Director General Inger Johanne Wremer

Speech at the United Nations General Assembly

14.10.1998

Mr. Chairman

This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We also mark five decades of international cooperation towards ensuring the rights of every woman and man. The opportunity to life is fundamentally unequal around the globe. Everywhere women’s opportunities are more limited than men’s. We are facing a truly challenging task to improve the quality of life for all women around the world. There can be no broad-based development without fulfilling all human rights- economic, social and cultural as well as civil and political.

Most members of the United Nations have committed themselves to the international human rights instruments and regard them as solid foundations upon which to base their further work for human dignity. Among these instruments we find the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) : the only human rights’ instrument dealing exclusively with women’s rights and the issue of gender equality. 162 states have now acceded to the Convention. Increased focus on implementing it is necessary, so that the Convention can transform into concrete rights.

I welcome the progress made by the Open-ended Working Group under the Commission on the Status of Women in drafting an Optional Protocol to the Convention. I urge the Working Group to make all efforts to reach an agreement on this Draft Optional Protocol in 1999, 20 years after CEDAW was adopted by the General Assembly.

The assumption that globalization is a process that benefits everyone has been proven utterly untrue. The increasing feminisation of poverty in large parts of the world highlights how women are subordinated in their access to resources. We have also seen a disturbing increase in trafficking in women. This is not commercial activity as some observers have categorized it ; it is violent activity and a deprivation of women’s and children’s human rights. This problem is also increasing within the borders of our country, so our work to fight trafficking in women will include both national and international measures. In this regard, it is essential that women and children are given equal access to education and economical participation.

Violence against women takes many forms. We would like to acknowledge the important work of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women. In responding to the Rapporteur’s request to Governments to write national reports we defined areas where we needed to improve our tools, for example in the collection and use of statistics on the national situation. The process of writing the report also required the involvement of other parts of the public administration and the community of NGOs. We fully recognize the need for an active public policy to combat violence. Such a policy must include legislation, research, training and support services for victims. When addressing violence we need to focus on men and we want to stress the importance of seeing men not only as part of the problem, but indeed as part of the solution.

Mr. Chairman

In March 1999 the Norwegian Gender Equality Act has been effective for 20 years. The Act applies not only to working life, but also covers all sectors including education, political life and family life. The most important section of the Gender Equality Act is the general clause, which establishes that any form of discriminatory treatment of men and women on the grounds of their sex is prohibited. An Act is only one of a number of different instruments for the promotion of gender equality. The goal is through a mainstreaming approach to include a gender perspective into other legislation and into all policy areas.

The aim of the Act is to ensure substantive gender equality and equal opportunities and to positively influence attitudes towards the roles of women and men. The Act has been influential and important. It has provided for an Ombud to enforce it. This allows people, free of charge, to complain about situations where they feel discriminated because of their gender. Hence the discrimination becomes visible and can be addressed.

The Act stipulates that teaching methods used in schools must be based upon the principle of gender equality. This has influenced and broaden children’s view of the roles of men and women. The Act also stipulates that no less than 40% of each sex must be represented among the members in public appointed committees and boards. We believe this has given the boards and committees a broader base for decision-making and therefore contributed to better decisions. These affirmative action measures have proved efficient.

Some of the sections in the Gender Equality Act regulates areas of working life - employers are required to treat men and women equally. The result is that we seldom see direct and visible discrimination on the basis of sex in working life. Statistics show, nevertheless, that Norwegian women still earn and own less than men. A more just economic balance between men and women is one of our challenges ahead.

The Gender Equality Ombud is a part of the Norwegian machinery for gender equality. The other are the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs and the Center for Gender Equality. It is important that these institutions are accountable and are working within a democratic structure. The official machinery is therefore dependent on an active and constructive dialogue with NGOs and research institutions in order to make adequate policy for a changing and multi-faceted society.

Mr. Chairman,

A new millennium requires gender equality policies based on achievements and lessons from the past, as well as openness in response to new situations. In Norway we have become increasingly aware of the differences among women. We know that in practise women with disabilities and immigrant women do not enjoy the same opportunities as other women. This discrimination requires specific measures and we have to broaden and even change our traditional picture of women as one group with the same needs. We look forward to discussing this issue further, sharing experiences and continue to promote women’s rights through the United Nations.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.