18.02.2026 Statement by Denmark at the UN Women Executive Board Meeting
Edited as delivered
Check Against Delivery
Thank you, Mister President. Madam Executive Director, Dear colleagues.
As we have just heard in the ED’s excellent statement, 2026 unfolds amid, conflict, pressure on rule-based international cooperation, and a shrinking fragmented ODA landscape.
At the same time, much needed progress on gender equality is facing pushback — and in some cases, rights once secured are rapidly regressing.
The current global landscape reminds us that decades of hard-won gains cannot be taken for granted.
In this context, UN-Women’s mandate — to advance women’s empowerment, economic participation, and the full realization of gender equality — is indeed more relevant than ever.
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Against this backdrop, Denmark stands firmly behind the United Nations, effective multilateralism, and the Secretary General’s UN80 Reform Initiative.
UN80 is not a cost-cutting exercise. It is about ensuring that the UN can deliver on its core mandates in a changing reality — particularly for women and girls.
A smaller and leaner United Nations can also be a stronger and more effective United Nations — better equipped to deliver results on the ground.
In this light, Denmark supports the ongoing assessment of a possible merger between UNFPA and UN-Women.
We see merit in exploring whether a more unified structure can strengthen delivery at country level and reinforce the global voice for gender equality.
Ultimately, reform must improve results for women and girls — by strengthening existing mandates and expanding their reach and impact.
If we want a UN that delivers in the decades ahead, we must be prepared to modernize and strengthen its structures today.
You can count on Denmark to engage constructively in the UN80 reform process.
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(Madam) Executive Director, Mister President,
As UN-Women advances a demanding reform agenda, it is simultaneously entering the implementation phase of its Strategic Plan for 2026–2029.
Denmark supports the Strategic Plan because it sets a clear strategic direction — with a strong focus on gender equality, women’s empowerment, system-wide gender mainstreaming, and reaching those furthest behind.
The test now lies in disciplined, coherent implementation.
As a long-standing and committed partner, and as a top-five core donor, Denmark remains fully committed to close cooperation with UN-Women in the year ahead.
Madame Executive Director, let me once again thank you personally and all the able and dedicated staff at UN Women for the important work you do every day in these extremely challenging times.
I thank you.