Thank you to the Mission of Kazakhstan for organizing this ceremony.
It is my honour on behalf of Norway to place our flag here and take up our seat on the UN Security Council.
We are proud, but also humble, to be given this mandate from the membership of the UN to serve. We will do our outmost to honour that trust.
We begin our term on the Security Council with a world in transition.
We don’t know what the two years ahead will bring for the world - and our United Nations family.
But we can say with certainty that the world needs more, not less, international cooperation - to ensure peace and development, and to uphold our human rights.
It is 20 years since the last time Norway served. We are again ready to do our part to ensure the Council’s work has a real impact on the lives of the people the UN serves.
International law and human rights will form the basis for our efforts. Peace diplomacy, the inclusion of women, protection of civilians, and climate and security, will be our guiding priorities.
While we have realistic objectives, we also maintain persistent, high ambitions, to ensure this Council protects people from suffering, from war, and armed conflicts across the world. Particularly the millions of children who deserve - and have the right to - a better future.
We will use the experience gained from many years of engagement in peace and reconciliation efforts to build bridges and seek solutions to the conflicts on the Security Council’s agenda.
As a matter fact, Norwegian bridge-building is already represented in this very Chamber. The SC Chamber was gifted by Norway to the UN in 1952. The horseshoe table reflects our values of meeting each other face to face, and the importance of equality and dialogue between nations.
While we may not see much of the Chamber in the weeks and months ahead, Norway will bring this spirit of inclusion and dialogue to Council discussions, and in our dialogue with civil society and other stakeholders.
Norway will aim to achieve common ground for a safer, and more prosperous future - our common future.