In the driver’s seat – Dagsavisen
On 1 January, Norway took over the presidency of the UN Security Council. This means that right now and for the next 25 days, Norway is leading the conversation in “the world’s most important meetings”, as Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldts called the Security Council during her statement in the Storting yesterday. It is a symbolically important role, for which our country has great ambitions.
Norway will emphasize some selected areas. One is to ensure women’s participation in peace processes. Protecting civilians in conflicts is another. Our diplomats have extensive experience after decades of peace diplomacy. The insight from Norway’s role as a peace mediator worldwide will now be used to strengthen the Security Council’s work for conflict resolution and conflict prevention. It is not difficult to stand behind some of the priorities.
Norway’s involvement in the Security Council is obviously limited even though we are in the driver’s seat
Norway has been elected a member of the UN Security Council in 2021 and 2022, together with other countries. In addition, the five permanent members of France, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States sit on the council. It is in a troubled world Norway is now a member of the Security Council for the first time in 20 years. Although, according to the Foreign Minister, we see increased co-operation and more pragmatism among the members, there are several areas of conflict that characterize co-operation between the nations of the world.
One of these is the connection between climate and security, which is another of Norway’s priorities for the work of the Security Council. Here, there is no agreement on the situation description among all council members, Huitfeldt stated before the Storting. It’s regrettable. Climate change knows no borders. Both the work of cutting emissions and the attempts to mitigate the consequences of climate change become more difficult when important nations such as Russia stand in the way.
[ Historiens kraftlinjer ]
It is possible to ask what little Norway can really contribute in a squeeze between the world’s most powerful nations. The importance of the month-long presidency of the Security Council should not be overestimated. But as the Foreign Minister said in the Storting: We are now with where the decisions are made. Human rights are strengthened by the fact that Norway is sitting there, Huitfeldt said.
What membership and the presidency may first and foremost show is the broad agreement in Norway on foreign policy. The same guidelines apply to our role in the Security Council also after the change of government last autumn. The Minister of Foreign Affairs then also took the opportunity to thank all parties in the Storting for their constructive role.
[ Stopp skjenkestoppen ]
Norway’s involvement in the Security Council is obviously limited even though we are in the driver’s seat. It is important that we continue to fight for the ideals we believe in. And we are the only ones with the Foreign Minister in that our country has been given an honorable position, which may contribute to our way of seeing the world in meetings of greater understanding internationally. Nor should it be underestimated.
Keep yourself updated. Receive a daily newsletter from Dagsavisen