Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Petersen

Speech at the Opening of the photography exhibition Trygve Lie – the first Secretary-General of the UN

Visitor’s lobby, UN Headquarters, New York,
22 September 2005

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Mr Secretary General and Mrs Annan
President of the 60 ^th> General Assembly, Mr Jan Eliasson
Under-Secretary-General Mr Shashi Tharoor
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

The 60 ^th> anniversary of the United Nations is an excellent opportunity to honour the first Secretary-General of the UN, Trygve Lie.

This exhibition takes us back to the formative years of the United Nations.

As the first Secretary-General, Trygve Lie was a key figure in those early years.

The first UN peacekeeping operation, UNTSO (United Nations Truce Supervision Organization), was established in 1948. This marked the start of one of the UN’s most important tasks. The blue helmets have been a UN trademark ever since.

Early on, Trygve Lie saw that the UN had a central role to play in assisting developing countries in their fight against poverty. The forerunner of UNDP, the UN Technical Assistance Administration, was approved by the General Assembly in 1949.

He was also deeply involved in the decision on the location and construction of this landmark building.

The need for the United Nations is just as great today as it was sixty years ago. The UN is becoming increasingly indispensable in our efforts to reduce poverty and promote development, peace-building, reconciliation, global security and respect for human rights.

Sixty years ago, Trygve Lie took the lead in the first crucial years. Now, we have just concluded a UN Summit tasked with charting the course for the UN in the 21 ^st> century. Without the painstaking efforts of the first Secretary-General, his team, and his successors, we would be much more poorly equipped to take on the challenges of today.

We are deeply grateful to Trygve Lie and his team for their efforts. His legacy is an obligation to us all, and to Norway in particular, to maintain our firm support for the World Organisation.

It is a pleasure for me to declare officially opened this exhibition in honour of the first Secretary-General of the United Nations, Trygve Lie.