Statement by H.E. Anna Jóhannsdóttir
Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations
UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board
First Regular Session
4 February 2026

 



Mr. President, thank you for giving me the floor.

Madam Executive Director, thank you for your excellent briefing and we certainly look forward continuing Iceland’s work with you and your organisation.

We greatly appreciate and support the work of UNFPA. Gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights are key priorities in Iceland’s development cooperation policy and UNFPA is an important partner in its delivery. 

We acknowledge the life-saving services provided by UNFPA as well as the importance of its normative role. Both are central to promoting gender equality and achieving the sustainable development goals. 

We are currently witnessing growing polarization and pushback against sexual and reproductive health and rights as well as the escalation of humanitarian crises. UNFPA’s mandate and work is therefore more important than ever. 

At the same time, we are concerned about the organisation’s shrinking funding base, which can put the lives of women and girls that depend on its services at risk. As a response and testament to our continued commitment to UNFPA’s work, Iceland has doubled its core contributions to the organisation over the past two years.

We welcome the new ambitious strategic plan that is both true to UNFPA’s fundamental values and forward looking, recognising emerging challenges and opportunities. We value the pathways for implementation that you have presented here today. It is imperative that the organisation has the capacity and capability to leverage these -  already this year.

Madam Executive Director,

Iceland appreciates your commitment to the UN80 reform process, both by modelling efficiency within your organisation as well as by actively engaging with the wider UN system to strengthen delivery at country level. 

UNFPA’s mandate is critical for women and girls around the world, and we expect to see concrete reform proposals that inform both the risks and opportunities that are to be considered in this process. 

Lastly, let me use this opportunity to once again underscore the importance that gender equality, and more specifically sexual and reproductive health and rights, remain at the core of UN’s work. That work should be supported by a robust organisational structure capable of delivering tangible results. 

I thank you