Thank you Chair, and congratulations on your election to this vital role.
You have our full support, and my delegation very much looks forward to working with you and the Bureau during this important session.
We live in a time of compounded and protracted crises.
Energy supplies are under pressure, inflation is soaring, debt is on the rise, food insecurity has increased dramatically, and we face an increasing number of security challenges.
The impact of climate change is seen more often, in more places and with more serious consequences.
All this as we still grapple with COVID-19; and the war in Ukraine has made our prospects of reaching the sustainable development goals even more challenging.
The UN Development System, however, will continue to be at the heart of the solution; with positive reporting, and evidence of increased cooperation at the country level- under the leadership of the resident coordinators.
Flexible sources of financing- especially core funding- as well as interagency pooled funds, have never been more important.
We heard from Professor Kremer how innovation historically has enabled advances in economic prosperity, and the potential innovation has to help address current global challenges.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development remains our global roadmap.
In this context, national ownership, and resource mobilisation are crucial.
And sustainable funding is more critical than ever.
Countries in debt distress should seek, and receive debt relief. Both from public and private creditors.
We also need to stop the drain on public resources.
We must prevent and combat corruption, tax evasion and other financial crimes.
And we must raise our level of ambition when it comes to fighting illicit financial flows across national borders.
This requires us to further strengthen financial transparency, accountability, and integrity in our joint efforts to address the challenges and gaps in the current financial architecture.
We have no alternative or plan-B earth, and thus we need a healthy planet to achieve the SDGs.
The ocean is our common good, and a healthy ocean offers a wealth of opportunities.
Building a sustainable ocean economy is critical to achieving the SDGs.
Furthermore, many Member States are facing climate related disasters – more frequent and more dangerous than ever before.
Effects of climate change, environmental degradation, and biodiversity loss affect our progress on all other goals – and they impact human security.
The most vulnerable countries- including the Least Developed Countries, Small Island Developing States and countries affected by conflict- will be most impacted by all these challenges.
For some SIDS, climate change already threatens their very existence.
Our response must focus on leaving no one behind and reaching those furthest behind first.
Women’s and girl’s participation in society, and their right to decide over their own bodies, are preconditions for democratic and sustainable development.
Only then can we truly ensure that no one is left behind.
We must ensure that human rights, democracy, the rule of law, and gender equality are at the core of our response and recovery efforts.
Our humanitarian, development and peacebuilding efforts also must complement each other.
We must work in a more coherent manner.
The UN development system has a crucial role in assisting countries to build back better.
The Secretary-General’s ambitious report “Our Common Agenda” will be particularly important for this session.
And Norway will do its part to translate this report into reality.
We look forward to productive discussions during this session of the Second Committee.
We need bold and committed multilateral cooperation, and a frank dialogue.
We share the challenges, and must develop the solutions together.
The COVID-19 pandemic underlined the importance of cooperation and dialogue across borders. And the current geopolitical situation has only emphasised this further.
Norway aligns itself with the theme of ‘Transforming political commitments into actions for sustainable recovery – rebuilding a sustainable future for all’, and remains a committed, consistent partner.