Speech at SADC Summit

Your Majesty, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great honour to be here today to address you -  political leaders of Southern Africa.

A special thanks to our hosts, Prime Minister Ramgoolam and the Chairman of SADC, president Mwanawasa.

I very much appreciate the invitation to the SADC summit and I have been looking forward to join you in the discussions.

During my visit to Africa over the last days I have once again been struck by beauty and the greatness of this continent.

By the warmth of its people.

And this is indeed true for Mauritius.

But Mauritius is much more than unforgettable sunsets and perfect beaches. Turning to the topic of this summit, we should look to the experience of this island nation.

You have reduced poverty by one fourth in one generation.

Progress towards the Millennium Development Goals is on track.

And investments in education and health have helped transform the economy.

Excellencies,

8 years ago 189 world leaders signed the Declaration on the UN Millenium Development Goals in New York.

We are on track to meet the first Millennium Development Goal - reducing extreme poverty by half. This will happen thanks to the remarkable economic growth over the past decade.

And other Millennium Goals are within reach in many parts of the world.

But we are lagging seriously behind in many areas. Continued and increased action is needed if we are to honour the pledges made.

This is particularly true for reducing child and maternal mortality.

That is why Norway has decided to give these goals special attention.

Every year, close to 10 million children die of diseases for which there are inexpensive and effective remedies; such as vaccines.

To fully vaccinate a child costs 30 dollars.

If every child is vaccinated, we could save 2,5 million young lives a year – many of them in Africa.

Every year, half a million women die in connection with child birth. That is one mother every minute. Many of them could have been saved by simple means. 

We are supposed to reduce child mortality by two thirds. At the present pace, we may only reach one third. And maternal mortality has hardly been reduced at all.

We have the knowledge and the resources to prevent most of these tragic deaths. And there is no excuse for not doing more.

That is why a new Global Campaign to save the lives of women and children was launched in New York last September.

I’m grateful that President Kikwete and President Guebuza have joined this campaign. Both of them have taken bold initiatives to make change happen in their countries.  Changes that will save the lives of thousands of children and mothers.

Norway will do its part.  We have pledged 1 billion US dollars over a ten year period specifically to reduce child and maternal mortality.

I welcome the initiative by the UN Secretary General to convene a High-Level Event on the Millennium Development Goals on 25th September in New York. Let us make this a turning point in our efforts to reach all the Millennium Goals.

Norway will support you in this process.

Our contribution to international development assistance is close to one per cent of our Gross National Income.

Norway is the world’s largest per capita contributor to the UN. And the seventh largest in actual figures. And we are committed for the long term. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

For children to grow and prosper, their parents must have the means to feed them.

Lately, global food prices have almost doubled. According to the World Bank, this could mean “seven lost years” in the fight against worldwide poverty.

The poorest people of the world spend more than half their income on food. For them a doubling of food prices is devastating.

For refugees in camps,

for those internally displaced,

this is simply a matter of survival.

In response to the recent appeal by the World Food Program, I am pleased to announce today that Norway will contribute 20 mill. US dollars to alleviate the most urgent needs.

This will be allocated to the World Food Program, African institutions and those countries which need it most.

And we will do it on the basis of Africa’s own priorities, Africa’s own plans and initiatives both nationally and regionally.

There are many reasons for the surge in food prices.

It is a consequence of population growth and higher living standards.

It is a consequence of climate change.

But the increase in food prices may also be an unwanted effect of producing bio fuels.

Bio fuels may be part of the solution to climate change. But not all bio fuels have a clear positive effect on the climate. And today a significant share is produced in a way that reduces food production.

The corn it takes to fill up the tank of a car with ethanol fuel could feed a person for almost a year. Land, water and energy resources are diverted from food to fuel production.

It is time that we take a critical view at the unwanted consequences of bio fuel and carefully assess our policies in this area.

Ladies and gentlemen,

All countries will be affected by climate change.

But the most vulnerable,

the poorest countries and peoples,

those who have contributed least to the causes of climate change,

will suffer most.

Many African countries lack the resources to deal with these problems.

To adapt to the consequences.

And to continue economic development in a climate friendly way.

Indeed, as Prime Minister Ramgoolam said at the UN General Assembly last year "we all have a stake in addressing climate change and global warming".

It is the rich world that has created the problems of climate change.

And it is the rich world that must shoulder the main responsibility for solving them.

Climate change is man made, and it can be solved by man.

But this takes leadership.

Being here in Africa I am inspired by great African leaders like Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah and Nelson Mandela. They transformed this continent.

Now it is our turn.

We must lead the way towards a global agreement on climate change with the same courage and conviction.

Last December the world agreed on a “road map” in Bali. This roadmap is an important step forward.

We need a new and more ambitious agreement, with more countries participating.

It should be based on common but differentiated responsibilities.  

The industrial countries must lead the way.

By cutting emissions in our own countries.

And by financing mitigation and adaptation in the developing world.

We have to put a global price on carbon.

Carbon trading creates incentives to reduce emissions.

It stimulates investments.

And it stimulates the transfer of funds and technology from rich countries to poor countries.

By means of a single measure, we can address those twin challenges: climate change and poverty. This is not a new notion. President Mwanawasa made the same point at last year’s UN General Assembly.

Deforestation represents almost half of Africa’s total emissions.

And it should be included in the post-Kyoto agreement.

Through emission trading, this would create great new economic opportunities for African countries.

In Bali, I announced that Norway is prepared to increase support to prevent deforestation in developing countries to around 500 million US dollars – a year. By saving forest we can achieve large cuts in greenhouse gas emissions quickly and at low cost.

Some of these funds will be used in Africa. We will seek to establish carbon and forest partnerships. And we will be starting with Tanzania tomorrow.

Excellencies,

Global challenges – like climate change, poverty, endemic diseases, and threats to peace and security – must be met by global measures.

We need a strong and efficient UN.

We need a UN that delivers results.

We need a UN that delivers on the Millennium Development Goals.

I was privileged to chair the UN Panel on System Wide Coherence with my colleagues from Pakistan and Mozambique.

A year and a half ago we presented our report and recommendations for UN reform to the Secretary-General.  

At the heart of our report was the proposal to establish “One UN” in each country.

One leader, one programme, one budget and, where possible, one office. 

This does not mean less resources for development, but more development for each dollar spent.

Mozambique and Tanzania are leading the way as two of the eight pilot countries.

The experiences so far are positive.

Host governments report that their interaction with the UN-system is easier.

UN programmes have become more aligned with national priorities.

And the countries find themselves in the driver’s seat of the process.

We who believe in a strong UN should be the first to work for reforming the organization.

Excellencies,

Let me finally turn to an important issue that affects us all.

The eyes of the world are on Zimbabwe.

Norway has been a supporter of Zimbabwe since the days of the liberation  struggle.

The bonds between our two countries are strong. Now, I am deeply worried about the situation.

The lack of results from the elections casts serious doubt about the willingness of the Government to respect the voice of the people. This situation should not be allowed to continue.

As a friend of Zimbabwe and the region, I strongly appeal to you to strengthen your efforts to find a solution.

The Government of Zimbabwe must respect basic democratic rules and human rights - and prevent violence.

The economic and humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe, seriously affects the country, its people and the whole region.

The Nordic countries are prepared to launch a major stabilization and reconstruction package when democracy is fully restored and a credible national economic policy is in place.

Excellencies,

Political freedom, democracy and respect for human rights are inextricably linked to economic and social progress.

Sustainable development is the foundation for all.

Nelson Mandela once put it this way:  

"We knew that political freedom alone is not enough if you lack clean water.

Freedom alone is not enough without light to read at night, without time or access to water to irrigate your farm, without the ability to catch fish to feed your family.

For this reason the struggle for sustainable development nearly equals the struggle for political freedom.

They can grow together or they can unravel together."

Excellencies,

Let us make sure that they grow together.