First Regular Session of the UNICEF Executive Board
Item 7: Update on UNICEF humanitarian action
Statement delivered by Ms. Ingrid Kressel, Director of the Division of Development Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Mr. President,
Executive Director Catherine Russell,
Distinguished members of the Executive Board, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
With the increasing number of conflicts and wars and people in severe need for and dependency of humanitarian support, we need to find more agile, inclusive, equitable and quality driven approach to our humanitarian action.
With this in mind, Estonia would like to emphasize some critical elements, on which we need to pay attention.
First – access. Increasing lack of respect and accountability for international humanitarian and human rights law is placing civilians, especially children, as well as other vulnerable groups – girls and women, elderly – under heightened risk. Targeting aid workers, restricting the movement of humanitarian supplies and denying assistance to those most in need are becoming common patterns in many conflicts. Massive disinformation comes on top of this eroding trust in humanitarian action, impacting our ability to deliver aid.
Second – children. Children, who are living in the most difficult-to-reach areas, affected by conflict or displacement, who are too often left without necessary support, widening existing inequities and perpetuating cycles of poverty and suffering.
I would like to take this opportunity and to highlight the need for a resolute and fast action in support of the return of the forcefully displaced Ukrainian children – with time passing, it becomes more and more difficult to find and return these children back to their families and country. We need to significantly strengthen the humanitarian diplomacy in support of this endeavour.
Third – action. Action needs resources. The budgetary analysis shows that excessive earmarking significantly hinders UNICEF’s action, including in delivering life-saving
assistance. We need to lift the excessive conditionalities, but also explore innovative financing mechanisms and blended finance models to unlock additional resources.
To conclude, we welcome the development of UNICEF’s next Strategic Plan, which will seek to strengthen its humanitarian action and support meeting the child-related ambitions contained in the SDGs and commitment in the 2030 Agenda to “leave no one behind.” Estonia will continue to contribute towards this end.
Thank you.
