The Prime Minister of Norway
Jens Stoltenberg
Speech
Speech
at/to:
UN Conference on Sustainable Development
Place: Rio de Janeiro Check against delivery
Date: 21June 2012
Madam President,
Secretary-General,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Twenty years ago we met here in Rio
to address
unsustainable development,
how to eradicate poverty,
andhow to achieve greater equality
withinand between nations.
Much has been achieved since then.
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Nearly half a billion people have been
liftedout of poverty.
Life expectancy has on average increased
by close to 4 years.
For the least developed countries we
have seen a 6-years increase.
Child mortality is down with by more
than a third.
There are twice as many democratically
elected governments.
But we are still facing great challenges:
poverty,
food insecurity,
waterand energy shortages
and climate change.
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We see persistent discrimination against
women,
and women being deprived of their
sexual andreproductive rights.
We see growinginequality,
and the concentration of wealth in the
hands of a few.
We see a globalised economy,
but also financial austerity in large parts
of the world.
***
The challenges are still great.
But so are the opportunities.
If we are to achieve sustainable
development,
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we must reduce poverty,
and secure sustainable economic growth.
Universal access to energy is key.
Therefore, we need to find a way to reconcile
the need for energy with the need for
emissions reductions.
We must put all our efforts into making the
Secretary-General’s “Sustainable Energy for
All” initiative a reality.
Social and natural wealth has to be measured
and valued,
new approaches to public and private finance
must be promoted,
new technologies developed,
andwomen must be empowered to make
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fulluse of their potential.
***
We need official development assistance and
public funds to achieve sustainable
development.
However, these funds will never be sufficient
on their own.
We need private sector investment.
We need to combat corruption and illicit
financial flows, which amount to massivetheft
from the poor.
And we need to develop more innovative
financing mechanisms.
We must put a price on pollution.
And the polluter has to pay.
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This has a triple positive effect.
It will reduce emissions.
It will create incentives to develop clean
technology.
And it will generate revenues forsustainable
development.
Investment in women’s human capital
iskey to achieving change.
It is a prerequisite for a just society.
And it is smart economics.
We must also respect indigenous
peoples’ knowledge and their right to
their lands, territories and natural
resources.
***
As global leaders gathered here in Rio,
we have agreed on a common vision for a
sustainable future.
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It is now our obligation to translate this
visioninto concrete action.
We have agreed to develop Sustainable
Development Goals.
They must be concrete and measurable.
They must be global goals that can guide
us inthe right direction.
Goals that address environmental, social
andeconomic concerns.
We must take advantage of this occasion
to make the UN better equipped to follow
up our ambitions and implement our
decisions from Rio.
We must assume our responsibilities,
in partnership,
in order to achieve a sustainable future
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for all.
Thank you.
