Thank you, Chair, for giving me the floor.
The Nordic countries, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Norway, align ourselves with, and strongly support to the joint statement given by France.
In light of the current global situation with critical high food insecurity, declining financial support and a new geopolitical environment, we welcome the strengthened focus in the new WFP strategic plan for 2026-29 on key aspects of WFPs mandate, including effective emergency response. Supporting and advocating for persons in the most vulnerable situations is at the heart of principled humanitarian action. We support the strategic objectives articulated by WFP in the plan and agree with the prioritization reflected in the document.
However, we deeply regret the absence of clear references to established, agreed, and overarching international frameworks that are addressing key global challenges as well as the use of agreed UN language.
The Sustainable Development Goals represent the major international framework adopted by Heads of States and Government. The SDGs are guiding both the UN system and nation states. They set a clear national responsibility for implementation – supported by international cooperation. WFP’s assistance must be based on national policies in the countries it is operating in. Only three countries in the world have not subscribed to the SDGs. All others have adopted them as a framework for their own development. Therefore, the strategic plan should have included explicit references to the SDGs as an overarching guidance for WFP’s work.
In the Agenda 2030, the UN Member States have pledged to ensure that no one will be left behind. When inclusion is prioritized, it builds trust and resilience. The Nordic countries would have preferred concrete references to inclusion in the strategy. As this has not been possible, we trust that inclusion will be integrated as a cross-cutting priority in WFPs operations, as it is established as one of WFP’s core values.
Climate change is a global challenge and a major driver for food insecurity. A challenge that can only be addressed through international cooperation. Climate change significantly impacts agricultural production systems and food security through extreme weather events, erratic precipitation, rising temperatures, droughts, and flooding, reducing crop yields, and weakening resilience. The Paris agreement is the established international framework which addresses this threat. Only four countries in the world have not ratified the Paris Agreement, and nearly all countries are parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Vulnerable countries where WFP operates are among those most impacted by climate change. Therefore, the WFP must recognize climate change as a driver for food insecurity and support actions to avoid the severe consequences and adapt to climate change in all its operations. This should have been reflected in the strategic plan with a clear reference to the Paris Agreement.
Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right. It is also a means to realize both peace and economic development. Investing in women is one of the smartest things we can do to break the poverty trap. All countries, and not least their ministers of finance, should have a particular interest in achieving gender equality through systemic changes. It creates new jobs and contributes to higher economic growth. Gender equality is an essential precondition for achieving zero hunger, as it also is a precondition for achieving social justice, development, and peace. The Nordic countries are critical to the lack of clear references to gender equality in the strategy. However, we expect and trust that the WFP will continue to base its work on the agreed WFP Gender Policy.
As France has emphasized in our joint statement, we choose responsibility towards those most in need. We have therefore decided to compromise and support the approval by consensus of this strategy to enable WFP to continue with its dual mandate to save lives and alleviate suffering for populations that need it most.
Thank you.