Chair,
I heartily welcome your Excellency H.E. Mrs. Egriselda Aracely González López as chair of the 79th Session of the Fifth Committee. We would also like to congratulate all newly elected members of the Bureau working with you. Norway looks forward to supporting you in your capacity as Chair of this very important committee.
Allow me to express our gratitude for the diligent work of the Secretariat of the Committee, as well as other Secretariat officials and the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ).
Chair,
Today, more than ever, we need bold and committed multilateral cooperation. And to rebuild trust in the multilateral system. Without a strong and effective UN, the international community will not be able to address the many challenges we face. The work done in the fifth committee is of key importance as we work toward solving these challenges, as it provides the UN with the tools needed to strengthen and improve the organization.
Financing the UN is global burden-sharing in practice. It is essential that the UN has sufficient budgets and liquidity to cover its key tasks and mandates. The organization must be able to deliver in areas such as sustainable development, peace and security - and human rights. This requires adequate funding for, and attention to, the Resident Coordinator system, peacebuilding efforts, and UN oversight mechanisms. We view the Resident Coordinator system as the cornerstone of UN development reform and a crucial instrument for enabling the UN to deliver on the 2030 Agenda.
Chair,
Given the situation in the Middle East, it will also be important to prioritize funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East - or UNWRA.
Norway is also deeply concerned by the UN’s financial situation. Liquidity crises have been a recurring problem, which only seems to have worsened in recent years. Such crises have serious impacts on the UN’s ability to implement its mandates. We commend those countries that have paid their assessed contributions in full and on time. And call upon all other Member States to pay their outstanding contributions as soon as possible. Moreover, it will also be crucial to search for more permanent solutions, by giving the UN the necessary tools to manage such crises in the future.
We also hope it will be possible to reach consensus on a system-wide mandate for remote conferencing modalities, with the aim of facilitating and enhancing the participation of all delegations – including those of smaller member states.
Finally Chair,
The core value of the Fifth Committee is to work tirelessly towards consensus, even on matters where we start from far apart. Norway remains committed to engaging on this basis with the aim of reaching agreement on these important matters.
Thank you!