At the United Nations General Assembly

“Honourable President. I intend to discuss the recent visit of the delegation of parliamentarians to Iceland's permanent mission to the United Nations, as it is customary for four parliamentary members to attend the General Assembly annually, nominated by their party group.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity, along with three other honourable members of parliament, to visit the United Nations and participate in the 70th General Assembly that was convened at the end of September. As is well known, at that time leaders of the member states came together and approved 17 new development goals, the Sustainable Development Goals. Our delegation attended meetings of the main bodies of the Assembly, the General Assembly and the Security Council, and we received briefings on the activities of the Economic and Social Council, in addition to familiarising ourselves with the work of numerous subsidiary bodies. However, what struck me most was experiencing the strength and determination that characterises the efforts of our people on the ground. We may not have the largest delegation, but the diligence, determination, and hard work of our people is evident, and the respect for Iceland's contributions and operations both abroad and at home was unmistakable and was clearly evident in our meetings and discussions with representatives of various committees and subsidiary bodies. Where we have been active, we have achieved remarkable success, notably in the area of gender equality, in ocean issues, in land restoration, energy and climate matters, food security, and not least child assistance through UNICEF in Iceland. Furthermore, the honourable government has announced an increased effort with UN Refugee Assistance and other institutions that are tackling the complex situations that are present.

I believe it is important to express here, as our representative on this mission this year, how vital it is to maintain and further strengthen the ties of the parliament with the work of we Icelanders at the United Nations.”

Willum Þór Þórsson  — in the work of the parliament, 3rd November 2015.