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Madam President, Secretary-General, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, 

It is a great honour for me to address you marking the 80th anniversary of the United Nations.

I was born at the cusp of World War II. My parents were both active in the resistance against the Nazi occupation of Norway, and we had to flee the country. Some of my earliest memories are from Sweden, where my parents worked for Norwegian refugees. I grew up in a Europe where the ravages of war were still clearly visible. Where millions carried terrible scars, on their bodies and their souls. 

It is against this background that the UN was founded — not as a symbol, but as a solemn promise. A promise to equip humanity with legal and diplomatic tools to prevent wars of conquest and domination. A promise to enshrine universal human rights as a bulwark against totalitarianism, racism, and oppression. A promise to foster peace, development, and dignity for all people. 

So, Madam President, let me highlight two areas where the UN has made an undeniable difference, that are of particular importance to me personally. 

First, sustainability. When Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar asked me to chair the World Commission on Environment and Development, I accepted with great humility. I am very proud of the report we produced: 'Our Common Future'. It helped cement the concept of sustainable development in our collective consciousness. Thanks to UN-led efforts, we started charting a path towards economic development that does not destroy the basis of life for future generations: our climate and our natural environment. 

But, we are today exceeding the planet's boundaries and approaching tipping points where there is no way back. 

Over 80 percent of the targets under the sustainable development goals are off track. 

Second, President, gender equality.  

During the UN’s International Women’s Year in 1975, I had just entered government for the first time. Many of my male colleagues hardly knew how to deal with me. In 1979 came the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. In 1981 I became Prime Minister for the first time.

In 1995, thirty years ago this month, I delivered my address at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. I spoke of the moral and economic imperative to end gender apartheid. I believed—too optimistically— that we would have come further by now. I did not foresee the intensity of the pushback that would come. Even today, there are countries where not a single woman sits in the highest decision-making bodies—including among the P5!  

But despite such adversity, the UN has methodically worked to strengthen the position of women. Through education, through micro-finance, through work for sexual and reproductive rights and health, and through intense and effective advocacy work. With resolve and determination, we will get there in the end. 

So, Madam President, I have lived longer than most of you. I have witnessed the tangible differences the UN makes, through economic upturns and downturns, political ebbs and flows. I have no patience for those who dismiss the UN as outdated. We are going through a time of great geopolitical shifts and impressive, but also frightening, technological development.  

The UN as our common hub for getting the facts on the table, debating and deciding on solutions, and acting is more important than ever.  

We owe that—not just to ourselves—but to the generations yet to come. 

Thank you.