Mr. Chair,

I would like to congratulate you on your election as Chair of the CSW and assure you of Iceland´s support for your work.

We look forward to participate in this session on the basis the new working methods which are bound to enhance the impact of the work of the Commission.

We welcome the priority theme „Women´s Empowerment and its link to Sustainable Development“.  We have high hopes regarding Agenda 2030 and firmly believe in the necessity of its implemention to secure sustainable peace and development. 

Mr. Chair,

Women make up half of mankind and to achieve the commitments made in the 2030 Agenda it will be necessary for all UN Member States and other stakeholders to put their gender glasses on and ensure systematic gender mainstreaming in the implementation of the agenda as a whole.   Accordingly, the CSW should not only be focusing on Goal 5, but on how all the SDG´s must be implemented in a gender-responsive manner.

The 2030 Agenda should be looked upon in light of other commitments made by UN Member States such as those most of us have undertaken through CEDAW and other human rights treaties, and all of us through the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.  In this regard I would like to use the opportunity to call upon those Member States, who have not yet done so, to ratify or acceed to CEDAW.

The 2030 Agenda is first and foremost a tool to ensure human rights of people world wide.  We must be ambitious.  Women are not going to wait for 117 years for gender equality which according to the World Economic Forum is the time we will have to wait if we continue at current speed.  When we pull together our resources we should achieve gender equality in 2030 according to plan.

The  CSW must play a role in dealing with the institutional questions regarding implementing Agenda 2030.  We have to make sure, however, that we do not narro the role of the CSW down to only Agenda 2030.  The CSW continues to have a leading role in monitoring and accelerating the implementation of Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and in mainstreaming a gender perspective in all UN Activities. 

I will now revert to the review theme on eliminating and preventing all forms of violence against women and girls and would like to inform the Commission about three developments in Iceland.

First, Iceland has taken a new approach to address domestic violence aiming at making measures such as removing the perpetrator from the home and to issue restraining orders, more effective and to provide better support and protection for the victims.  Also, to improve first response through cooperation between the police and social services. We will have a side event on this approach called „Keep the Window Open“ on Thursday.

Second, Iceland has also adopted the Swedish Model on prostitution, by making the purchasing of sexual services as well as profiting from prostitution by others illegal while not penalizing the prostitutes themselves.  This is based on the view that it is the responsibility of the legislature to stand against the sale of sexual favours, as it is unacceptable to regard the human body as a saleable good.  We hope more countries will adopt this model to reduce demand for prostitution. 

Third, Iceland is a signatory to the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, known as the Istanbul Convention.  The aim is to ratify the Convention this spring during the current session of Parliament.

Mr. Chair,

Finally, Iceland feels it is extremely important to engage men and boys in gender equality and women´s empowerment and has taken a number of initiatives to do exactly that, both at the national and international level.  We encourage other Member States to follow suit. 

Thank you, Mr. Chair.