Statement by H.E. Ms. Anna Johannsdottir,
Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations
General Assembly 80th session
7th Plenary Meeting of Third Committee - General Debate
8 October, 2025

Let me begin by congratulating Ambassador Chaivaivid and the Bureau members on your election. We would also like to express our appreciation for your work so far. Austerity measures pose a challenge to the work of the Committee this year. We support your approach and wish you the best in steering the committee through this session.

Mr. Chair,

Human rights are at the core of Iceland’s foreign policy. We believe, simply put, that human rights are not optional. They are universal, inalienable, indivisible and interdependent. They are fundamental to peace and prosperity. Human rights must remain at the heart of our collective efforts. 

As a member of the Human Rights Council 2025-2027, Iceland has among its priorities the rights of the child, gender equality and LGBTI+ rights. 

We are also committed to combatting disinformation, which is an increasing challenge to anyone fighting for human rights and democracy in our societies.

Mr. Chair,

Every child has the right to grow and prosper to adulthood in good health and education, dignity and peace.

We must work together to empower girls all over the world. Ensuring equal access to education is imperative for the empowerment of women and girls. This also includes ensuring sexual and reproductive health rights and services for youth, comprehensive sexuality education and protecting the right to bodily autonomy, privacy and self-determination.

We must continue to fight child sexual exploitation and abuse as well as harmful practices, including female genital mutilation and child, early, and forced marriage. Iceland continues to work with UNICEF, UN Women and UNFPA on programmes to accelerate global action in this area.  

Iceland also continues to promote the Barnahús model, or Children’s House, now active or being implemented in 27 countries. Its purpose is clear: to transform the way child victims receive care, justice and protection through a coordinated interdisciplinary response. We are encouraged by the recognition this model has received internationally and above all by its potential to improve the lives of young people.

Mr. Chair,

It is a matter of pride for us that Iceland is seen as a global trailblazer in terms of gender equality. Fifty years ago this month, on October 24th, 1975, the women of Iceland set out to strike against the systematic inequality in the so-called Women’s Strike. This set us on a path. 

No country is perfect however, and none has achieved full equality. We still have work to do, and our government, led by three women, is committed to pushing further for full gender equality.

At the UN in New York and on the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Iceland will focus on four areas for advancing the rights of women and girls, in all their diversity:
• zero tolerance for sexual and gender-based violence;
• promoting universal access to reproductive health and rights and comprehensive sexuality education;
• working towards achieving equal pay for equal work;
• and finally, and perhaps crucially, engaging men and boys in the fight for gender equality.

And on that topic of gender equality, Mr. Chair, I would also like to reiterate that Iceland expects nothing less than to see the United Nations finally led by a woman when the next Secretary-General takes office.

Mr. Chair,

Freedom of expression is not just a human right but one of the most cherished principles of vibrant democracies. It is one of the foundations of our democratic societies, and a driver of our cultural, innovative and economic progress. 

Nevertheless, this freedom comes with responsibilities and limitations, as new technologies are creating new challenges to these very foundations of our open and free societies. Artificial intelligence can be weaponized, and algorithms can be distorted – in some cases, they are driving mass production and dissemination of disinformation, lies, hate and propaganda. Such distortions are not an exercise of one of our fundamental freedoms, they are a betrayal of them. 

Iceland will continue to defend freedom of expression, but also insist that disinformation, hate speech and other abuses of this freedom that are meant to cause harm and divide, are beyond the legitimate and democratic discourse.

Mr. Chair,

Our democracy, human rights and freedoms are under pressure. Populist movements are gaining ground. Online disinformation and conspiracy theories spread seemingly uncontrollably, corroding trust in facts, institutions, and our own societies. One of the results is predictable: rising intolerance, especially towards marginalized groups – women, LGBTI+ persons, minorities. People whose only “crime” is being their true selves.

Racism is rearing its ugly head again. Anti-immigrant and anti-asylum sentiments have moved from the fringe into the mainstream of politics and government. Antisemitism is on the rise, as numerous, sometimes deadly, examples show. So is Islamophobia and hate against other ethnic and religious minorities, exacerbated by ongoing conflicts. 

No person should have to live in fear of persecution and violence. This also applies to persecution based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. 

While the legal situation for LGBTI+ individuals has improved in many countries in recent years, one group has been increasingly targeted. Transgender individuals, especially trans-women, seem to pose an existential threat to the maintenance of patriarchy. This group has become the target of hate by individuals and coordinated groups online and in traditional media. We see regressive legislative actions in several places around the world.

Denying transgender people their human dignity – their very right to exist – is not only wrong, it is dangerous. And it undermines our commitment to the universal, inherent and inalienable rights we should all enjoy. 

Iceland will not shy away from standing up on their behalf, and for the principle that we are all born free and equal.

Mr. Chair,

As the United Nations celebrate their 80th anniversary, it is a sad reality that in places across the globe, we are witnessing an erosion of our global commitment to human rights. 

Unsurprisingly, this deeply troubling trend goes hand in hand with growing disregard for international law and multilateral commitments. More accountability is needed. The fact that the very institutions that were set up to exert accountability are being actively eroded, is no excuse for complacency. It should be a call for action.

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues to inflict devastating human suffering. The deliberate targeting of civilians, as well as schools, hospitals, and critical infrastructure, are grave breaches of international law. We are particularly outraged by the forcible transfer of Ukrainian children, who must be reunited with their families without delay. We call on the Russian Federation to cease immediately its war of aggression and to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Israel’s ongoing military operations against and within Palestine are way beyond proportional self-defence and, along with the relentless obstruction of humanitarian assistance, constitute serious violations of international law. The two-state solution remains the only viable and morally justifiable path forward. Iceland once again reiterates the call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the restoration of humanitarian access and the release of all hostages. We welcome any initiative in this regard and call on parties to seize the opportunity of the newly proposed US peace plan that is currently being worked out.    

Elsewhere, we see the continued erosion of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including across the Middle East. In Sudan, a relentless war has left ten million people displaced and countless women and girls victims of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence. In Yemen, large portion of the population has barely had access to food, health care and education for years. In Syria, there is a glimmer of hope that the brutal legacy of war can be overcome. But the transitional government must turn promises into action and lead an inclusive, Syrian-owned and Syrian-led political transition that represents and serves all Syrians, including women and religious and ethnic minorities.

In Iran, we see new measures implemented to suppress the legitimate demand of the people of Iran, in particular women and girls, for their human rights to be respected. Furthermore, we see a worrying surge in executions and reports of extrajudicial killings. A climate of fear and systematic impunity cannot be tolerated.

In Afghanistan, the human rights of the Afghan people, in particular the rights of women and girls, now barely seem to exist. That should not be tolerated in our world.

Mr. Chair,

The promotion of human rights is not simply a moral imperative. It is a strategic necessity. It is one of the pillars of the United Nations. It is essential to peace and security, sustainable development and to uphold our international system.

Human rights are neither a luxury nor a foreign import. They are “the common standard of achievement for all people and all nations”.

Let’s work together to defend them. In our work through this Committee and beyond.

I thank you.