Permanent Mission of India
New York

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First Regular Session of the UNICEF Executive Board on Item 2

Statement by Ms. R. Mythili, Counselor (Legal Advisor)
10 February 2026

Mr. President,

We take this opportunity to congratulate you on your election as President of the UNICEF Executive Board Bureau for 2026 and assure you of India’s full support and constructive engagement as a member of the Board. We are confident that under your leadership, the Board will continue to provide strategic guidance to advance UNICEF’s core mandate at a time of complex global challenges affecting children worldwide. It is imperative that UNICEF retains a laser sharp focus on development of children and not stray into areas that may be peripheral to this core mandate.

2. India, home to the world’s largest youth population, attaches the highest importance to the well-being, protection and empowerment of children, who represent not only our future but that of the global community. In this context, UNICEF’s longstanding partnership with India has played a significant role in supporting steady progress across key indicators including child nutrition, foundational learning, immunization, sanitation, digital awareness and social inclusion. These collaborative efforts have strengthened our national systems and contributed meaningfully to improving outcomes for the most vulnerable children.

Mr. President,

3. We are deeply concerned at the ongoing funding crisis and its impact on UN entities including UNICEF. At a moment like this, we hope that efforts within UNICEF will be to return to its core mandate, especially the work on the field that brings a positive change to a child’s life. Adequate, predictable and flexible resources are essential to safeguard programmatic delivery and ensure that well-being of children remains central in all our endeavours. At the same time, financial architecture must remain transparent, accountable and enabling, while also addressing gaps that may hinder timely and effective implementation. The Strategic Plan must ultimately be judged by its tangible and lasting impact on the ground, measured through real improvements in the lives of children as prioritized by the host government. Further, we re-iterate that the reporting mechanism undertaken by UNICEF should be authentic, politically non-biased and geographically balanced.

4. In conclusion, we reaffirm our commitment to further deepen our partnership with UNICEF to scale up resilient systems and leverage diverse financing streams to maximize impact. Together, we must ensure that every investment translates into meaningful progress for children everywhere.

Thank you, Mr. President.