Speech at UN side-event: "The Case for More Outcome Orientation and Empowerment"

Check against delivery

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I commend you, Chancellor Merkel, for organising this meeting on such an important topic.

We appreciate your personal engagement and Germany’s leadership on global health issues.

You play an important role in our efforts to make good on our promises from the Millennium Development Summit in New York ten years ago.

***

Norway is a staunch supporter of all the Millennium Development Goals.

We have taken on a special responsibility for the goals of reducing child mortality and improving maternal health.

These are the goals that are lagging behind the most.

But they are within reach if the world makes an extra effort.

This is why Norway has tripled its aid for global health since we signed the Millennium Declaration ten years ago.

More than one per cent of Norway’s gross national income is allocated to development assistance.

And we are committed to retaining this level.

This is Norwegian tax payers’ money.

We can justify this level of development assistance only if we can document clear results.

Results-based financing should be a key principle in our approach to development assistance. 

***

Let me give you some examples. Through our work in the Vaccine Alliance GAVI, we have demonstrated the effectiveness of results-based financing in an ambitious immunisation programme.

GAVI pays a partner country 20 dollars for every child that is immunised.

This has contributed to increasing the vaccination coverage from about 65 per cent ten years ago to about 80 per cent today in the countries GAVI is supporting.

Another example is from India.

In India, women receive financial support if they choose to give birth in a clinic.

This has led to a dramatic increase in facility deliveries among poor women, from seven hundred thousand in 2005 to more than ten million today.

By giving women a few dollars if they choose to deliver in a clinic, we are giving them access to health services and empowering them through one, single, simple measure.

Rwanda has introduced financial incentives for local communities to increase the number of people they reach with health services.

As a result, maternal mortality has been halved in just 8 years. Rwanda is one of the few countries to reach Millennium Development Goal 5.

We are very pleased to be working with Malawi and Germany in testing out results-based financing in Malawi.

***

I believe it is vital to simplify the very complex system of international aid in the health sector, and at the same time make it more effective.

I would be happy to work with you and other partners to achieve better results from our aid investments.

Thank you.