Norway
CSD-13
Norwegian Delegation
Statement on Cross-Cutting Issues ? Gender and Security of Tenure
Madame Chair,
The Norwegian delegation would like to focus on ? gender, formalization of economic assets
into legal rights and the interlinkages.
We need to ensure that our approach is based on the principle of ?working together with
women not for women?. There is a need for empowerment and active involvement of women.
Women and girls are key agents of change and they are the primary victims of lack of access
to water, sanitation and housing. We need to focus on women?s health, dignity, privacy and
security when providing water, sanitation and housing services.
Norway fully supports the Women Leaders for WASH and is of the opinion that without a
clear commitment and understanding among our leaders at all levels realize the role of women
as actors and change agents and that investing in water, sanitation and human settlements
make good macro-economics sense, the MDGs will not be met. We will be dristibuting a
report on the macro economic benefits of investing in water and sanitation.
The Norwegian Delegation will also like to underline that there is a need to promote secure
and equitable access to land and tenure arrangements that enable women to become decisionmakers,
producers and owners. Formalization of economic assets into secure legal rights with
a focus on the poor and marginalized can play an important role in economic and social
development and can contribute to enhanced human security. Guaranteeing women?s right to
own and inherit property has important welfare effects. In societies where women own assets,
household expenditures on children?s clothing and education are higher and the rate of illness
among girls is reduced. Property ownership can also ac t as a protective factor for women
against domestic violence.
Without security of tenure the willingness to mobilize local resources and invest in water,
sanitation and human settlements will be very low or lacking.
Madame Chair,
We will also like to make a comment on the MDG Target 11 on improving the lives of slum
dwellers and the suggested change by UN-Habitat.
Target 11 is usually quoted as:
?By 2020 to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum
dwellers.?
The reference to the ?Cities Without Slums? initiative contained in the original version of the
target has later been omitted.
The Norwegian Delegation think it is not appropriate to re-open the discussion of this or other
MDGs. However, we do aknowledge there is a need to operationalize the target. We
understand the target to imply:
· that each country and region shall work towards a significant improvement of the lives of
inhabitants of existing slums,
· that each country and region shall work towards avoiding the creation of new slums,
· that each country and region shall continue to substantially improve the lives of slum
dwellers up to and after 2020, because the target is at least 100 million slum dwellers,
· that indicators be developed and information collected to measure not only how many
slum dwellers have had their lives substantially impproved, but also the growth of
existing slums and the formation of new ones.
We will like to se this understanding reflected in the final document coming out of CSD-13.
Thank you.
Norwegian Delegation
Statement on Cross-Cutting Issues ? Gender and Security of Tenure
Madame Chair,
The Norwegian delegation would like to focus on ? gender, formalization of economic assets
into legal rights and the interlinkages.
We need to ensure that our approach is based on the principle of ?working together with
women not for women?. There is a need for empowerment and active involvement of women.
Women and girls are key agents of change and they are the primary victims of lack of access
to water, sanitation and housing. We need to focus on women?s health, dignity, privacy and
security when providing water, sanitation and housing services.
Norway fully supports the Women Leaders for WASH and is of the opinion that without a
clear commitment and understanding among our leaders at all levels realize the role of women
as actors and change agents and that investing in water, sanitation and human settlements
make good macro-economics sense, the MDGs will not be met. We will be dristibuting a
report on the macro economic benefits of investing in water and sanitation.
The Norwegian Delegation will also like to underline that there is a need to promote secure
and equitable access to land and tenure arrangements that enable women to become decisionmakers,
producers and owners. Formalization of economic assets into secure legal rights with
a focus on the poor and marginalized can play an important role in economic and social
development and can contribute to enhanced human security. Guaranteeing women?s right to
own and inherit property has important welfare effects. In societies where women own assets,
household expenditures on children?s clothing and education are higher and the rate of illness
among girls is reduced. Property ownership can also ac t as a protective factor for women
against domestic violence.
Without security of tenure the willingness to mobilize local resources and invest in water,
sanitation and human settlements will be very low or lacking.
Madame Chair,
We will also like to make a comment on the MDG Target 11 on improving the lives of slum
dwellers and the suggested change by UN-Habitat.
Target 11 is usually quoted as:
?By 2020 to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum
dwellers.?
The reference to the ?Cities Without Slums? initiative contained in the original version of the
target has later been omitted.
The Norwegian Delegation think it is not appropriate to re-open the discussion of this or other
MDGs. However, we do aknowledge there is a need to operationalize the target. We
understand the target to imply:
· that each country and region shall work towards a significant improvement of the lives of
inhabitants of existing slums,
· that each country and region shall work towards avoiding the creation of new slums,
· that each country and region shall continue to substantially improve the lives of slum
dwellers up to and after 2020, because the target is at least 100 million slum dwellers,
· that indicators be developed and information collected to measure not only how many
slum dwellers have had their lives substantially impproved, but also the growth of
existing slums and the formation of new ones.
We will like to se this understanding reflected in the final document coming out of CSD-13.
Thank you.
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