Mr President,
I would like to start by congratulating UNFPA on its new strategic plan. I would like to thank UNFPA for developing the plan in such a transparent and participatory way. You have provided ownership. We have all had our say.
Mr President,
Agenda 2030 gives high priority to empowering girls and women. This includes making it possible for them to lead healthy lives. The new Strategic Plan 2018-2021 strongly positions UNFPA within Agenda 2030, and clearly illustrates how they will contribute to achieve our common global goals. Norway fully supports the new Strategic Plan.
We support the continued focus on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights. We support the human rights based approach and the determination to leave no one behind.
Norway agrees with the differentiated approach tailored to country settings. We are pleased to note that UNFPA is delivering on the QCPR, by identifying which UN organisations it will be cooperating with on what issues.
Mr. President,
Norway considers that UNFPA’s new Strategic Plan and its results framework provide a sound basis for results based management, and looks forward to the presentation of the necessary baseline values and targets.
We welcome the integrated budget and are pleased to note the inclusion of separate budget lines for internal audit and the evaluation office. The increasing administrative costs are of concern. Although there are many valid reasons for this, and unexpected events have contributed to the increase, UNFPA should present a plan for reducing administrative costs over time relative to the costs of programme activities.
Mr. President,
Promoting and protecting sexual and reproductive health and rights is a top priority for Norway, and a prerequisite for sustainable development and economic growth. We are greatly concerned about the funds available for SRHR, and the decline in the resources available to UNFPA. At the Family Planning 2020 event in London earlier this year, Norway announced an increase of NOK 700 million, approximately 90 million USD in allocations for work on sexual and reproductive health and rights for the period 2017 to 2020. Some of this will go to UNFPA. This increase comes on top of our large investments in girls’ education and global health.
To safeguard UNFPA’s global normative function and operations, Norway will increase its core contribution to UNFPA by 25 %, to NOK 500 million, approximately 64 million USD in 2018. In addition, we will allocate NOK 50 million, approximately 6,4 USD million a year to UNFPA Supplies from 2018 to 2020, to expand access to quality reproductive health products for women in the poorest countries.
Norway remains deeply committed to UNFPA’s mandate and fully supports the new strategic plan. We thank the UNFPA for the crucial role they play in saving so many lives.
Thank you, Mr. President.