Nordic Statement at the UNICEF Executive Board Annual Session

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Mr/Madam President, 

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and my own country Sweden.

We commend UNICEF for its work and the results achieved under difficult circumstances in 2024, particularly in crisis situations. UNICEF’s ability to respond quickly to new or changed circumstances is literally vital for children around the world.

For the Nordic countries, UNICEF – together with its sister UN agencies, funds and programmes – plays a key role in contributing operationally to all three pillars of the UN – peace and security, development and human rights, to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, as well as promoting and defending norms and values embodied in international law. 

This Executive Board meeting takes place at a time when the UN stands at a critical juncture. The Nordic countries welcome the UN Secretary General’s UN80 reform initiative and expect to see ambitious reform proposals. The UN must adapt to a new financial reality with less resources and undertake reform to be able to respond to global challenges more effectively and work better as one – from HQ to local level. 

Each UNDS entity will have to review their operations, processes, organisational set-up and value proposition with the purpose of delineating the core functions necessary for mandate delivery. There is no alternative to full implementation of UN reform, with a clear focus on enhanced joint impact and development results at country level.  Identifying effectiveness and cost efficiency opportunities is paramount.

In this context, it is essential that UNICEF focuses on core operational priorities based on its mandate to protect and promote the rights of every child. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child should guide UNICEF’s work at all levels. This includes advancing gender equality, disability inclusion, protection against violence, abuse and harmful practices, and providing access to education and health, including sexual and reproductive health and rights. 

Setting clear priorities when resources are becoming increasingly scarce is essential. The focus must be on the most vulnerable children. We would appreciate UNICEF’s reflections on the need to review the system for allocation of regular resources to country programmes to enable an increased focus on precisely those children. 

To maximize its impact, UNICEF should make full use of its dual mandate to strengthen integrated programming across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus.

We commend UNICEF for its achievements in harnessing new technologies and innovation to the benefit of children worldwide. This work should continue and be further enhanced, including in partnership with the private sector and other relevant partners. 

It will be crucial to continue investing in robust risk management systems. Accountability, oversight and risk management functions are preconditions for effective delivery on the ground.  We recognise the importance of core resources for funding these functions. We encourage UNICEF to continue its efforts to diversify funding sources and strengthen access to innovative financing.

The Nordic countries welcome the draft strategic plan presented by UNICEF for this session. We support its human rights-based orientation and its strategic approach towards sharpened focus, increased scale and impact, and a more differentiated offer at country level depending on the context. We see scope for strengthening the emphasis on gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights. We would also call for a clearer articulation of humanitarian priorities, in particular relating to children in armed conflict, including monitoring and reporting on grave violations against children. We will provide further comments at the dedicated agenda item for the Strategic Plan later in this session and look forward to a continued dialogue. 

Thank you.