Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls
80th Session of the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly
Intervention by the Nordic and Baltic States - Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden,
delivered by Oļegs Iļģis, Deputy Permanent Representative of Latvia to the UN
New York, 10 October 2025
Thank you, Mr Chair,
I am delivering this statement on behalf of the Nordic and Baltic States.
We thank all briefers for the reports and their presentations.
Ms Reem Alsalem,
Your report highlights consequences of surrogacy arrangements that may occur and the importance of strengthening the protection of human rights for women and children involved in such arrangements.
We acknowledge that surrogacy exists because it reflects the evolving ways how people build families in response to their own realities. At the same time, commercial surrogacy has developed rapidly over the past years. This emphasises the risk of placing economically vulnerable women in an even more precarious position creating ethical concerns about consent and coercion. The report illustrates that there is a risk that surrogacy can intersect with multiple forms of violence against women and girls, underscoring the need for rights-based safeguards and sound regulations.
We must address the ethical, legal and social challenges surrogacy presents to ensure the protection of the rights of the involved women and children, including girls. Women’s health, autonomy, and dignity must be fully respected and prioritized.
Madam Special Rapporteur,
One of your proposed recommendations is to prohibit surrogacy – how would you suggest that the prohibition of surrogacy could be balanced with the rights of individuals and also take into account the best interests of the child?
I thank you.