Statement by Norway during ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment (HAS) General Debate 2025
Held by Ambassador Tormod C. Endresen, Permanent Representative of Norway
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20.06.2025
Chair,
We were pleased to be part of the Nordic statement made by Denmark on Wednesday afternoon. Let me add a few comments in a national capacity.
It is the responsibility of states to provide for the safety and ensure the rights and services for their own populations. The role of the international system can only ever support, not substitute, national leadership.
As the humanitarian community struggles with a funding crisis, the multilateral system is under attack, and violations of international humanitarian law and established norms have reached alarming levels. We need to send a credible message that those who are responsible for flagrant violations of IHL, and for norms that we have collectively established over decades, will be held accountable.
The Russian war of aggression on Ukraine, the armed conflict in Sudan, the war being waged on an entire Palestinian population in Gaza and the West Bank; these are man-made conflicts. Which could stop tomorrow if there was political leadership and will. Instead we are witnessing large-scale loss of life, enormous human suffering and a huge strain on available humanitarian resources. We are also witnessing a weaponisation of aid and deliberate targeting of civilians and humanitarian workers which is unprecedented.
Chair,
As we focus on reform of the humanitarian system, let us keep in mind that our primary goal is to reduce humanitarian needs, stimulate development and address root causes of conflict.
We support a humanitarian reset that is based on the humanitarian principles, focused on the centrality of protection and on strengthened locally led response for more effective humanitarian action. But we should perhaps be careful not to be so focussed on a new architecture in the “reset” that we lose sight of how we will serve the most vulnerable in our programme response.
We are very pleased to see recognition of the need to preserve attention to women and girls and on issues of gender-based violence more broadly. But in the program response, how do we integrate a gender perspective and GBV protection in all other responses, as dedicated funding is reduced ? Norway supports an emphasis on country-based pooled funds. We think that this also as a very practical mechanism to support local organisations, including women-led organisations, and Norway recently announced an additional contribution to country based pooled funds of 350 million Norwegian kroner.
Chair,
we think member states are eager to understand what happens next in the “reset”. It is part of the larger framework of UN80, but is moving at a faster pace. Many agencies have already conducted their own restructuring. Donors are eager to understand what is needed of them, and will need time to shift. Funding decisions for next year are already being discussed in capitals. We see that not only the quantity but also the quality of funding for programs is suffering from cuts. We risk losing gains that have been made over the years as implementing partners are faced with shorter contract spans, stronger control measures, and requirements to do more with less.
We want to underline the importance of complementarity in the humanitarian system. Localization is currently being embraced as the solution to every challenge. This risks creating an impossible task for local actors, and downplays dilemmas related to impartiality and capacity. We would suggest that local & national NGOs, international NGOs, and UN agencies each have an important role to play. But we must do it together.
Thank you