High Level Consultation on UN System-wide Coherence

Mr President, distinguished representatives, ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, it is with great respect and humility that I have come to Jakarta to discuss political development with high-ranking representatives of the countries in this region.

I would like to commend His Excellency, the President of Indonesia, for his initiative to convene this conference.

I am honoured to share this podium with you, Mr. President, the elected leader of the fourth most populous country in the world, which is also home to the largest Muslim population of any country.

And I am looking forward to hearing the views and assessments presented here today and tomorrow.

We know that the future will increasingly be shaped in this region. Its bristling economy and hard-working people will see to that.

Surely, South East Asia’s voice in world affairs carries increasing weight.

***

Yesterday, I visited the Aceh province where I saw first hand the reconstruction work of the Tsunami disaster,

when Aceh suffered the gravest loss of life in a single day in human history, caused by natural disaster.

I visited the governor, who is actively engaged in bringing reconciliation to that troubled region, implementing the peace agreement of 2005.

And I saw the reconstruction, assisted by the World, Bank, the United Nations and other organization, also the NGOs.

The Aceh reconstruction, - as the earthquake in Pakistan and India, - illustrates clearly the need for coordination and effectiveness of emergency relief and development.

These experiences led to the establishment of the Central Emergency Relief Fund, which former under-secretary Jan Egeland helped establish.  Norway is an important contributor to that Fund.

The Office of the Coordinator of Humanitarian Assistance is able to use that fund once disaster strikes.

The ready money of that Fund is an effective tool of coordination.

That Fund must be fully financed.

This is one of the recommendations of the High-Level Panel on system-wide Cohesion.

 I had the honour to chair that panel together with Prime Minister Aziz of Pakistan and Prime Minister Diogo of Mozambique.

In cooperation with distinguished and highly dedicated panel members from around the world, we came up with a set of recommendations that, we believe, will enable the United Nations system to function better, not only when crisis strikes, but in development and environment as well.

We presented a set of recommendations on how to create

• A UN that delivers on the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed development goals.
• A UN which support country priorities and demands effectively.
•  A UN that delivers as one – and achieves results.

 At the heart of our report, we recommend establishing, “One UN” in each country. One leader, one programme, one budget framework and one office, where feasible.

And, that this One UN programmes and organisations, that deliver results, receive adequate, sustained and secure funding.

Also – equally important for a better functioning system: We need a better focused management system at headquarters level. The Sustainable Development Board aims at precisely that.

The panel set out with ambitions driven by a sense of responsibility.  Knowing that our most important constituency is not the UN itself.

But those millions and billions of people who do not enjoy the prosperity and freedom that many of us take for granted.

Yes, those, whose life situation gave rise to the millennium development goals.

Who right now wonder how they will make it through the day.

Or where the next dollar will come from.

It is for the sake of those poor and destitute that we must have an efficient UN, one that is well governed,

well funded, and which will remain a global repository of hope.

That is why we are under an obligation to take a fresh look at the way we have come to build a fragmented UN, one that risks being weakened , marginalized and less relevant.

We have worked with the UN system to abolish disease such as smallpox, abolish repressive regimes such as apartheid.

And we continue our struggle to abolish poverty,  child mortality, torture, inhuman and degrading treatment.

And to achieve development goals.

Now, we are engaged in a situation where more and more people are struggling with increasing success to break out of poverty,

hundreds of millions are experiencing substantial improvement in their living conditions and prospects are brighter for the future of their children.

We have never had greater capacities to bridge the gaps between us.

But we cannot allow the international community to waste resources or to work towards the millennium development goals in anything but the most effective and rewarding ways.

We must focus our work, measure our results, and show that development as organized by the United Nations pays high rewards.

That is why we need to be openminded, recognizing that the most radical step we can take is to stand still and do nothing.

This I cannot recommend.

There has been broad support for the recommendations of the High-level Panel. This is true as regards the reactions of both governments and heads of UN agencies. Already there are two Asian pilot countries, Pakistan and Vietnam.

But I understand that in some quarters there are concerns about the proposals.

They include question  such as:

1. Will there be sufficient resources for the UN? Are reforms a cost-cutting exercise?
   
   

   No, every cent saved on administration in capitals will go to the needy in the field.
   There will be less money for bloated bureaucracy and more for development on the ground.

2. Will there be pressure on individual countries to implement reforms in the same way?
   
   No, there will be no “one size fits all”, but change may loosen additional resources for development.
   
   
3. Will the recommendations lead to more donor dominance over the UN? 
   
   No the programmes will be country owned and signed off by them.

 

Norway believes in the UN. We are less than five million people, but we  are the seventh largest contributor to the UN in absolute terms.

We believe in international development cooperation.

Our aid as at point 97 per cent, close to one per cent of our GDP.

Norway is pressing to achieve all Millennium Goals, but we have placed upon ourselves a special responsibility to achieve the goals No 4 on reduction of child mortality, and No 5 on maternal health.

The world has the achieve the goal No 4. Vaccines for all will do it almost alone. It is affordable, safe and possible.

Norway will allocate 75 million USD for vaccines, amounting to more than 1 billion dollars by the year 2015

We will develop a global business plan together with our partners.

These partners include World Health Organization, Unicef,  the Global alliance for vaccines and immunization, the Gates foundation, and an increasing number of global leaders.

This is a global campaign and it is a winning campaign. Everybody here are invited to join. Let us, the member states, be good owners of the UN. Care for it. Mend it. Develop it. Together with all the people and countries who serve it.

Thank you!