I would like to join the two previous speakers in commending you, Mr. President, for allowing non-members of the Council to participate in this debate. I also wish to thank Mr. Vieira de Mello for his interesting presentation.
The Government of Norway is pleased to note the very positive developmen…
Norway would like to express its appreciation for the briefing made by the United Nations Special Envoy Carl Bildt as well as its concurrence with the assessment made by the European Union and Mr. Javier Solana.
Developments in South-East Europe are of vital importance to the stability of Europe an…
The deeply troubling turn of events in Sierra Leone warrants urgent attention and requires the best efforts of the international community.
Norway condemns in the strongest terms the detention of the personnel of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) by the Revolutionary United Front…
From Kosovo to the Congo, from Sierra Leone to East Timor, the process of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) of former combatants is playing an increasingly important role in United Nations peace operations.
Norway would therefore like to commend the Security Council and you, Mr. P…
During the past year we have witnessed some encouraging developments in the process of bringing Haiti back onto the road to democracy. A new Government has been appointed, a Provisional Electoral Council has been established, and preparations for elections have started. But there have also been setb…
At the outset, let me reiterate Norway’s strong support for the Dayton Peace Agreement as the only feasible basis for lasting peace and economic development in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Agreement is also a fundamental prerequisite for stability in the region. This is not a time for revision, but r…
I would like to begin by paying a special tribute to the Secretary-General for his efforts to find a peaceful solution to the armed conflict in Afghanistan, and to his Special Envoy, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, for his tireless work over the last two years.
Norway has for many years been involved in Afgha…
Norway welcomes this opportunity to discuss the complementary issues of promoting durable peace and fostering sustainable development in Africa. We would like to thank the Secretary-General for his report, which provides a good basis for our discussion.
Descriptions of the situation in Africa tend …
As we enter the twenty-first century, ensuring peace and development in Africa remains an issue of the most fundamental importance to the United Nations and to the world community at large. It is clear that the future of Africa rests primarily in the hands of the African countries. The Organization …
1990 was a momentous year for children's rights. On 2 September that year, the Convention on the Rights of the Child came into force. Later that same month, the leaders of the world gathered at the United Nations to attend the World Summit for Children. The year produced a series of promises, commit…
In his programme of reform for the United Nations, Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated that regional organizations would “increasingly become partners of the United Nations in all activities related to the maintenance of international peace and security, including conflict-prevention” (A/51/950, par…
The situation in the Middle East remains one of the most complex and difficult political issues in the international arena. When we look for reasons for this state of affairs, it will not suffice to study the current situation, but we must also look to the recent and more distant past. However, rega…
The search for a real democratic society is a never-ending process. Democracy is a normative theory. The ideal, fully accomplished democratic process has not yet been realized. However, the resolution on the promotion of the right to democracy, adopted this year in the Commission on Human Rights, se…
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea represents an important milestone in the efforts to establish an international rule of law. The challenge before us now is to ensure implementation of, respect for and knowledge of the overall legal framework it represents for all peaceful uses of …
Over the last decade the world has seen a growing number of natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies. In particular, natural disasters have been on the rise, spreading destruction and reversing development, their impact aggravated by human activity and poverty. There has also been an increase …
When we debated this item last year, Central America had only days before lived through one of the worst natural disasters of this century, Hurricane Mitch. Although the devastation it caused still has not been completely overcome, the situation has improved markedly. The hurricane triggered one of …
This year has been marked by several events adding to the remarkable history of the battle against the scourge of anti-personnel landmines. The Convention on the Prohibition of Mines entered into force on 1 March. With the successful outcome of the First Meeting of the States Parties in May, the Map…
Over the past 10 years we have observed an increasing acceptance of the rule of law as the governing principle in relations between States. Likewise, the body of international law has been strengthened by the adoption of several ground-breaking instruments such as the Rome Statute of the Internation…
At the outset, I wish to congratulate Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Secretary-General of the International Organization of la Francophonie, for their efforts to develop cooperation between their two organizations and to extend it to new areas…
I am very pleased to make a statement on agenda item 36, “Bethlehem 2000”. The initiative taken by the Palestinian Authority, the municipality of Bethlehem and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to establish the Bethlehem 2000 project was much appreciated b…
