Your Excellency Ms. Laura Rissanen, State Secretary to the Minister for Social Security, Finland,
Your Excellency Ambassador Tiémoko Moriko, Permanent Representative of Côte d’Ivoire to the United Nations,
Your Excellency Mr. Thomas Barbancey, Deputy Director-General, Development
Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Luxembourg,
UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador Natalia Vodianova,
Distinguished guests, esteemed partners, dear colleagues,
Welcome! Thank you for joining us today. During this critical time at the UN General Assembly, as we look at our progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals, we are here to ignite the power of innovation – innovation led by, for, and with women and young people.
Life-changing solutions exist, but too often, they don't reach those who need them most. This event is about bridging that gap. We’re here to explore how to unlock the capital, partnerships, and political will to scale what works.
Since 2021, UNFPA’s Equalizer Accelerator Fund has become a leading platform for finding and funding groundbreaking ideas to create equal opportunities for everyone. The Equalizer has raised over $4.5 million, supporting innovations from women and youth leaders, building global partnerships, and enabling new ways of working in more than 120 UNFPA country offices.
UNFPA could not have done this alone. I want to thank the generous donors and partners who have made this possible. To the Governments of Finland, Luxembourg, Germany, and Denmark, and to Organon and all our other supporters—thank you for your unwavering commitment. To the Governments of India and Uganda, and our growing network of private sector and charitable allies—thank you for your vital partnership.
The past four years have been a resounding success for the Equalizer Fund:
- We’ve empowered 40 women-led teams across 30 countries, reaching more than 2 million people with their life-changing innovations. These ideas, the brainchildren of brilliant women and young people, are tackling urgent issues in women’s health, gender-based violence prevention and response, climate resilience, and accessibility.
- We launched the WomenX Collective to close critical health gaps by scaling solutions in reproductive and maternal health, including reproductive cancers. Our first hubs are now open in Berlin and Nairobi.
- We brought the Equity 2030 Alliance to life. It now has over 130 members, experts, and leaders dedicated to embedding gender equity into the DNA of science, technology, and finance. The world is not designed for women, and the Alliance is boldly changing the global conversation to redesign it.
- We have woven innovation into the fabric of UNFPA, building skills, crafting our global Innovation Strategy, and supporting more than 200 projects in over 120 countries.
But today is not about celebrating past achievements. We are here to forge the path ahead.
We stand at a pivotal moment. A moment to reach those furthest behind. A moment to ensure every woman and young person can make their own choices. A moment to equalize their opportunities through the transformative power of innovation.
It is time to scale what works, and bridge science and innovation with impact. Let’s ensure that innovation in women’s health is not the luxury of a few, but accessible to all. To make that happen, we need to unlock financing and bring new actors into the space.
UNFPA is ready to do more, to achieve greater reach, to accelerate our work for lasting change in women’s health and to make innovation part of everything we do, as outlined in our Strategic Plan for 2026-2029.
We invite you to join us on this journey.
Let’s be guided by the theme of this 80th session of the General Assembly. We are better together.
Together, we can disrupt inequality.
Together, we can build a more equitable world for everyone.
Thank you.
