The leaders who gathered
at the United Nations Climate Summit have taken
important steps to mobilize action and ambition on
climate change. Now we need to make sure that the
positive results are followed through and expanded as
we prepare for an agreement in Paris next year.
When we meet at the General Assembly next year,
we will adopt the new set of global goals for our common
future — the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
They must build on the success of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). They must be realistic
and ambitious. Like the MDGs, the SDGs should be
few in number, concrete and measurable. Meanwhile,
achieving the eight Millennium Development Goals will
create a solid foundation for sustainable development.
As co-chair of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s MDG
Advocacy Group, I will use every opportunity to help
build that foundation over the remaining 462 days until
the deadline.
We must accelerate our efforts, and to do so we
need to enter into broad partnerships that include the
private sector, civil society and Governments. We need
to make use of the best possible innovative solutions
and technologies. Governments and national political
leaders must take the lead and ensure local ownership.
At the same time, we must support the remarkable work
that many people are doing to implement the MDGs in
practice.
The frightening Ebola epidemic in West Africa
reminds us of the fragility of our progress and
development. We must build health-care systems that
can support courageous and determined individuals
like Josephine Finda Sellu. Ms. Sellu, the deputy nurse
matron at a Government hospital in Sierra Leone, lost
15 of her nurses to Ebola. Nevertheless, she never
stopped working in that death trap. She is a true fighter
for the MDGs.
Education, particularly for girls, is the superhighway
to ending poverty. Poverty, discrimination and the use
of force often prevent girls from getting the education
they are entitled to. Sexual violence, abductions and
deadly attacks are the most despicable ways in which
girls’ right to education is being violated. I condemn
the abductions of schoolgirls by Boko Haram in the
strongest possible terms. In the face of terrorists
threatening to deprive children of their right to
education, we should be inspired by Malala Yousafzai.
Malala brought to light the plight of the millions of
children around the world who are denied an education.
If one schoolgirl can take on the Taliban, then surely the
world community can defeat extremism and terrorism.
Terrorists and extremists are trying to stop us
from educating children. Peace is vital for achieving
universal primary education. The same can be said
for the other MDGs, not least the goal on reducing
poverty. That is why we must focus on conflict-affected
countries. A girl growing up in Syria today cannot look
forward to going to school, because there is no school
to go to. A pregnant teenage girl in South Sudan will
not get the maternal health services she needs because
it is too risky for health workers to travel. From the
Security Council Chamber to the modest homes in the
Swat Valley in Pakistan, we can all help to end poverty
by promoting peace, but all those different efforts at the
global, regional, national and local levels must work in
concert.
It has been 70 years since a group of leaders met
in Washington, D. C., to discuss the creation of the
United Nations. One of the most fundamental tenets
of the new world order created in 1945 was respect
for internationally recognized borders. Norway
condemns Russia’s violations of international law and
its continuing destabilization of eastern Ukraine. Any
settlement of the conflict must uphold international law
and respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The
ceasefire agreed on 5 September must be respected and
the provisions of the agreement implemented on the
ground. Russia bears a particular responsibility in that
regard.
The Security Council is mandated to maintain peace
and security, but has failed to address the situation in
Syria and Ukraine effectively. We know why. Some of
the big Powers still believe in outdated ideas of zero-
sum games and spheres of influence. We are hopeful
that the Council will continue to stand united against
the threat of the terrorist group known as the Islamic
State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). We support the
United States initiative and sponsored Security Council
resolution 2178 (2014) on foreign terrorist fighters. We
encourage the countries of the region to take a leading
role in fighting ISIL.
Armed conflict and civil war have created man-
made humanitarian disasters in Syria, Iraq, South
Sudan, the Central African Republic and Somalia.
Earlier this year, Norway hosted a humanitarian donor
conference for South Sudan, and we will shortly
co-host a donor conference to address the aftermath of
the conflict in Gaza. Donor conferences are important,
but we need to look beyond the emergencies. We need
to build on and improve the current system, when we
meet for the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016. We
must make sure that humanitarian aid supports not only
short-term recovery, but also long-term development.
Besides, long-term development cooperation should
help countries prevent, prepare for, withstand and
recover from humanitarian crises in the future.
International peace, national security, social
development and individual prosperity can best be
fostered under a system of good democratic governance
and human rights. Efforts to promote respect for
human rights can help prevent armed conflict and mass
atrocities. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi,
herself a leading human rights defender, stated in her
Nobel lecture that:
“[i]f the twenty-first century wishes to free itself
from the cycle of violence, acts of terror and war,
there is no other way except by understanding
and putting into practice every human right for
all mankind, irrespective of race, gender, faith,
nationality or social status.”
I agree with that.
Human rights is one of the three pillars of the
United Nations, based on the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, adopted by the Assembly on
10 December 1948. Norway endorses the Secretary-
General’s “Human Rights Up Front” initiative, which
places the protection of human rights at the heart of
United Nations strategies and operational activities.
The United Nations needs a strong and assertive human
rights pillar. Only if we fund the human rights pillar
properly can we achieve the results that we need and
want from our world Organization.
The promotion and protection of human rights is
first and foremost the responsibility of States. We are,
however, facing large implementation gaps. Attacks,
threats, intimidation and reprisals against human
rights defenders are increasingly being reported. New
laws restricting freedom of expression and the work
of civil society are being adopted. Discrimination
is widespread, particularly against minorities, such
as indigenous people and lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender persons.
The rule of law and civil liberties are also
fundamental to the development of the private sector
and attracting investment. Moreover, we know that
enabling women to fully enjoy their social and economic
rights unleashes tremendous economic growth.
We must stay focused on accelerating progress
towards the MDGs during the remaining 462 days. We
must let ourselves be inspired by those who serve at
the front line of those efforts, like Ms. Sellu and other
doctors and nurses who are risking their lives to treat
patients with Ebola.
As we set our future development agenda beyond
2015, we must also make some adjustments. Peace
and stability must be included. Climate issues must be
addressed. Good, democratic governance, with respect
for the rule of law and human rights, will be crucial for
achieving sustainable development for us all. And all
that means, quite simply, is to be doing the right things
right.