President,
Madame Executive Director, thank you for your leadership and your remarks, underscoring the opportunities and challenges ahead.
Allow me to highlight three points:
First, at a time when women’s rights and gender equality are facing significant threats—from financial shortfalls to political shifts and a global rollback of hard‑won human rights—we cannot be passive. We cannot be reactive.
These challenges demand collective determination and steadfast leadership. UN Women plays a crucial role in standing firm and pushing back against these pressures, including ideological forces and a shrinking civic space. We expect UN Women’s essential leadership.
Second, protecting and promoting women’s rights and gender equality is a top priority in Norway’s foreign and development policy, both politically and financially – as it remains key for peace and security, development and human rights.
Norway wishes to reaffirm our appreciation for UN Women’s dedication, professionalism, and the important results you continue to deliver. This is why Norway maintains a high level of core support.
Third, Norway firmly supports the Secretary‑General’s UN80 reform-initiative. We must all contribute to enabling the UN to deliver system-wide, and with greater impact on the ground. For our part, “Delivering as One” has been a consistent message.
In a potential merger of UNFPA and UN Women it is essential that their distinct and unique mandates are safeguarded. We welcome clarity on how these mandates will be preserved. The process ahead must be inclusive, evidence‑based, and transparent.
We also want to stress the important role that the boards play in oversight and governance of the funds and programs. We would be grateful if you, executive director, could clarify how you view the role of the Executive Boards ahead of a possible decision to merge.
Let me conclude by reiterating Norway’s strong support for UN Women’s triple mandate and to thank UN Women’s leadership and all of the organization’s staff for their dedication and commitment.
Thank you.