Thank you, Chair,
I echo my colleagues’ congratulations to Bangladesh on assuming the chair of the Second Committee as well as to other members of the Bureau on their election.
The Second Committee begins its work against a backdrop of interrelated global challenges – but also after a productive high-level week, which have demonstrated our common support to multilateralism and the belief in finding solutions together. We must take with us the spirit from the High-level week and the Summit of the Future and “foster resilience and growth in an uncertain world”[1]
This second committee session we will strive to find common - and hopefully consensus-based - solutions to the resolutions.
The 2030 Agenda is our roadmap to a sustainable future. Only 17 % of targets are on track.
One of the most important partnerships to advance the SDGs is with the UN Development System. Norway is a long-standing and staunch supporter of this, consistently among the top ten donors to the United Nations, and to the UN Development System. This is an investment not only in development, but in our common future. We need to engage in a way that enables the UN to deliver in a coordinated and coherent manner, with maximum efficiency and effectiveness.
This year’s QCPR is therefore of great importance. Through the QCPR we – as UN Member states - assess and promote the effectiveness, efficiency and coherence of the UN operational activities for development. Key words to Norway are consolidating agreed reforms and the important role of the resident coordinator.
We would like to see better cooperation between the UN and the multilateral financial institutions, food security higher on the agenda, and a UN that is upholding agreed norms and standards. Together we must implement the Funding Compact and secure predictable and flexible funding for United Nations development activities.
Chair,
Climate change poses an existential threat to humanity and is our greatest collective challenge. New temperature highs are being recorded and the impacts of climate change are felt around the world. We are falling further and further behind in implementing the Paris Agreement.
This year will be the warmest year on record. Global warming and environmental degradation are existential threats to our survival.
Global challenges can only be solved through global action and some progress has been made. At COP28 in Dubai, the world’s countries agreed to work together to speed up the transition to renewables.
At the Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, we adopted a global biodiversity framework aimed at halting and reversing nature loss.
In two months’ time, an agreement on a new international treaty to end plastic pollution must meet the world’s expectations.
It is time to increase our ambitions and make triple-win solutions for climate, nature and pollution prevention the new norm.
Energy security is crucial to reach our global climate goals. Ensuring that people and industry around the world have access to reliable and affordable energy is key to a successful energy transition.
Norway remains steadfast in its support to developing countries. In 2023, Norway exceeded its target to double its climate finance from the 2020 level for the second year in a row. We will continue to give priority to mobilising increased financing for climate change adaptation.
Chair,
To reach the SDGs, we need to improve access to financial resources, and strengthen cooperation on global solutions.
The Fourth Conference on Financing for Development in 2025 should increase funding for the 2030 Agenda. It should lead to increased support for the UN development system, strengthen domestic resource mobilisation, build robust institutions and promote effective anti-corruption measures. The conference will provide an opportunity to restore trust and to find joint solutions to the debt crises many developing countries are facing. The macroeconomic resolutions will be a stepping stone ahead of the FFD4 conference.
Let me conclude by saying that we look forward to a productive session of the second committee under the able leadership of you and the Bureau.
Thank you