Human Rights Council 60^th Session
Commemoration of the 30^th Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: Following up on the CSW69 Beijing+30 Action Agenda
Statement by Iceland
Monday, 8 September 2025

Mr./Madame Chair

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was a historic achievement where the world came together thirty years ago with groundbreaking commitments to gender equality.

We have come a long way, and critical progress has been made. But we all must do better to achieve full gender equality.

Both at home and abroad, Iceland places gender equality at the forefront of its decision-making.

A core commitment of the Beijing Declaration was to ensure that every woman and girl can live a life free from violence and discrimination. Allow me to highlight two achievements that Iceland has made in that regard:

In recent years, we have undertaken comprehensive legal and policy reforms to combat sexual and gender-based violence, focusing on fairer justice, timely investigations, enhanced victim support and action against online abuse.

Secondly, we have also adopted comprehensive legislation on gender equality, recognizing the overlapping and intersecting forms of discrimination by providing broader legal protection for marginalized groups.

However, our work is far from finished. The Action Agenda’s six priorities will be key to accelerate further progress.

As a member of the Human Rights Council 2025-2027, Iceland remains determined to do our part, both at home and abroad, until full gender equality has been achieved.

Thank you.