Position papers of Norway

ECOSOC COUNCIL
GLOBAL WARMING

.The Arctic is also increasingly becoming a new economic powerhouse for minerals, oil and gas extraction and shipping—partly as a result of the receding ice due to climate change. The effect on the tourism and the fisheries industry present opportunities and threats to indigenous peoples living there. Warming may induce large-scale migration and lead to greater competition for the Earth's resources which will place heavy burdens on the world's most vulnerable countries. Melting snow and glaciers of Asia alone could affect about 40 percent of Earth’s population.

Norway-
1.State: Temperatures are rising and the ice is melting
2.Impact: Ocean circulation patterns are affected
3.Driving forces: The Gulf Stream could be weakened
4.Pressure: Human impact on temperatures
5.Response: A better understanding is necessary

A Memorandum of Understanding to support a new project focusing on developing and implementing provincial programmes on climate change mitigation and adaptation was signed between China, (UNDP) and Norway in 2007. Through a landmark US$ 2 million financial contribution from Norway, the project, entitled “The Provincial Climate Change Programme in China “

Sustainable polar tourism policies and programs are urgently needed, produced jointly by UNEP and the International Ecotourism Society. Management practices and infrastructure in the Arctic and Antarctica have not kept up with the rising number of visitors who put extra pressures on land, wildlife, water and other basic necessities.

Ships using heavy fuel oils are now banned from visiting the protected areas on the east coast of the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Circle. Only ships using a very high quality of light fuel oil will now be allowed to sail inside the reserves of eastern Svalbard.
We basically needs to overcome the barriers to emissions trade which include the requirement of strict regulation, accountability, impractibility at the household level, corruption etc inorder to make this scheme successful by learning through the world’s past failures. We have also introduced carbon taxes.
Long-term monitoring of the situation is important, and collection of data on the changes in the extent of the sea ice, ocean circulation patterns, the radiation balance and the mass balance of glaciers.

CHANDNI SACHDEVA
NORWAY

ECOSOC COUNCIL
LABOUR MIGRATION

In recent years, immigration has accounted for more than half of Norway’s population growth. In 2007 the immigrants comprised 8.3 per cent of the total population. Starting in 2008, Norway has introduced new regulations that will allow employers to quickly recruit workers from the ten new European Union member states. They are due to Norwegian businesses who are facing severe labor shortages ex- construction industry
The social partners have expressed concerns about the implications for wages, working conditions and competitiveness.

Migration is part of the solution for labour shortages and population ageing in OECD countries, but to take full advantage of it, effective integration policies are needed, in particular in the realms of education and the labour market.
Origin and receiving countries need to work together to find the appropriate balance between the right of health professionals to move between countries and the allocation of their skills to where they are most needed.
Immigration also holds threats to national security, there are also environmental issues. Therefore we need to keep a broader perspective in mind while resolving these issues. Barriers to immigration are not only in legal forms but when they arrive in a country there are many uncertainties including finding work, where to live, new laws, new cultural norms, language or accent issues, possible racism and other exclusionary behaviour. Another problem is that the immigrant employees are almost always paid less than a non-immigrant worker in the same job, and that the migration depresses wages, especially as migrants are usually not unionsed.
Illegal migration has contributed to the opening up of a lucrative market for the smuggling and trafficking of migrant workers. Women and children are especially victimized; many are trafficked into conditions of slave labour and/or forced prostitution.
Governments are recognizing the need to establish, modernize, and improve their laws, policies, practices and administrative structures for ensuring orderly
migration. This has to be done in full awareness of the need to go beyond measures of control, to ensuring respect for human rights, and enhancing cooperation between origin and destination countries through bilateral treaties or regional agreements.

CHANDNI SACHDEVA
NORWAY

COMMITTEE: THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
AGENDA: CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICT
NORWAY’S STANCE:
Norway is well known for its extensive involvement in peacemaking and peacekeeping operations. The Norwegian experiences in these fields have been gathered in a Strategic Framework on peace building. Amongst many conclusions are several with relevance to children’s situation:
-Support special programs for disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of child soldiers.
-Secure educational programs for refugees and internally displaced, so that they can be assets to their societies upon their return.
-In repatriation and reintegration programs, include special measures for children, such as schooling, tracing and reuniting families and psychosocial counselling.
-Restore schools and health services among the first priorities in reconstruction of in post-conflict situations: Provision of a minimum of public functions rapidly is essential.
Norway is striving to put children first in all strategies for development policy and co-operation. Recently the “Strategy for Children and Young People in the South” titled “Three Billion reasons” was launched. Three billion - that is as many children and young people there are in our world today. Three billion that is also the number of children and young people expected to be living in developing countries alone in 2015. In relation to children and young people in war and conflict, Norway will:
-Continue extensive economic, political and diplomatic efforts to prevent armed conflict, promote peaceful solutions and build lasting and stable peace;
-Help secure that children’s special needs and rights are included in peace negotiations, the mandates of peacekeeping operations and the planning and implementation of peace-building measures.
-Give special attention to the situation of girls and children on their own.
-Work to ensure that as many countries as possible ratify the additional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict.
-Increase the support to children subject to violent conflict both in terms of preventive protection and rehabilitation.
-Give particular priority to educational and recreational programs, training in non-violent conflict resolution and psychosocial rehabilitation for children, particularly to girls who have been subject to violence in armed conflict.
-Work to prevent the recruitment of children to armed forces and to promote the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of child soldiers into their local communities.
-Seek to ensure that programs for refugees and internally displaced persons safeguard children’s rights and needs, e.g. for psychological counselling services, schooling and tracing their families.

Abhimanyu Gahlaut, Delegate from Norway
COMMITTEE: THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
AGENDA: INTERNAL CONFLICT AND PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO NEPAL AND SRI LANKA
NORWAY’S STANCE:
Norway is well known for its extensive involvement in peacemaking and peacekeeping operations. The Norwegian experiences in these fields have been gathered in a Strategic Framework on peace building.
Norway has supported development activities in Sri Lanka since 1967. During the first years activities were supported through Non-Government Organisations. In 1976, the Governments of Norway and Sri Lanka signed a bilateral agreement on development cooperation. Support to projects proposed by the Government of Sri Lanka commenced in 1977.
The present Norwegian guidelines for the development cooperation have been in force since 1998. The previous guidelines were adjusted on the background of the long lasting armed ethnic conflict. The emphasis of the cooperation was made more relevant to the overriding obstacles to development presented by the conflict. The challenge for Norway was to cooperate with Sri Lanka in such a way that the cooperation directly and indirectly contributed to a cessation of the conflict, reconciliation and the basis for a lasting peace. However, the present calling off of the ceasefire agreement has again brought the country in a precarious situation.
Nepal is one of Norway’s main cooperating partners, and in order to further enhance the cooperation between the two governments, Norway established an Embassy in Kathmandu in January 2000. After ten years of violent conflict replaced by a democracy process, local democracies are facing many challenges. Among the problems some important factors are that local community leaders have been displaced or ignored due to the conflict. The Government's effort to delegate power to local communities has been hard to implement, and the districts have a lack of resources giving them problems completing their duties. Acknowledging this situation Norway supports the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Nepal, which aims to strengthen the local governments in development and planning issues, and to support social mobilisation locally. Together with Great Britain, Finland, Denmark and Switzerland, Norway supports the Nepal Peace Trust Fund. The fund is administered by the Ministry of Finance in Nepal. This is said to be the first peace fund in a post conflict situation that is administered by the recipient country itself. The Norwegian support has mainly been allocated to the camps of former Maoist soldiers and preparations for the elections. Norway also supports the peace process through the UN peace fund and the UNMIN operation in Nepal.
In its present position, Norway strongly promotes and favours the prevalence of human rights and the principles of a free society vested via a democracy, and would vouch for the same in the conflict affected regions of Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Abhimanyu Gahlaut, Delegate from Norway

Committee: The United Nations Security Council
Topic: Crisis in the Middle East
Country: Norway
Delegate: Sourovi De, S.R.C.C.

BACKGROUND

The challenges posed by the Middle East crisis have become increasingly complex. They include the targeting of and restricted access for humanitarian personnel – leaving thousands in the direst circumstances with no assistance and no international monitoring; the prevalence of abhorrent human rights abuses against women and children; the recruitment of children in arms conflict; as well as the lack of efficient separation of civilians and combatants in refugee camps.

NORWAY’S STAND

Norway espouses an urgent cessation of hostilities in the Middle East. Norway believes that Hezbollah must cease their armed attacks and return the abducted Israeli soldiers immediately. While recognizing Israel’s inherent right to self-defence, it is imperative that the civilian population be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law. Civilians must be protected and given safe passage. Moreover, humanitarian and relief workers must be given unrestricted and safe access both for themselves and for relief supplies.
On 24 May, 2007 Norway and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) signed an agreement on Norwegian assistance for the upgrading of the Karni Terminal. The aim is to increase the terminal’s capacity to handle imports and exports to and from Gaza. This will help to improve the supply situation in Gaza. Norway will provide NOK 30 million for this project over 18 months.
As far Sierra Leone is concerned, The Norwegian Government has agreed to cancel the Republic of Sierra Leone’s remaining NOK 62 million debt to Norway. The debt cancellation agreement with Sierra Leone is part of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative.
Norway believes that the direct involvement of actors in the region is crucial if the many, interrelated conflicts in the Middle East are to be resolved. On 29/03/2007, The Foreign Minister of Norway J.G. Store stressed the importance of the strong, unifying regional engagement that we are now witnessing in the Middle East. In fact, Norway is in the process of transferring USD 10 million to an international joint aid package to finance the salaries of Palestinian Authority employees. The Norwegian funds will be used to pay teachers' salaries for February and March. The Norwegian allocation is intended as financial emergency relief in a situation where the Palestinian interim government has an acute need for assistance in payings salaries. More than a million Palestinians are directly dependent on this income.




CONCLUSION
Norway shares the vision of the Middle East peace process formulated by the UN Security Council. A comprehensive and just peace can only be achieved by means of a two-state solution, where Israel and a Palestinian state live side by side in peace and security within internationally recognised borders. We advise the parties to return to the Road Map for peace and reach a final settlement through negotiations based on the principles set out in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Tuesday, 12 February 2008

Committee: The United Nations Security Council
Topic: Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Country: Norway
Delegate: Sourovi De, S.R.C.C.

BACKGROUND

The proliferation of nuclear weapons is a threat to international peace and stability. The accelerating spread of nuclear weapons, nuclear know-how and nuclear material has brought the world to a nuclear tipping point. We face a very real possibility that the deadliest weapons ever invented could fall into dangerous hands. We need a clear message from the Security Council that taking part in proliferation of nuclear weapons constitutes a serious criminal offence. Norway, therefore, welcomes the fact that the Security Council is addressing the dangers posed by nuclear proliferation.

NORWAY’S POSITION

Norway has for many years supported various activities in the field of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. Norway also supports the EU strategy against the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Over the years, Norway has made fruitful utilisation of financial support that has been channelled through the UN system to various Norwegian international research institutions like the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority. For implementation of Resolution 1540, Norway is hosting the International conference on Nuclear Disarmament in Oslo (26 – 27 February 2008).
Norway agrees that the Security Council should adopt a resolution addressing the most pressing proliferation challenges. These steps should cover areas such as national legislation, law enforcement, export controls, border controls and protection of sensitive materials. The upcoming conference should, therefore, emphasise the role and relevance of the global disarmament and non-proliferation treaties. This is an element to which Norway attaches particular importance. The global treaties have set universal norms, which should be adhered to by all UN member states. Norway calls for the full universalisation of and compliance with these norms. Norway has been a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.
Norway believes that there is a need for further dialogue and co-operation on non-proliferation issues as well as co-operative action to prevent illicit trafficking of nuclear materials. The Proliferation Security Initiative represents a very useful response to the new proliferation challenges. Norway is taking an active part in this Initiative. We will also continue to contribute to the G8 Global Partnership, particularly in so far as safe handling and storage of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste is concerned.
Norway is particularly concerned about the nuclear proliferation activities pursued by the following nations:
1. The testing of nuclear weapons by North Korea, which clearly violates the international moratorium on nuclear testing.
2. The defiance shown by Iran to the international community by constantly pursuing uranium enrichment activities.
These nations’ activities have a retrogressive impact on global non-proliferation attempts.
CONCLUSION
Non-proliferation and disarmament are two sides of the same coin. The irreversible destruction of stockpiles of nuclear weapons is the best guarantee that such weapons do not fall in the wrong hands. Norway is therefore convinced that disarmament must remain an integral component of an effective non-proliferation strategy. This element should be duly reflected in the resolution to be adopted by the Security Council. Norway agrees that the Security Council should adopt a resolution that will fill critical gaps in the international non-proliferation efforts.
Tuesday, 12 February 2008.