Goal 3: All individuals have equal economic rights and opportunities to participate in the labour market

Targets:

1. All individuals have the right and opportunity to secure decent work and have the right to form and join a trade union.
2. All individuals have the right to inherit and own property, alongside access to economic resources and financial services.
3. All individuals have the right and opportunity to receive education that equips them for gainful employment.

Norway’s distinctive contribution lies in both our national experience of women’s participation in the labour market and a steadfast international commitment to gender equality. The Norwegian labour market operates on a model that encourages everyone with the opportunity to participate in the workforce. Increasing the proportion of women in the labour force has been instrumental to Norway’s economic growth. Norway has largely succeeded in facilitating high female labour force participation, entrepreneurship, and innovation, and ensuring the full integration of trade unions in working life.

A robust framework of laws, regulations and institutions safeguards the rights and obligations of workers, while ensuring gender equality in access to education and career choices. This provides greater opportunities for employment and income. Norway values enduring partnerships with multilateral development banks, financial institutions, relevant UN organisations and civil society organisations, which not only serve as recipients of financial support but also as valuable long-term collaborators.

We will prioritise:

• Supporting the efforts of the ILO and the implementation of the global agenda for the right to decent work and social justice for all. This includes supporting initiatives that prevent workers from facing harassment, including sexual harassment and other inappropriate behaviours.
• Supporting trade unions and employers’ organisations that advocate decent work for all through social dialogue.
• Strengthening women’s participation in the labour market, including through assistance for social safety nets and welfare services.
• Supporting international and national work focused on innovative solutions and changes in the care sector, including the equitable distribution of care work within households.
• Supporting business initiatives that prioritise job creation for women and vulnerable groups.
• Supporting initiatives that facilitate women’s participation at all levels of management and decision-making in the public and private sector.
• Following up on Norfund’s work to ensure equal opportunities and promotion of gender balance at all levels in the fund and its invested enterprises. This includes ensuring that women and men have equal access to financing.
• Contributing to safe and inclusive digital public infrastructure, including digital identification, civil registries, payment platforms and systems for secure data exchange. This aims to enhance women’s and LGBT+ people’s access to welfare services, economic participation, and job creation opportunities.
• Supporting national governments’ initiatives to develop and implement non-discriminatory legislation, legal reform, and policies ensuring women’s access to resources, financial services, and parental leave.
• Supporting international and national initiatives and financing mechanisms that promote female entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as promoting knowledge of and access to financial services.
• Working towards ensuring equal participation of women with disabilities in the labour market.
• Supporting measures to ensure that all girls start and complete lower secondary school.
• Working towards universal enrolment and completion of quality primary education and increasing the proportion of girls and women enrolling and completing secondary and tertiary education, particularly in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM).
• Supporting vocational training and other measures contributing to safe and decent work for women and queer persons, as well as facilitating career choices across gender-segregated sectors.
• Sharing knowledge and Norwegian experiences on how women’s economic participation, combined withactive gender equality and employment policies, have strengthened the position of women and girls in society and, ultimately, economic development and growth in Norway.

Sustainable Development Goals we are contributing to:

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