I have the honour to speak on behalf of the five Nordic countries — Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and my own country, Iceland.
Let me thank the briefers today for their substantive and solemn briefings.
The Nordics have been stalwart supporters of the United Nations since its foundation. We ar…
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic countries, namely, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and my own country, Iceland.
I extend my appreciation to Under-Secretary- General DiCarlo for her briefing on behalf of the Secretary-General. Let me also welcome the participatio…
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and my own country, Iceland, as a Nordic member-elect of the Human Rights Council for the 2025–2027 term. I thank the President of the Human Rights Council for his presentation of the report of the Council (A/7…
First, I would like to once again thank all those whose daily work is dedicated to the United Nations and its ideals.
All across the globe, people work in the name of the United Nations, wearing the colours and emblems of the United Nations, giving their efforts to make our world a better place and…
First of all, let me join in celebrating the conclusion of the Pact for the Future, together with the Declaration on Future Generations and the Global Digital Compact (resolution 79/1). I congratulate all those who put gruelling hours of negotiation into finding common ground on many difficult issue…
Iceland supported the amendments proposed by the European Union, which would have added further context to the text, reflecting
our common concerns about growing religious intolerance. It also would have taken budgetary constraints into consideration when it comes to the appointment of special envo…
Iceland aligns itself with the statement delivered yesterday by Liechtenstein on behalf of a group of countries (see A/78/PV.59).
We deeply regret the ongoing impasse in the Security Council and call on Council members to redouble their efforts to address the grave humanitarian situation and the ne…
This year we celebrate the adoption and the opening for signature of a new implementing agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It is remarkable that, even in the current geopolitical climate, the global community was able not only to conclude the negotiations b…
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic countries — Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and my own country, Iceland.
We thank the President of the Human Rights Council for his presentation of the report of the Council (A/78/53 and A/78/53/Add.1), which invites us to reflect…
First, I would like to thank all those whose daily work is dedicated to the United Nations and its ideals. All across the globe, people work in the name of the United Nations, wearing the colours and emblems of this Organization, giving their effort in the pursuit of making our world a better place.…
I have the honour, on behalf of Iceland, as current Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, and Ireland, as the previous Chair, to introduce draft resolution A/77/L.65, entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe”. I would like to thank Member Sta…
At the outset, let me thank Vanuatu and other core group members for this important initiative and the constructive approach that they took to the negotiations on the text of resolution 77/276.
Iceland became a sponsor of the resolution in recognition of the fact that climate change is the defining…
Allow me to start off today with a quote. It is from a recent book called On Time and Water, by Icelandic author Andri Snær Magnason:
“The earliest written records of humans date back five thousand years, events that happened practically yesterday. Humanity first emerged the day before that, in com…
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Western European and other States parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), as well as the United States of America and Liechtenstein.
Today we celebrate the fortieth anniversary of a remarkable achievement — the United Nat…
I would like to start by congratulating Mr. Csaba Kőrösi on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy- seventh session. I would also like to thank the Secretary- General, Mr. António Guterres, for his leadership, as well as those whose daily work is dedicated to the ideals of …
Let me start by thanking the global humanitarian community for staying the course and delivering life-saving services while facing
ever-increasing challenges. That applies especially to locally recruited humanitarian personnel. I would also like to take this opportunity to urge all parties in situa…
“Life is bacalao.” So spoke Salka Valka, the strong female lead of a cherished novel by the Icelandic Nobel laureate Halldór Laxness. Salka Valka is a great novel, which touches upon rapid developments of Icelandic society in the twentieth century. It is about love, other demons and so much else.
H…
Today’s meeting marks a critical milestone in the global fight against trafficking in persons. Trafficking in persons, including forced labour and slavery, is a serious form of organized crime, a grave violation of human rights and a challenge to sustainable development. Most of its victims are wome…
I have the honour to introduce a pre-recorded statement by His Excellency Mr. Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Development Cooperation of the Republic of Iceland.
A pre-recorded video statement was shown in the General Assembly Hall (annex I and see A/76/3…
“The ocean, the blue ocean, captures the mind; what lies beyond the far horizon?”
Those lines from a classic Icelandic poem come to mind when looking back at the year 2020. Ocean affairs have always captured our minds, but at the beginning of the year no one could have foreseen the coronavirus dise…
