Norway’s speech at the UN General Assembly

Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre delivers Norway's speech to the UN General Assembly. Photo: UN Photo

Global cooperation crucial to achieving development targets, nations tell UN

Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jonas Gahr Støre, delivered Norway’s statement to the 64th General Assembly on Tuesday September 29.

Meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight ambitious anti-poverty targets agreed on by world leaders, by their 2015 deadline will require concert global cooperation, nations have told the General Assembly’s high-level annual debate, writes UN in a press release.

Norway pointed out that the financial crisis has pushed millions into poverty. “Loss of income is placing public policies at perilous risk, potentially undermining services on which the poorest and weakest depend the most, such as health and education,” Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said today.

The lack of progress in improving maternal health, he said, is “the most disgraceful underachievement” to date.

Women urgently need continued services in clinics to ensure they deliver their children safely, with preparations made to transfer them to hospitals in the event of complications, Mr. Støre said on the last day of the high-level segment. “Strengthening health services is key for reducing mother and child mortality, and is also a vital element in realizing the rights of women and children,” he added.

Read more on Un.org

Støre’s full speech can be found here