Statement by H.E. Ms. Anna Jóhannsdóttir,
Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations
Commission of Women (CSW), 70th Session
High-Level Meeting on Violence Against Women and Girls
12 March 2025

Madame chair, 

Gender-based violence is deeply rooted in inequality, harmful norms, and power imbalances. During a time of growing backlash against women’s rights and freedoms, we must defend the progress that has been so hard-won, and double down on our efforts to end violence against women and girls in all their diversity.  

Making progress towards gender equality is essential to addressing gender-based violence. However, we know from experience, paradoxically, there is not always a direct correlation between women’s empowerment and a reduction in violence against women and girls.  

Ending gender-based violence remains a priority for Iceland -- both domestically and internationally. Even in the supposedly safest and most gender-equal countries in the world, violence against women and girls remains reality. 

We welcome the adoption of agreed conclusions which emphasise access to justice, an imperative factor to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, both online and offline. 

Iceland has made various reforms and implemented measures to improve its legal framework, response and support for victims of gender-based violence. Recently, the government introduced a new strategy entailing wide-ranging actions to implement the Istanbul Agreement and renew our commitment to better justice in cases of sexual and gender-based violence. 

Iceland has also emphasised direct digital access for survivors of gender-based violence to information about their own cases and to services of public institutions and civil society organisations. Partners across government and civil society are united in their victim-oriented approach.

We have many good practises to share, but we must also remain committed to continue to implement new policies, evolve and better our endeavours. 

Madame chair, 

Gender-based violence is not inevitable — it is preventable.  Yet it continues to persist in every region of the world, affecting millions of women and girls, and too often remaining hidden behind silence, stigma, and fear. This violence is a grave violation of human rights and a profound barrier to equality and dignity.

Preventing gender-based violence requires more than responding after harm has occurred. We must confront uncomfortable truths, challenge the norms and attitudes that excuse abuse, and ensure that perpetrators are held accountable. Silence cannot be an option, and indifference cannot be tolerated.

Real progress requires coordinated and sustained action across all sectors — education, healthcare, justice systems, and communities. It requires strong institutions, political will, and the courage to address the root causes of inequality and discrimination.

Ending gender-based violence is not beyond our reach. But it will not happen by chance. It will only happen if we choose — deliberately and collectively — to act. 

I thank you.