Statement by Ambassador Bergdis Ellertsdottir at the UN Women Executive Board Annual Session

Thank Madame President,

Let me begin by thanking Madame Phumzile for her comprehensive opening statement, highlighting key results achieved during the first year of implementing the new Strategic Plan despite the global push-back. I also want to warmly welcome Anita Bhatia and my countrywoman Hanna Kristjansdottir to their new roles at UN Women. We also welcome the role of Edward Wagani in engaging men and boys, which Iceland attaches great importance to. We wish you all the best and look forward to engaging with you all.

We indeed have an exciting year ahead of us with many milestones and opportunities to take stock of where we stand in terms of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, and how to accelerate the achievement of the many commitments we have made. UN Women plays a key role in this regard. Iceland acknowledges this through financial and political support to UN Women. Last year, Iceland had the highest per-capita contribution to UN Women. We are of course proud of this fact.

In an increasingly complex environment for the achievement of gender equality, it is extremely important that UN Women performs at its highest level. The most recent MOPAN highlights that UN Women has indeed made significant improvements since its first assessment in 2014 and that the organization has made important contributions to improving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. As a relatively young organization, we urge you to continue improving and to focus particularly on the finalization of country typology, with clear rationale for scale and allocation of country presence.

Last but not least, we would like to express our appreciation to the dedicated UN Women personnel and to thank you, Madame Executive Director, for your leadership and dedication to gender quality and the empowerment of all women and girls, leaving no one behind. UN Women can count on Iceland´s continuing support.

Thank you Madame President.