Thank you to the organizers for the invitation to speak on this important topic which is also a topic that lies close to my heart. Let me start with stating that the Norwegian government is a fearless champion of women´s rights and gender equality, wherever it is on the globe. The rights, the active participation and the status of women are at the core of all our policy for development cooperation and aid, including in the support programs that we have with the new EU- members. In general terms we are working for, both multilaterally and bilaterally, the global implementation of all human rights conventions especially the UN convention on the rights of women and the rights of the child. This is an important element if we are to achieve the UN millennium goal of eradicating extreme poverty. You all know of course that poverty often has a female face, also in Europe.
As a consequence, women’s rights and gender equality are explicitly and comprehensively incorporated into Norway’s development cooperation work. Targeted activities and resource allocation are supported by knowledge- and capacity-building, both in Norway and among our cooperation partners. We promote gender equality both as an integral dimension in other development sectors and as an independent target.
In our policy that has been constantly developed and revised since the 60´ies. In the gender policy we concentrate on four thematic priority areas:
• women’s political empowerment
• women’s economic empowerment
• sexual and reproductive health and rights
• violence against women
Gender equality involves the redistribution of power, resources and care responsibilities between men and women. The most important force for change is women who organize and mobilize resources to challenge and to overcome discriminatory attitudes and structures in their own societies. Norway supports such agents of change. At the same time, we put pressure on the governments to meet national development targets for women’s rights and gender equality in line with international law and human rights instruments. Important measures are women participation in political processes like elections. The voter rights and registration must include all women, and female candidates must be encouraged through training and qualifying. We make sure that the political parties have women issues included in their work program, eventually have a quota system for female MPs or members of the government, and that women are recognized as equal shareholders at all level of the decision process. Equal participation is part of good governance agenda.
As I said women account for the majority of the poor. They have a harder burden of work and usually have the main responsibility for providing food and care to their family. Most of it is unpaid work. We must work for equal rights and opportunities to education, job creation programs and to decent work. Female entrepreneurship can be promoted by giving access to affordable bank loans and credits. We see also in the EU that banks are less eager to lend money to women. In the EU-strategy 2020 there is a strong call for innovation and entrepreneurship. The Embassy has started a match making program: inviting Norwegian and Bulgarian female entrepreneurs to join forces.
Men can play an important role in promoting women’s rights and gender equality. Men who take their share of the responsibility for housework and family care, are paving the way for women to participate on equal terms with men in economic, political and social processes outside the home. In other words, we need more women in the board rooms and more men in the children bedroom.
We strongly advocate the women’s sexual and reproductive rights. The rights of women to control their own bodies and to freedom from violence and sexual abuse within and outside the family are not universally acknowledged or accepted. Neither is the right to sexual education or the access to the use of contraception. Far too women suffer from inadequate health care. We will also fight all forms of discrimination and stigmatization on the grounds of sexual orientation.
Gender based violence and the use of force, including domestic violence and trafficking in human, are to a large extent a question of control and large income from the male population: It is failure to respect and safeguard women’s´ dignity and human rights. In Bulgaria we support several anti-trafficking projects taking into account the victims need for support and protection, These are briefly some areas of intervention where we invest our money and efforts.
To conclude: A coherent international cooperation policy is dependent of women’s´ rights and gender equality being promoted and mainstreamed along several tracks. Norway will use relevant political channels and arenas to promote tolerance, equality and diversity in line with the thematic priority areas and we will match this with financing projects in the new EU–countries.
We always require from our cooperation partners, whether they are governments, international institutions or NGOs, to demonstrate that they take women and gender equality seriously. If they do not, they are not longer eligible for our priorities.
If we are to succeed in changing deep seated imbalances of power, we will have to make use of a broad range of measures. We must utilize all of the key development cooperation channels and processes.
Norway will continue to play a proactive as well as supporting role in the fight against all forms of discrimination on the basis of gender, including in areas that are controversial. We have a clear political message in international arenas and we are working in close cooperation with likeminded countries and organizations to get that message through. We are happy to see that Bulgaria is among our good friends in this work.
Ambassador Tove Skarstein