NORWAY

General Assembly

23rd Special Session

"Women 2000: Gender Equality,

Development and Peace for the

Twenty‑First Century"

STATEMENT

BY

H. E. KARITA BEKKEMELLEM ORHEIM

MINISTER OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY AFFAIRS

NEW YORK, 7 JUNE 2000

Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen:

The Beijing Conference illustrates the strength of women and of co‑operation. The Beijing Platform for Action was made possible by the combined efforts of grass roots women and women in high level positions. Only through broader consultation and closer engagement with women's organisations and the civil society at large can we make substantial headway.

Mr. President,

I will concentrate my remarks on the following issues ‑ poverty, reproductive rights,

violence, armed conflict, and the role of men. ‑

Poverty is the first of the twelve critical areas of concern addressed in the Platform for Action. Poverty is to live a life in constant insecurity, not knowing what tomorrow brings. Women form the majority of the poor. The eradication of poverty is fundamental! We need to level inequities between rich and poor, between countries and regions, between women and men. We need to empower women.

It has been well documented that investing in women pays a very high dividend. In Norwegian development co‑operation policy this was acknowledged already fifteen years ago, inspired by the Nairobi Conference. Promoting gender equality figures among our main targets for development co‑operation. The gender mainstreaming approach is supported by a concrete strategy for women in development.

Reproductive rights are about how human rights find expression in everyday life. Human rights are women's rights. We need to develop basic health services that incorporate a gender perspective, that meet the needs of women in terms of contraception and family planning, pregnancy, qualified assistance at birth and pre-and post‑natal care. There must be access to treatment and prevention for sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. Female genital mutilation remains a challenge. Meeting these needs require resources from both national and international sources. Norway will continue to be a committed partner in this respect.

What is there to be gained? According to the WHO 15 million women every year suffer serious health consequences, due to complications related to pregnancy and child birth. Some 600 000 women actually die.

Norway proposed in 1995 that the Platform for Action should call for decriminalization of women who have had illegal abortions. After long discussions it was agreed to encourage Governments to consider reviewing punitive laws in this perspective. For over twenty years the Norwegian women have had the final say with regard to abortion. There were fears, even among those supporting the new law, that the number of abortions would rise. This did not happen. Abortions take place in all societies. The issue at stake is the safe, or the dangerous, conditions under which abortions are carried out. I know the issue of unsafe abortions continues to be difficult in many countries, but we must find ways to eliminate this dire risk to women's life and health!

In Norway we have taken further steps. To us, sexual rights are about sexual integrity and self determination. They also cover sexual orientation and the right to choose your partner freely, whether a person of the same or the opposite sex. We have adopted a law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Samesex relationships can be formalised, in accordance with the Partnership Act. For us, the debate on sexual orientation has been an opportunity to develop respect for each other, thereby contributing to a more open and accepting society.

Our lives are defined by economic position, ethnic origin, age, bodily and mental ability and our sexual orientation. Society needs to be responsive to this multifaceted reality. Multiple forms of discrimination are still at work. Power structures must be altered. We need to be brave on this issue!

Mr. President,

The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women is a milestone achievement‑for empowering women to fight gender based discrimination. The Protocol enables groups and individuals to make complaints for consideration by the CEDAW Committee. Norway encourages countries who have not already done so to sign and ratify the Protocol as soon as possible.

Norway very much appreciates the work of the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women. Her work has contributed to a higher awareness of the international community of the gendered nature of Human Rights violations. Her conclusions point to the need for more effective legal instruments and other measures to protect and help women who are subject to violence.

Gender based violence is about wife battering, rape and sexual abuse; it is about women and children being bought and sold as a commodity into prostitution. The sex trade is a blatant Human Rights violation. It means speculating in women's poverty and in economic and social structures that in many countries force women to sell their bodies for sheer survival, for being able to feed their children. Liza Maza, Secretary General of the Philippine NGO GABRIELA says it quite simply: "women from all sectors become more vulnerable to prostitution because of extreme poverty."

Armed conflicts of the past few years have produced horrifying examples of systematic assaults on women such as mass rape and other violations. Women in armed conflict suffer also from hardships related to insecurity, displacement and caring for family members under extremely difficult circumstances. We welcome the increased attention by the Security Council and ECOSOC to humanitarian assistance and protection of women and children in armed conflict. Humanitarian organizations must continue to focus on ways and means to effectively target humanitarian assistance to women and children. We encourage all parties to armed conflict to respect and implement the provisions of international humanitarian law.

Mr. President,

Men also stand to gain from gender equality. Masculinity has far too long been understood as men being superior to women. This gives power to men, but has also a negative impact on their lives. They themselves become trapped by the limiting gender stereotypes.

Today we see that men increasingly discuss their own roles. They realise the need to reconcile work and family. Some men organize against male violence. The research community studies maleness and gender roles. The ingrained idea of men as the neutral sex and standard human being is being weakened. Men need to develop their caring abilities and take a fuller part in family life. This process implies a challenge of prevailing power structures. Male and female activities must be equally valued.

Mr. President,

Let me conclude ‑ I have been impressed here in New York by the forceful presentations of the groundbreaking work that women's organisations have done on several areas. I have been impressed by the strong international networks, and the co‑ordination of work and ideas. There is no doubt that governments must engage more actively in partnership with this force for change in order to follow up our commitments.

Now is the time to move from rhetoric to practice. There is no excuse to holding back. Now is the time to be courageous in pursuing the goal of gender equality. Now is the time to empower women. We owe it to our children ‑ to our daughters and our sons.

Thank you, Mr. President!