Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Colleagues and friends,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this reception - and to Oslo; a city blessed with an abundance of surrounding forests. We, the almost half a million people living in this city, take pride in this nature reserve and source of recreation - only minutes away. And we make sure to take very well care of it.

* * *

I know that you have had long days of hard work here in Oslo, discussing issues of paramount importance to us all. We will continue the discussions tonight, but I also hope we will have some time to get to know each other better - to nurture friendship.

Deforestation is a major environmental, social and economic problem. Developing countries are hit the hardest. The signs of the times are worrying.

Here in Oslo you have addressed the issue of financing sustainable forest management, building on the results of IFF4 (Intergovernmental Forum on Forest). This is a complex issue - and a controversial one. I understand that you nevertheless have covered a lot of ground. I am sure that your work will provide valuable inputs to the efforts of the United Nations Forum on Forests.

Financing is important. However, without a sound national policyframework, finance will change very little. We must therefore constantly review our own efforts in this field – and become more effective.

On Monday, my colleague, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, presented aspects of our national forest policy to you all. I would like to take the opportunity to say a few words on how Norway addresses the various aspects of sustainable forest management in our development cooperation.

First and foremost, the main goal of Norway’s development cooperation is the alleviation of poverty, through economic growth and social development - without depleting the natural resource base.

Second, the main precondition for all Norwegian forestry assistance is the expressed political will in our partner countries to improve the management of forest areas - and to involve local people in this endeavor.

Third, Norwegian efforts in this area are guided by international conventions and agreements. We support efforts to strengthen partner countries' ability to comply with international agreements in the areas of forestry, biodiversity, global warming and desertification.

Our primary partners in bilateral cooperation are the governments of our partner countries. In the future, however, I do believe that we all must cooperate more extensively with the private sector. Indeed, I see that the role of private sector finance figures prominently on your agenda.

The role played by civil society is also becoming increasingly important. NGOs, universities and other institutions are important stakeholders, and we need their active participation.

Norway supports forestry programs in many countries, including in Tanzania, Malawi and, most notably, Uganda. Our extensive and very close forestry cooperation with Uganda was reinvigorated in the late1980s, but dates back all the way to the 1960s. The cooperation focuses on capacity building through partnership and, notably, two way learning - added value both ways. Among its most important results is a mapping of the biomass and vegetation in all of Uganda – a key component in sustainable forest management. The state-of-the-art vegetation maps have won international acclaim.

The notion of partnership is equally important in multilateral cooperation. In this regard, I particularly want to mention the World Bank / World Wildlife Fund Alliance for Forest Conservation and Sustainable Use. This is a new form of strategic partnership in which different actors pool their resources to reach common goals.

In my opinion, alliances such as this one hold much promise. To promote more sustainable forest management worldwide, we need to explore new ways and means of cooperation.

Norway will continue to be active in this field. I - and the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry - look forward to working with you all.

* * *

A Norwegian writer (Nils Kjær) once wrote: "A people which does not preserve the forests live from hand to mouth, like barbarians, each generation single-handedly and single-mindedly chasing modernity".

This writer died in 1924. He was ahead of his time, then. Perhaps he still is.

But we’re gaining in on him – and we have to.

Thank you – and enjoy.