Mr. Chair, Mme Acting Executive Director, Distinguished Members of the Board,
Italy aligns itself with the cross-regional statement read by the Mexican delegation and would like to add the following remarks in its national capacity.
We welcome the new Strategic Plan and the priorities reflected therein. In particular we welcome the inclusion of the fourth outcome on demographic change and population dynamics which reflects the capacity of the Program to adapt to the transformations of our times.
We reiterate our steadfast support for the mandate of UNFPA and for the work deployed by the Program in the most challenging humanitarian contexts.
We uphold the enduring efforts to protect women and girls and counter harmful practices, and we are pleased to announced that Italy has recently renewed its long-standing annual contribution to the Joint Program to accelerate the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation and to end Child Early and Forced Marriage, for a total of 5 million Euros for 2025.
Accordingly, we will continue to advocate, together with our partners, for fostering action against all forms of violence and abuse against women and girls, across all levels, in close collaboration with governments, national and grassroots community organizations.
Before concluding, allow me, Mr Chair, to commend the action of the Acting Executive Director Diane Keita in steering the Program during the transition phase, in challenging circumstances, and express our appreciation for the excellent collaboration with the team in New York and at the regional level.
In this spirit, we really look forward to continuing to work closely with you in the future.
Thank you.
