Joint Nordic Statement: Annual Session of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Boards

Statement by H.E. Mr. Nikulas Hannigan
Deputy Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations
Annual Session of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Boards
Item 10: Gender Equality at UNDP
5 June, 2025

I am delivering this statement on behalf of Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and my own country Iceland.

Mr/Madam President,

We thank UNDP for this valuable briefing on the implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy and commend the organization for its system-wide efforts to advance gender equality. It is encouraging to see that UNDP is meeting its gender targets and that gender equality is embedded across all six of its signature solutions. 

In the face of ongoing global crises and rising conflicts, gender inequality has become even more visible and deeply entrenched. Addressing these challenges requires placing the empowerment of women and girls at the forefront and treating gender equality as a core development priority. Only then can we create solutions that are inclusive, fair and truly sustainable.

The Nordics appreciate UNDP’s continued commitment to gender equality across a range of thematic areas – from economic transformation and governance to clean energy. This is delivering impactful results, helping to strengthen national systems, improving institutions, and shifting social norms.

These achievements are underpinned by vital partnerships with civil society and women’s organizations. We are pleased to see that UNDP continues to expand and deepen these relationships in the field. 

We also want to highlight the importance of joint programming and collaboration with other UN agencies to accelerate progress on gender equality. In this regard, we welcome the ongoing partnership with UN Women and encourage UNDP to continue to strengthen its engagement with UN entities that possess essential expertise on women’s rights and gender equality, including UN Women and UNFPA.

Gender equality continues to stand out as one of UNDP’s most effective and high-impact areas of work, as confirmed by the midterm review of the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan and a brand perception survey involving over 380 external stakeholders. Notably 89 percent of respondents view UNDP’s work in this area as effective. The review also affirms that integrated solutions contribute significantly to women’s empowerment and lead to systemic, lasting development outcomes.

• As we look toward to the next Strategic Plan, how does UNDP intend to build on this to further scale gender-responsive and transformative programming?

The Nordics would like to congratulate UNDP on the achievements reached through the Gender Equality Seal with 66 country offices earning the Certification. We are also encouraged by the progress made through gender-responsive climate action initiatives such as the Climate Promise and Powering Gender Equality, which have equipped women-led businesses with energy-efficient tools and catalysed policy reforms.

• Could you share more on how UNDP can ensure the long-term sustainability of gains made by Indigenous and rural women in climate governance, particularly after project cycles end?

We also welcome improved gender data collection and analysis in 2024. Robust data is the backbone of effective and evidence-based policy making, and we encourage UNDP to build on this progress.

• The care georeferencing tool has shown great potential. Are there plans to scale it to other regions, and integrate it into national budgeting or planning processes?
The Nordics also wish to commend UNDP for achieving full gender parity across all staff levels – a significant milestone that deserves recognition. It is also encouraging to see sustained efforts to promote an organizational culture that values inclusion and champions leadership for gender equality. 

We are pleased to note that in the new Strategic Plan gender equality is included as a development accelerator – recognizing the fact that advancing gender equality is key for advancing sustainable economic development and achieving the SDGs.

Let me conclude by reaffirming our strong support for UNDP’s critical work to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. At a time when we are witnessing increasing backlash against these efforts globally, we believe this work is more important than ever. We welcome the ambition shown by UNDP and encourage continued bold action to drive meaningful progress in the face of these challenges. 

I thank you.