nor stand and forget.”

Let it remind us of unfairness and suffering, both past and present.

Let it remind us of our duty to “interfere” – in the past, now and in the future.

Thank you.