Thank you Madame Chair.

• Human life itself depends on the continuing capacity of our ecosystems to provide a multitude of benefits. Our economies are based on the goods and services derived from the ecosystems. These goods and services will be able to sustain human life in the future only if the ecosystems of the world are managed on a sustainable basis, where man is part of and not above the ecosystems.

• A team of researchers from the United States, Argentina and the Netherlands has estimated the global value of the fundamental ecosystem services to be US$ 33 trillion a year. Even though such estimates are obviously uncertain and controversial, they are no doubt indicating the importance of ecosystem services to our societies both in the rich and the poor part of the world. Such ecosystem services are of fundamental importance to the large number of poor people living under conditions of economic subsistence.

• These resources are under threat. The world abounds with examples of how renewable resources are exploited in unsustainable ways that irreversibly transform them from "renewables" to "non-renewables". Forest resources, fish stocks, agricultural lands and rivers are over-utilized in ways that lead to both environmental damage and human misery. With regard to the "self-renewing" genetic resources, we don’t even know what are loosing – or the potential importance for food security or ecosystem services of these losses.

• The concept of ecosystem integrity is a good starting point for our deliberations here today. The ability of ecosystems to adapt to changes is a prerequisite for the future, in particular in a world affected by climate change and a steady loss of biodiversity. Impacts on ecosystems from economic activities should be within acceptable limits, defined by the carrying capacity of different ecosystems. There are of course uncertainties with regard to carrying capacity as well as to how different activities will impact on the ecosystem. The precautionary approach will therefore have to play an increasingly important role in future ecosystem management strategies.

• Sectoral integration is perhaps the most important challenge right now for the development of sustainable management practises. One key issue here is the use of environmental assessments. Such assessments should be done at an early stage in order to constitute a basis for informed decision-making. However, more elaborate sectoral strategies are frequently needed. Recently I had the great pleasure to present to the Norwegian Parliament a White Paper on sustainable use of biodiversity. The process that led up to this White Paper was a long and complicated one, but through this process all relevant sectors in Norway now have reached a common platform for our national work on fulfilling the obligations of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

• Sectoral integration should also be a key element in policy formulation at the international level. I would like to use trade negotiations as an example. First, proper analyses of environmental and developmental effects of any proposed changes is a prerequisite for informed decision-making in this field. Secondly, trade will not contribute to the overriding goal of sustainable development unless proper environmental policies are in place.

• Let me also mention two issues that I think are crucial for a sustainable management of genetic resources. First, for the genetic resources underpinning our food security, I would urge all OECD countries to work constructively for the finalisation of the International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in Rome in June. I would also like to use this opportunity to encourage a speedy ratification of the Cartagena-protocol by all member states of the OECD.

• Secondly, I think we should seriously consider certain developing countries’ proposals for achieving a greater coherence between the CBD and the TRIPs agreement under WTO. One important element here would be to include an obligation to disclose the origin of genetic resources used in inventions when submitting patent applications. Such a provision would increase transparency and go a long way in addressing concerns that developing countries have as regards implementation of benefit-sharing provisions under the CBD.

• There will of course still be conflicts of interests and priorities when sectoral strategies are to be implemented in practice. Strengthening the knowledge base from all perspectives will help us clarify our policy options. This is one important reason why knowledge is highlighted both in the White Paper I just referred to as well as in the OECD-strategy. The work of the OECD has been important in developing such knowledge and should be strengthened both in terms of analysis and policy recommendations.

• Finally, Madame Chair, I would like to stress that one of the largest challenges to maintaining ecosystem integrity in this century is the threat of global climate change. The Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has confirmed that there is a human impact on climate change and new evidence shows that we are already experiencing such impacts. The IPCC report gives a common understanding of the challenges and emphasises the need for action.

• We should remind ourselves that 186 countries have already commited themselves through the UN Climate Change Convention. During the last weeks, the international community has given its clear reconfirmation that the Kyoto Protocol is the legal basis the developed countries have to start implementing the objectives of the convention. I would like to restate Norway’s commitment to ratifying the Kyoto Protocol. We all realise that commitments must be considerably strengthened and participation must have a broader base. The Protocol is a crucial, but only a first step, upon which such future agreements should be built. From the eco-system perspective, it will also be of vital importance that sink enhancement strategies do not conflict with our basic aim to preserve biological diversity.

• The OECD, with its analytic capabilities, must continue to facilitate dialogue and support analysis on the specific implementation options for the Kyoto Protocol, the Biodiversity Convention, as well as other important multilateral agreements in the field of sustainable development.

• All these elements that I have adressed have been constructively included in the new OECD environmental strategy. I do believe that this strategy when adopted will provide us with a valuable tool and a common platform in our work towards sustainable development. We have to put our own house in order, but we also need a global perspective. As the Brundtland Commission concluded 14 years ago, poverty is the main cause and effect of environmental degradation. So, we must not only reduce our ecological "rucksacks" and change our patterns of production and consumption, but also redress imbalances in the economic system and build growth on equity and fight poverty.

• Yes, we need more knowledge and refinement of indicators. But we already know enough to act for more coherent, persistent and systemic change both in our domestic policies and in our international cooperation. OECD cannot be a rich man’s club, ganging up against the less fortunate people of the world.

• If human beings cannot take care of each other and our ecosystems, nature will turn against us.

Thank you, Madame Chair.