Statement by Chargée d’Affaires,

Deputy Permanent Representative of Ukraine Khrystyna Hayovyshyn 

at the First regular session 2025

of the UN-Women Executive board

(10 February 2025)

 

Thank you, Madam President,

I extend my congratulations to Your Excellency Ms. Nicola Clase, on your well-deserved election as UN-Women Executive Board President. Your leadership is crucial as we work to advance gender equality and empower women and girls in a rapidly changing global environment. I also congratulate Vice Presidents from Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Japan and Uganda on their election.

I would like to thank Executive Director Sima Bahous for her remarkable leadership and dedication to advancing the Entity’s triple mandate.

Madam President,

As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, we recognize both the significant progress made and the urgent challenges that remain. Around the world, women and girls continue to bear the brunt of global crises, including conflict, poverty, and climate change.

In this critical time, the role of UN Women is very important, as we work to protect past achievements and accelerate progress toward achieving SDG 5.

Madam President,

This session presents a timely opportunity to engage with the important developments within UN-Women and to discuss how we can further enhance its impact. On audit matters, we are pleased to note that UN-Women has addressed all audit recommendations promptly with no outstanding issues from the Board of Auditors for the fourth consecutive year. This reflects the Entity's ongoing commitment to transparency, good governance, and continuous improvement.

On the issue of organizational culture, anti-discrimination, and anti-racism, we reaffirm our commitment to fostering an inclusive environment within UN-Women. We welcome the update on measures taken to prevent and address discrimination, including the actions stemming from the JIU’s review on racism and racial discrimination in UN organizations.

To conclude, Ukraine faces the Russian full-scale invasion, with women enduring CRSV and war’s hardships. We call for focused aid for survivors and urge UN Women to promote the condemnation of all forms of sexual violence, particularly against women and girls, and strengthen efforts for prevention and the establishment of effective accountability mechanisms for perpetrators.

Ukraine remains steadfast in its partnership with UN-Women. We fully support its efforts to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls worldwide and commend all those at UN-Women for their dedication and tireless work.

Thank you.