Joint statement at the UNICEF Executive Board: Item 5 Annual report on UNICEF humanitarian action

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Mr. President,

I present this statement on behalf of Australia, Canada, Denmark, the European Union as a donor, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and my own country, Sweden. 

We thank UNICEF for its important work in responding to the multiple humanitarian emergencies affecting an unprecedented number of children globally. We salute the courageous efforts of UNICEF and its local partners, especially in hard-to-reach areas where the most severe needs of protection and assistance usually exist.

The growing gap between the vast needs and the available funding represent major and urgent challenges to the humanitarian system. Bold and far-reaching prioritisation and reform are necessary, while ensuring that humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law are upheld. We welcome UNICEF’s commitment to the humanitarian reset and the strategic priorities that are mentioned in its report. We underline that the reset must be closely aligned with the broader UN80 reform process. Achieving efficient coordination between humanitarian actors and avoiding duplication must be key objectives. Strong determination, leadership and preparedness to drive reform on behalf of all the members of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee will be necessary.

We would also like to underline the need of setting clear priorities, not least in terms of:

- focusing on reaching the children most at risk;

- placing child protection at the centre of UNICEF’s humanitarian response. We encourage you to step up efforts to develop and implement your policy on Centrality of Protection;

- continuing to prioritize children in armed conflict, including monitoring and reporting on grave violations against children; 

- prioritising front-line capacity and presence in the field, over and above HQ and regional offices.

While we congratulate UNICEF for exceeding the Grand Bargain target of transferring funds to local partners in 2024, there’s still a need to expand locally led action and accountability to local populations. This should be done by providing local actors increased funding and greater autonomy, ensuring UNICEF works in equitable partnerships, and enabling local actors to participate in operational decisions and coordination mechanisms. 

Focusing on ensuring prevention, increased resilience and sustainable solutions, including with development partners, with a view to reducing humanitarian needs in the longer term, is more relevant than ever. UNICEF should make full use of its dual mandate and widespread local presence to strengthen integrated programming across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus, while acting in accordance with its specific comparative advantages and in close cooperation with other relevant actors. UNICEF’s involvement in setting up frameworks for anticipatory action, and the continued progress since 2020 in this regard, is commendable. 

Limitations on humanitarian access and attacks and all forms of violence on aid workers are regrettably an increasing obstacle to reaching children in need. The international community must continue to press for humanitarian access and protection of civilians, including humanitarian, UN and associated personnel, also including national and locally recruited personnel, in line with international humanitarian law. 

We welcome UNICEF’s advocacy for respect for the humanitarian principles. The role of UNICEF and other humanitarian organisations in setting and protecting universal normative standards, including as related to human rights, international humanitarian law, gender equality, and sexual and reproductive health and rights, is important. We support UNICEF’s continued engagement in this regard.

We acknowledge the importance of flexible, predictable, and multi-year funding to help humanitarian actors, including UNICEF, to respond effectively to crises. We invite more Member States, as well as the private sector, to take steps to increase quality funding. We appreciate UNICEF’s engagement in developing innovative financing and greater public-private partnerships. The increased cooperation with international financial institutions is also important. 

We stand ready to support UNICEF in this time of transition and reforms. Let us work together for a humanitarian system which can respond in the most effective way and under the most difficult circumstances to the needs of children. 

Thank you for your attention.