Ræða við útskrift frá Jafnréttisskóla GRÓ

Dear Fellows of GEST, the GRÓ Gender Equality Studies and Training Programme, Rector of the University of Iceland, Director, Teachers and Staff of GEST, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear friends,

It gives me great pleasure to address this graduation ceremony today and to celebrate the achievements of twenty fellows who have now successfully completed the GRÓ GEST postgraduate diploma programme. Congratulations to you all!

I have recently taken over as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, so this is my first GRÓ graduation ceremony. I am very pleased to have this opportunity to meet you on this joyous occasion and to witness first-hand the importance of the work done in the GRÓ programmes.

The group graduating today is the thirteenth group to graduate from the GEST programme since it was established in 2009 - and the second to do so since the programme was moved under the umbrella of GRÓ, The Centre for Capacity Development, Sustainability and Societal Change, that operates under the auspices of UNESCO.

Under GRÓ there are four training programmes that focus on different areas that have played a significant role in our own development and prosperity here in Iceland:  promoting geothermal energy, sustainable fisheries, land restoration and – gender equality. We want to share our expertise in these fields with other countries in the world and build capacity that will strengthen individuals and institutions in developing countries. That is exactly the idea with the four GRÓ programmes. To invite people to join the programmes who are already experts in their field and to strengthen their capacity in becoming an agent of change in their societies.

The GRÓ programmes have a long and important history. In total around 1500 fellows have graduated from the GRÓ programmes, from more than 100 countries. The oldest programme, on geothermal energy, is more than four decades old - and the youngest, the GEST programme, is now entering its teens. With your graduation today a total of 172 fellows have graduated as GEST fellows, from 31 countries. This year we have fellows from 15 countries and for the first time we have fellows from China, Egypt, Mexico, Mongolia, Namibia and Nepal in the GEST programme.

Promoting gender equality is a cross cutting priority of the Icelandic government, both at home as well as in international fora and our development cooperation. Iceland has for twelve years running ranked at the top of the World Economic Forum Gender Gap Index. Nevertheless it is good for us all to remember, that Iceland’s success when it comes to gender equality is the result of many decades of hard work. We have strong women to thank for having paved the way to a more equal society.

I want to thank Madam Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, President of Iceland from 1980-1996, who was the first woman in the world to be democratically elected as head of state and who is a patron of the GRÓ-GEST Programme, for being such an inspiration for generations of Icelanders, including myself, who grew up while she was president. I also want to thank my grandmother, Jóna Valgerður Kristjánsdóttir, who was a member of Parliament, thirty years ago, when politics was still a very male dominated field. It is important to have strong women we can look up to. Not only for girls, but also for boys. We have seen first-hand in Iceland how everyone benefits from a more gender equal society, where everyone can pursue their dreams, regardless of their gender and where women and men can, at the same time, have fuller family lives, and both take part in the upbringing of their children. This is why we set up the GRÓ-GEST programme. To help people around the world working on promoting gender equality in becoming agents of change.

Dear fellows,

I hope your time here in Iceland in the GRÓ GEST programme has equipped you, not only with the necessary skills and tools to apply your expertise at home, but also filled you with enthusiasm and passion for your work on gender equality. 

Your achievements have certainly required courage and stamina. You travelled from your home countries - sometimes halfway across the globe - all the way here to Iceland. Such an undertaking does in itself bring about great wisdoms and life lessons. We sometimes get to know ourselves better by being in a foreign land and by learning new customs and meeting people from all over the world. You have over the last months tackled academic challenges and deepened your expertise on gender equality and social justice – and let’s not forget braved the Icelandic winter!

We are extremely proud of the four GRÓ programmes and of our alumni around the world that are doing great work in their fields of expertise. Now you will be joining this growing network and we look forward to seeing how you will apply your findings and put your expertise into practice, upon your return back home to your countries.

I wish you all the best in your future endeavours.