Mr. Secretary-General,
Ms. Annan,

I join my other Government colleagues in saying how very pleased we are to see you both here, and how much we appreciate the opportunity to sit down and discuss important issues of mutual interest. Welcome!

Although I would like you to sit back, relax and enjoy this luncheon, I shall first of all raise two issues that I care deeply about.

Mr. Secretary-General,

You have made the war against the HIV/AIDS pandemic both a personal priority and a political cause for the UN system. You have demonstrated true leadership in spurring on the members of the United Nations to do more - much more - to confront it head on.

Together with the members of my Aidsforum, whom I have also invited to this lunch, I visited Nairobi and Uganda last week. I wanted to see with my own eyes what is happening on the front lines in the war against AIDS. We came back profoundly moved by what we had seen. After meeting the children in the slums of Nairobi and the orphans in Uganda, none of us will ever be quite the same again.

But we also came back with the conviction that it is possible to do something about this deadly disease. With political leadership from you, on behalf of the UN, from President Museveni of Uganda, President Obasanjo of Nigeria and a growing number of African leaders, we can turn the tide. If we work together.

To win this battle, we will need a massive infusion of new resources. We need a bigger war chest; there is no doubt about that.

Again, you have taken the lead. You have been a pioneer in the preparations for the new global fund that is now being established. You will be a patron of the fund when it comes into being. Even critics of the UN now see you as its most effective fundraiser, also from the private sector. I think that’s a unique tribute to your personal standing.

When little Nkosi Johnson of South Africa died of AIDS earlier this summer - after having struggled with the disease through all of his 12 courageous years - you said "we have lost a voice". The value of having your voice, in support of those suffering from the disease or trying to survive as widows or orphans, cannot be overestimated.

Norway would like to stand at your side and be counted. I repeat the pledge that I made at the Special Session of the General Assembly in June: In order to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, we will further increase - by 1 billion Norwegian kroner over five years - the already large contributions we are currently channeling through the UN system.

And now to the other point I want to make.

Mr. Secretary General,

The coming Special Session on children is only weeks away. It will be a time to take stock of our achievements - and shortcomings - and to look ahead. Since the Children’s Summit in 1990 we have seen many success stories: polio has been eradicated in many countries, infant mortality has been reduced in more than 60 countries, school enrolment has increased in all regions.

But the challenges that remain are immense. Although more children are receiving basic education than ever before, over 100 million children are still out of school. Most of them girls. And many of them growing up in Africa.

During my visit to Uganda I attended the launching of the African Girls’ Education Movement – a clear witness to the challenges that remain, but also to the resolve and commitment of a wide variety of stakeholders. The fact that African leaders are coming together to find joint solutions, emphasizing girls’ education in their national policies, augurs well for the future.

The most important priority for me at the Special Session is the enormous challenge we face in the form of AIDS orphans. There are already 13 million of them, and this figure may reach 40 million by 2010.

Our task - and a personal crusade of mine - is to help ensure that as many as possible of these children can lead decent lives. The future of Africa depends on it. Our collective sanity depends on it! In every village, every town, every country and every region, we must put the children first.

The people I have gathered around the table here today have made a commitment to participate in the fight against HIV/AIDS. They come from all sectors of Norwegian society. I hope we will have a lively exchange of views on how to muster the necessary will, support and resources to win our most important battle.

The meal, the company and the conversation

– I hope you will both enjoy them all.

Thank you.