Rector Christen Krogh,
Esteemed faculty and students of the university,
Dear colleagues and friends,
Good evening, thank you for this great honour, that I accept with gratitude and humility.
I would also like to congratulate my fellow honorary doctors, Maria Ressa and Britta Marakatt-Labba.
Each, in different ways, has shown what it takes to stand firm when truth, rights and identity are under pressure.
I’m very sorry that I cannot accept this honour in person as I had planned to do, owing to the ongoing outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Just yesterday I returned to Geneva from DRC, where I travelled to the epicentre of the outbreak in the city of Bunia.
I met with many political and community leaders, as well as colleagues and partners, who are all working together to stop this outbreak.
It’s on their behalf that I accept this honour today.
The outbreak in DRC may seem a long way from Oslo, but they are connected.
Universities are where evidence is tested, ideas are challenged, new tools are developed, and the next generation is prepared to lead in uncertain times.
Global health depends on the same foundations.
On the ground right in DRC now, we rely on credible information, on the protection of rights, and on respect for communities and culture.
When those foundations are weakened, health suffers.
When they are strengthened, health systems are more resilient and more equitable.
So I accept this honour not as a recognition of one person, but of the many colleagues, partners and communities working every day to safeguard health – not as a luxury for some, but a right for all.
Thank you once again. Tusen takk.