Statement by H.E. Anna Jóhannsdóttir
Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations
UNICEF Executive Board Annual Session
16 June 2026

Mr. President,

Thank you for giving me the floor.

Madam Executive Director,

Iceland acknowledges the achievements made by UNICEF in the past year, in a time of rising need and reduced resources. At the same time, we are deeply concerned about the threats these challenges pose to the progress achieved to date – for instance when it comes to children’s health outcomes and their access to quality education.

With the number of children affected by conflict and climate shocks, UNICEF’s mandate is more crucial than ever. We sincerely appreciate the commitment of the agency and its staff to protecting children, upholding their rights and meeting their needs in extremely challenging circumstances. In these settings, it is important for UNICEF to continue to engage meaningfully with local communities, strengthening their capacity to take lead when the time comes.

We also value UNICEF’s efforts to ensure an inclusive approach to program delivery – providing safety and opportunity for all children. The importance of keeping gender equality at the forefront of all work cannot be understated. This remains even more critical as we face a global pushback on gender equality. It is also the smart thing to do at a time of limited resources as gender responsive programs deliver better long-time results. The new Gender Equality Action Plan is an important instrument in that effort.

Madam Executive Director,

Iceland appreciates UNICEF’s active engagement with the UN80 process and the leadership role the agency has taken on global supply chains and on data. Given its large footprint we encourage UNICEF to lead by example when it comes to the refiguration of UN Country Teams - in an effort to truly deliver as One UN at country level. We would like to see UNICEF’s support of strong Resident Coordinators with authority to challenge fragmentation and duplication. Furthermore, UNICEF must continue to ensure that all its country programs are aligned with the country cooperation frameworks and support their implementation.

Iceland remains committed to its partnership with UNICEF and continues to prioritise providing flexible and predictable funding with focus on core resources - enabling UNICEF to respond to the most pressing needs of children at each time.

I thank you.