Statement delivered by Mr. Jonas Haraldsson, Humanitarian Director, 
at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Iceland
2026 ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment and ECOSOC Meeting on the Transition from Relief to Development
17 June, 2026

Mr. Chair,

Let me begin by thanking you for the very relevant programme we have this week, the interesting high-level panels and side events. We are thankful for the opportunity to discuss these important issues. Currently, we are facing a growing number of protracted crises, often characterized by a complex interplay of conflict, climate change, external economic shocks, and lack of respect for international humanitarian law.

We remain deeply concerned by this persistent disregard for international humanitarian law. Ensuring full compliance, guaranteeing safe and unhindered humanitarian access, promoting accountability for violations, and protecting humanitarian personnel are all essential to reducing human suffering and upholding human dignity.

Protection is an area we believe should be at the forefront of our humanitarian efforts. And we cannot forget that humanitarian assistance, by its very definition, is inclusive and should reach those most vulnerable. That means gender equality, the rights of LGBTQI+ persons, persons with disabilities, and youth, must all be taken into account and promoted.

We hope the UN80 process and the Humanitarian Reset will lead to increased cooperation across all UN actors and improved results. And if that is to happen, the RC/HCs must be empowered to deliver on their important mandate.

Unfortunately, all this work takes place while the system deals with an unprecedented financing crisis, but still the incredibly dedicated staff of these organizations keep delivering life-saving assistance when and where needed. We are truly grateful for that.

Core funding is a crucial enabler of humanitarian action. This year, Iceland has increased its contributions to humanitarian assistance and this year, close to one third of our humanitarian contributions are core contributions. 

This is what enables the system to deliver assistance swiftly and allocate funds to emergencies as soon as possible, all while using the funds in the most efficient way.

Finally, I would like to say that humanitarian assistance contributes to stability and can lay the foundations which development actors can then build on. Therefore, we must ensure the relevant actors are on the same page, delivering what is needed, when and where it is needed – and that is what I hope will result from our meetings here this week.

Thank you.