Opening statement Oslo Climate and Forest Conference

Check against delivery.

Your Royal Highness,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to welcome you all to Oslo.
I am truly honoured to host so many distinguished and committed leaders.

On my return from the Copenhagen Climate Summit in December last year,
I announced that I would invite the most important forest countries to Oslo.
To discuss ways to implement the commitments made in Copenhagen.

I thought we would be five or six countries.

But I was wrong.
And I am delighted to see how wrong I was.

We are more than 50 countries gathered here today.
Organisations, civil society and indigenous peoples.
All deeply committed to preserving our global forests.

Forests that provide us with a unique biodiversity.
Nature’s own carbon capture and storage facility.
And the beauty of wilderness.

* * *

The Copenhagen Accord calls for the immediate establishment of a forest mechanism to reduce emissions.

We have answered the call from Copenhagen.

We started in Paris in March, under the leadership of President Sarkozy.
And in Oslo today, we will establish a global partnership to start rapid implementation of our commitments.

* * *

The United Nations is the main forum for global cooperation on climate change.

The Partnership we have agreed to set up will not compete with the UN process.
Quite the contrary.

Our aim is to make this Partnership an important building block of the climate negotiations in Mexico later this year.

Today we commit to take action on one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

Reducing deforestation and forest degradation can provide the largest, the fastest and the cheapest cuts in global emissions.

Through reducing deforestation we could achieve up to one third of the needed emission reductions by 2020.

If we succeed, we can deliver decisive progress both on finance and forest
– the two key issues on the present climate agenda.

* * *

In today’s global markets, forests are worth more dead than alive.

Today we commit to change that equation.

It must pay off not to cut a tree, but leave it standing.

* * *

I want to commend the leaders of developing countries who are present here today.
With courage and conviction you are embarking on an alternative path of development.

In partnership we can secure a sustainable future for coming generations.

* * *

To succeed we must be willing to take on the necessary commitments.

We have reached 4 billion USD in commitments.

Developed countries must provide adequate, predictable and sustainable funding.
And it must be based on results.

All bilateral and multilateral initiatives must pull in the same direction.

Developing countries must be in the driver’s seat.

They must put in place efficient national policies.

Consult with and engage relevant stakeholders.

Build robust national institutions.

And set up systems to monitor, report and verify reductions in deforestation.

Multilateral institutions must help build capacity and support implementation.

The Partnership we are establishing here today will incorporate new and existing deforestation efforts into one framework with the help of the United Nations and the World Bank.

***

Your Royal Highness,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I commend you all for your vision, leadership and commitment.

Thanks to you, we can today celebrate the establishment of a global partnership on climate and forests. 

Thank you.

* * *