Partnership opportunities in Iceland
Find a partner in our database
In this partner database you will find concept ideas and examples of best practice projects from Icelandic organisations with expertise and interest in bilateral cooperation in priority areas of cooperation such as research, energy, innovation, culture, education and gender equality. Such partnership projects may be eligible for funding under the EEA grants, e.g. through the Active Citizens Fund.
For Icelandic organisations:For registration in the database, please fill in the registration form. If you have any questions or need assistance, kindly contact [email protected].
Further information & contacts
Icelandic contacts for partnership opportunities & EEA Grant information.
| Name | Type | Topic | Sub Topics | Short description | Contact | Description | Projects |
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| 3Z ehf | Private company | Research, Technology | Health | 3Z mission is to develop repurposed small molecule drugs for selected neurological indications, facilitated by our unique zebrafish screening technology. | 3Z ehf | 3Z builds animal models of selected neurological indications (e.g. ADHD, schizophrenia, Parkinson´s, sleep disorders and more. Once successful the models are used for re-purposing screens and the hit molecule are developed up to Phase I/Phase II and then out licensed. | The company can participate in early stage discovery programs, modelling of neurological diseases, and currently seeks partners for out licensing or co-development of a novel ADHD therapeutic. |
| Art of Living | Non-governmental organization | Education | Health | Art of Living is a humanitarian organisation. Working on all aspects of human life. It is helping in disasters, doing water reservoirs, ad organic farming and many more. Holding courses to strengthening human power, by teaching Yoga, Breathing and Meditation. | Art of Living Iceland and @ArtofLivingIS | Art of Living is a humanitarian organisation. Working on all aspects of human life. It is helping in disasters, doing water reservoirs, ad organic farming and many more. Holding courses to strengthening human power, by teaching Yoga, Breathing and Meditation. | By teaching Yoga, Breathing and Meditation is the maximum human strength received. As well, there are diminishing tendencies of depression and sleeping problems are solved. |
| Barnaheill – Save the Children Iceland | Non-governmental organization | Human rights | Children's rights | Save the Children in Iceland is a non-governmental organization founded in 1989 with the aim of working for the human rights of children. The organization is part of the international organization Save the Children, which was founded in 1919. Child Welfare is a leading force in changing attitudes and procedures regarding children's issues and their rights. Barnaheill's vision is a world where every child has the opportunity to live and develop, receives a quality education, lives a secure life and has the opportunity to make an impact. Barnaheill stand guard for the benefit of children and safeguard their rights. | Barnaheill – Save the Children Iceland | From the beginning, the association's emphasis has been on domestic activities, but in recent years, foreign projects have been added. Two of Barnaheill's largest national projects concern the protection of children against violence. On the one hand, Vinátta is a prevention project against bullying in preschools and primary schools. The project is of Danish origin, based on the latest research on bullying and is a great pleasure among professionals, children and parents regarding the study material. However, Verndarar barna, which is a prevention project against child sexual abuse. The goal of the project is to provide adults with strong education and targeted training in preventing, recognizing and responding to sexual violence with determination and responsibility. Save the Children also publishes educational material on violence working to raise awareness. The association runs Abendingarlína for inappropriate or illegal content on the internet in cooperation with the National Commissioner of Police. Save the Children also runs an interactive educational website on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and provides education and information on the symptoms and consequences of violence against children, and actions are suspected of this. The organization also provides advice and works on a number of legal opinions where the government is pressured to ensure by law that children are provided with protection against all forms of violence. Barnaheill is also responsible for various collaborative projects such as Hjólasöfnun Barnaheilla, which is a bicycle collection for children and young people living in difficult conditions and Dagur mannréttinda barna, which is Children's Human Rights Day. | Prevention of violence against children Prevention of bullying Coordinated action plans against violence Secure use of the Internet and social media for children and young people Empower children and young people to participate in society Increase everyone's knowledge of children's rights. |
| City of Reykjavík - Office of the Mayor and CEO | Municipality/regional entity | Civil Society, Culture, Education, Environment / Climate, Innovation, Research, Technology | Digital transformation | Programme for Innovation and Development is operated by the Urban Development team in the Office of the Mayor and CEO. It is an initiative in building international relations across public, private and academic institutions, and participating in externally funded research, innovation and development projects. | Kristrún Th. Gunnarsdóttir ([email protected]) Óli Örn Eiríksson ([email protected]) | The Programme for Innovation and Development is an initiative in building international relations across public, private and academic institutions, and participating in externally funded research, innovation and development projects (e.g. H2020 & HE). Thematic areas cut across major strategic priorities and action plans, in particular, those of the Reykjavík Green Deal on achieving carbon neutrality, sustainable transport and active mobility, and an emphasis on public health, social justice and equality, democratic and co-creative participation, digital transformation and user-centred services. | Our projects are supported by collaboration between city departments (e.g., environment and planning; innovation and services, welfare) and special offices, and they present novel research opportunities in areas of policy, politics and governmentality, as well as in the specific topical domains the projects are tackling. |
| City of Reykjavik: Human Rights and Democracy Office | Municipality/regional entity | Civil Society | Democracy, Social innovation | Reykjavík city is known for its democratic projects and has experience in partnering in EEA grant projects. Sharing knowledge and collaborating with other European municipalities and/or NGO´s has proven its worth over and over. PB (participatory budgeting), Public participation/deliberation, Democracy policy, residents councils, suggestion portal, consultation portal and consultative committees are topics/projects within our field of expertise. | Sigurlaug Anna Jóhannsdóttir ([email protected]) | ||
| City of Reykjavik: Human Rights and Democracy Office | Municipality/regional entity | Gender Equality | Gender Based Violence, Intersectional Feminism | The project Together Against Violence is in cooperation with the Metropolitan Police Department, the Women’s Shelter in Iceland and the Health Centres in the Capital Area. The focus of the project to fight domestic violence by using a multi-agency approach. | City of Reykjavik: Human Rights and Democracy Office | The project Together Against Violence is in cooperation with the Metropolitan Police Department, the Women’s Shelter in Iceland and the Health Centres in the Capital Area. The focus of the project to fight domestic violence by using a multi-agency approach. |
Together Against Violence In Iceland 22% of women aged 18-80 years old have experienced violence in intimate relationships according to a research. That is a scary fact in a country that is ranked number one in the World Economic Forum’s global gender gap report. Violence is costly for the society as a whole and it is estimated that violence costing Icelandic society 31,1 billions each year. It doesn’t only cost much in terms of money but has serious effects on the health and wellbeing of victims of violence and children that are raised in an environment where violence occurs. In response to this situation the City of Reykjavik started in January 2015 a project titled Together Against Violence in cooperation with the Metropolitan Police Department, the Women’s Shelter in Iceland and the Health Centres in the Capital Area. The focus of the project to fight domestic violence by using a multi-agency approach. As a part of that measure and if there is a child registered at the home where domestic violence is reported a psychologist, on the behalf of The Child Protection Department, and a social worker, on the behalf of the Welfare Department, accompany police officers to the scene. This procedure is followed up with a phone call within three days and by a visit by the police and the Welfare Department/social worker within a week and by further support. If there are no children on the scene people are offered the services of a social worker. In this project, a special focus has been placed on people of foreign origin, people with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ people. Workgroups, with the relevant people taking part, have been founded in order to analyse the situation and make suggestions concerning how to better the services, in relation to domestic violence, for these groups. Key person involved: Halldóra Dýrleifar-Gunnarsdóttir the project manager of Together Against Violence |
| City of Reykjavik: The Department of Finance and Risk Management and the Human Rights and Democracy Office | Municipality/regional entity | Gender Equality | Gender Budgeting, Gender Mainstreaming | Gender budgeting is a governing tool used to ensure the fair distribution of goods and assets according the specific needs of different groups of people. | City of Reykjavik: The Department of Finance and Risk Management and the Human Rights and Democracy Office | Gender budgeting is a governing tool used to ensure the fair distribution of goods and assets according the specific needs of different groups of people. |
Gender budgeting is a governing tool used to ensure the fair distribution of goods and assets according the specific needs of different groups of people. In 2011 the city of Reykjavík decided to start implementation of gender budgeting. The focus is to analyze service fields and implement equality impact assessments. The equality impact survey/assessment is a tool used to assess the impact of financial decisions before they are approved or rejected by the city council. The City‘s human rights policy is founded on the principle of equal treatment, aiming to enable all persons to enjoy basic human rights regardless of their origin, nationality, class, language, skin colour, religion, atheism or non-religious convictions, political opinions, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, sexual characteristics, age, disability, body build or type, health, ability or other status. This policy also applies when financial decisions are being made and the guideline of implementation of gender budgeting has been to intertwine the budget policy of the city and its human rights policy. Key persons involved: Freyja Barkardóttir, project manager of Gender Budgeting and Halldóra Káradóttir, head of the Department of Finance and Risk Management with in the City of Reykjavík. |
| Cool Wool ehf. | Private company | Innovation, Research | Sustainable solutions | Cool Wool are working on the first 100% plastic free sustainable cooling boxes for food and perishable products. Cool Wool offer high quality cooling boxes that are light, strong and waterproof. Our expertise lies in extensive knowledge of working with sustainable fibres and bio leftovers to use in cooling boxes. Our mission it to make value for our customer by providing ground braking innovative cooling packaging that will reduce food waste and and GHG emissions. | Cool Wool ehf | To create our first sustainable packaging and understand market needs, Cool Wool has worked closely with the largest salmon plants in Iceland to understand their packaging needs in the export of fresh fish. We have also partnered with the Icelandic Textile Industry, which buys the wool directly from the farmers in Iceland and processes it to yarn. Also with transporters i.e. Eimskip and Iceland Cargo, to assess their cooling packaging needs during transport, as ambient temperature along the journey can have a direct impact on temperature stability within the box. Cool Wool box will be produced following a zero-waste circular economy production model, as the cardboard is recyclable, and the wool layers are reusable and sourced from either discarded wool from the farm sector or regenerated wool from the textile industry. | Sustainable cooling packaging |
| Einurð | Private company | Education, Gender Equality, Innovation, Research | Democracy, Social innovation | Einurð - equality, education, social innovation and inclusion | Einurð | Einurð is a non-profit organization focusing on training and community development. Einurð employs and builds on a network of experts in community research, education and training. Einurð customers are mostly non-profit organizations including schools and education centres on all levels from preschools to universities as well as organizations and centres of innovation and community development. Einurð business and operation include: consulting, research, surveys, development of educational resources, equal pay auditing and validation of informal learning, development of curriculums and training models both face to face and distributed or e-learning. Einurð has also provided organizations with trained project managers for local, transnational, long- and short term projects. | We can contribute to projects related to gender equality, social innovation and inclusion, education and training as well as awareness raising. For further information see our website. |
| Evris foundation | Private company | Gender Equality | Empowering Women | Evris Foundation specializes in working on EEA Grants projects. Evris Foundation is an Icelandic non-profit private foundation founded to enable the sharing of knowledge and experience with other European countries and enhance cooperation in various sectors between entities in those countries | Evris foundation
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Evris Foundation specializes in working on EEA Grants projects. Evris Foundation is an Icelandic non-profit private foundation founded to enable the sharing of knowledge and experience with other European countries and enhance cooperation in various sectors between entities in those countries. It builds a tailor-made team of Icelandic experts with well-defined and required expertise for each individual project. Sharing know-how will facilitate problem-solving and the development of new solutions by public agencies and businesses alike for the benefit of all participants Iceland is at the forefront of the movement for equal rights and gender equality in the world and has for many years been the frontrunner in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index Gender equality is a constant work in progress and does not happen without efforts being made by human rights defenders, activists, politicians and others working towards the common goal of gender equality. Each step towards gender equality requires political will and the conviction that gender quality is beneficial for society as a whole. In Iceland, tools such as legislation, gender budgeting, gender quotas and public incentives for achieving greater gender quality have been developed, tried and tested for decades.
| Evris Foundation benefits from the cooperation with experienced gender equality experts and advocates in Iceland. Evris-teams consist of experts from private and public institutions and universities, as well as independent experts. Together with project managers from Evris Foundation, Evris-teams have successfully delivered valuable contributions as a reliable donor state project partner. |
| Exedra | Private company | Gender Equality | Empowering Women | EXEDRA is a professional forum for discussion for prominent women leaders in Icelandic society, inclusive of all economic sectors and political parties. Within the group are current and former Ministers and other political leaders, ambassadors, business leaders, women from the arts, sciences, media and NGOs | Exedra
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EXEDRA is a professional forum for discussion for prominent women leaders in Icelandic society, inclusive of all economic sectors and political parties. Within the group are current and former Ministers and other political leaders, ambassadors, business leaders, women from the arts, sciences, media and NGOs. Founded in 2006, EXEDRA offers its members a platform for discussions on a variety of topics aimed to inspire and encourage its members to increase their knowledge and actively participate in improving society, with great focus on gender equality and the empowerment of women in leadership positions. EXEDRA women meet once a month to discuss important current topics, share their experiences, network and foster collaboration among women of all professions. Among other events that Exedra hosts are bi-monthly sessions on current affairs to exchange knowledge and encourage open discussions, as well as a variety of indoor and outdoor activities that provide our members with a platform to exchange ideas, build relationships and support each other. Every other year we travel abroad to extend our network, meet with local leaders, attend seminars and visit companies and institutions. EXEDRA operates a sister organisation for young female leaders called EXEMPLA. Collaborative events connecting women from EXEDRA and EXEMPLA serve to bridge the gap and encourage interaction between generations.
| EXEDRA would like to collaborate with other female leadership networks and those looking to establish female leadership organisations in their countries with the aim of empowering women within their countries and across Europe to support each other and to take on leadership positions within their communities. |
| FKA – Association of Women Business Leaders in Iceland | Non-governmental organization | Gender Equality | Empowering Women, Women in the Workplace | FKA is a non-profit professional network for female Icelandic business leaders. It was founded in april 1999 and it´s core purpose is to support women to manage and grow their business. | FKA – Association of Women Business Leaders in Iceland |
The objectives of FKA: • To ally women business leaders in order to empower them and draw attention to them in the business world and in the society. • To encourage the exchange of ideas and knowledge and sharing of experiences, both national and international, between its members. • To promote business between FKA women. • To promote exchanges, relationships and development of national and international contacts aimed at reinforcing partnerships and access to new markets. • To encourage FKA women to use all possible means in order to re-educate themselves and be aware of all the latest developments which may effect the operation of their business. • To make FKA business women a respected target group in the society for opinions, comments and guidance. • Give attention to successful and exemplary businesses and companies.
Role of FKA: NETWORK - DIVERSITY - VISIBILITY • Promote positives changes in relation to women gender equality. • Promote business relations. • Serve the role as an observer in the Icelandic society. | FKA is a non-profit professional network for female Icelandic business leaders. It was founded in april 1999 and it´s core purpose is to support women to manage and grow their business. FKA is looking for partners to collaborate on projects that include women‘s empowerment, women in rural areas, women in remote areas, and also for collaborators in our social change projects on women as board members, women in media and leadership equality. We welcome all proposals. |
| Fornleifastofnun Íslands - The Institute of Archaeology of Iceland | Research Institute/University | Culture, Environment / Climate, Heritage, Research | Archaeology, History | The Institute of Archaeology is a non-governmental institution, and works in the field of archaeological research, publication, and dissemination. | Fornleifastofnun Íslands | The Institute of Archaeology is a non-governmental institution, and works in the field of archaeological research, publication, and dissemination. | Archaeological excavation and survey, mapping, exhibitions, project management, digital solutions, dissemination. |
| GB Trading ehf | Private company | Innovation | Materials | We have expert is fish leather tanning and production that is ready to consult or take part in projects focusing on using bi products as fish skins. also long experience in tanning of hot blood animal skins. | GB Trading ehf | Working in the leather industry as provider of know how. also service for inspection of raw material. | Process using fish tanned on environmental friendly way. and use the skins in fashion goods |
| GeoCamp Iceland | Private company | Education, Energy, Environment / Climate, Research | Study tours | GeoCamp Iceland is an educational project dedicated to increasing knowledge and understanding in natural sciences with practical and active learning. GeoCamp organises and receives international student and teacher groups. | Arnbjorn Olafsson | GeoCamp Iceland is an educational project dedicated to increasing knowledge and understanding in natural sciences with practical and active learning. GeoCamp organises and receives international study groups of secondary school and college students, as well as teacher groups focusing primarily on STEM education including geology, geography, natural sciences and renewable energy. Furthermore GeoCamp participates in regional, national and international educational projects, research development and training oportunities. | GeoCamp is interested in developing teacher and student curricula and training material for outdoor science education and STEM related training activities. We are open to any form for cooperation and international educational projects. |
| Girls Rock! Iceland | Non-governmental organization | Gender Equality | Empowering Women | Stelpur rokka! (Girls Rock! Iceland) is a volunteer-run non-profit organization founded in 2012. We work to empower girls, trans boys, gender queer and intersex youth through music. Our core programming focuses on the rock camp. | Girls Rock! Iceland |
Stelpur rokka! (Girls Rock! Iceland) is a volunteer-run non-profit organization founded in 2012. We work to empower girls, trans boys, gender queer and intersex youth through music. Our core programming focuses on the rock camp. Campers learn to play an instrument, form bands, and write a song together. They participate in various workshops on music, gender and social justice, attend lunchtime performances by established women musicians and perform live at a final showcase in front of friends and family. At rock camp, campers amplify their already strong voices, strengthen their self-esteem, and collaborate creatively with positive role models. We have also actively taken part in building up an international network of rock camps, both through bilateral collaborations (with f.ex. rock camps in Poland, Faroe Islands, Greenland and Togo, Africa) and larger projects, such as conferences for rock camp organisers in the US and Europe. In 2018 and 2019, Stelpur rokka! led a youth exchange project with 11 other organisations funded by Eramsus+, in the form of a collaborative international rock camp with over 100 participants and leaders. In January 2020, we will open up a music centre for young people in Breiðholt, where they can form bands together and rehearse, attend workshops and concerts, get instrument lessons and even access a small recording studio. Breiðholt is the most ethnically diverse neighborhood in Reykjavík, and research shows that children of immigrants are far less likely to participate in extracurricular activities. We put strong emphasis on reaching out to children and youth who would benefit the most from being involved in rock camp activities, and offer activities both free of charge, and on a sliding scale fee (you pay what you can).
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Outreach and accessibility Reaching out to young people with diverse backgrounds is always a priority in our work. Even though we have years of experience by now, we still have a long way to go to make our programming accessible and feasible to different groups of people, and to be able to offer our participants the support and follow up they need. A big part of that is having a diverse group of volunteers, so each participant has someone they can relate to and look up to at rock camp. We have gained valuable experience in some areas, such as physical accessibility and supporting young asylum seekers, but we are always looking to improve and learn. Partnering with other organisations (nationally or internationally), that have experience and expertise in specific areas, has for us always been the most fruitful way of improving practices. Wellbeing and burnout amongst volunteers working within feminist initiatives Through our international collaborations in recent years, we have created trusting ties with our sister organisations across Europe and further. We share both our success stories and our struggles, and find ways to support each other. Some of these organisations have been active for over ten years, and others are younger. But what is striking is that almost all of them are dealing with burnout amongst staff and/or volunteers. This is not surprising with the scope and conditions of our work in mind (which can be very different from country to country). We support and empower young people who often come from very challenging situations, while at the same time having to justify our work and feminist ideals to the larger public, and deal with extreme financial uncertainty. Furthermore, many of the volunteers are musicians who might not have the knowledge or training to handle challenging issues that rise at a camp. We want to delve into these matters and find concrete ways to better support rock camp volunteers, so they don’t burn out and give up on their important work. Not the least those who do not have support from their local communities and authorities, morally and financially (that is usually where the need for their work is the most!) |
| Gullkistan, Center for Creativity | Cultural institution | Culture | Arts | Gullkistan is an artist run residency for creative people, artists and scholars of any profession. We welcome individuals, families and groups who wish to work on their projects in peaceful surroundings near to nature. | Gullkistan, Center for Creativity [email protected] www.gullkistan.is | Founded in 2009 in Laugarvatn, a small village in rural South Iceland. Gullkistan is an artist run residency for creative people, artists and scholars of any profession. Gullkistan is also a place of activities like workshops, seminars and exhibitions. We do our best to run a residency that serves the artist. A place where each individual has the chance to work on his own ideas in a peaceful and pleasant atmosphere in beautiful surroundings and nature with everything it provides. Almost 700 artists of all professions and from around the world have attended Gullkistan for one month or longer each. Gullkistan occasionally receives groups of students from abroad. Gullkistan has received students and teachers from Tartu Art School through Erasmus+ since 2011, who have stayed a total of 50 months. Gullkistan worked with Ideas Factory in Bulgaria on the project Revitalizing Villages through access to culture, funded by the EEA Grant program. | Giving artists a place to work. Taking care of artists. Artists in a rural setting. |
| Handbendi Brúðuleikhús - Puppetry theatre | Private company | Culture | Performing arts | Situated in the small village of Hvammstangi in Hunathing vestra, Northwest Iceland, is an award winning professional puppetry and visual theatre company specialising in unique puppet commissions, puppetry direction, and the development of original theatrical productions for national and international touring.We believe in the rural artist. Our stories are centred around the small, quiet, worlds that tend to go unnoticed. We use sustainable materials in our work and enjoy found objects that have their own stories to tell. We actively promote rural arts and the rural artistic lifestyle and try to approach the world with awe and wonder in everything we do. | Handbendi brúðuleikhús | Situated in the small village of Hvammstangi in Hunathing vestra, Northwest Iceland, is an award winning professional puppetry and visual theatre company specialising in unique puppet commissions, puppetry direction, and the development of original theatrical productions for national and international touring. We believe in the rural artist. Our stories are centred around the small, quiet, worlds that tend to go unnoticed. We use sustainable materials in our work and enjoy found objects that have their own stories to tell. We actively promote rural arts and the rural artistic lifestyle and try to approach the world with awe and wonder in everything we do. Puppet making and consultationHandbendi specialises in creating unique creatures for theatrical productions. We are also available for puppetry consultation and direction. We create and produce original work for small-mid scale touring both nationally and internationally. Take a look at our recent and upcoming productions here. Studio HandbendiOur studio space in Hvammstangi is open for visitors on select days throughout the year. Check out our open day calendar and stop by the studio for a coffee and to see what we are making. The studio is also home to our youth theatre and artist residency programmes. Film, TV, and animated shortsHandbendi occasionally works with film and television professionals to support their productions through puppetry direction, consultancy, and performance. Some recent projects include puppetry work for the Icelandic feature film Lamb, and an episode of season three of Trapped in which our puppets are featured. We have also recently begun creating our own digital content and animated short films to critical acclaim, and even a few new awards! |
Workshops and Youth ProgrammesHandbendi regularly leads education workshops in puppet making and performance. These workshops are available year round across the globe. We also lead three local youth programmes - Summer Youth Theatre, Youth Radio Theatre, and our brand new Youth Arts Hub which will launch in the autumn of 2021. Artist Residency ProgrammeEach year we offer up to three companies the opportunity to focus on their work in the thunderous silence of Northwest Iceland. The residency programme is best suited for early development work and is tailored to your companies needs and goals. Residencies typically last 2 weeks - 3 months. |
| Íbúar - Samráðslýðræði ses (Citizens Foundation) | Non-governmental organization | Civil Society, Innovation, Research | Democracy | The nonprofit Citizens Foundation creates civic engagement communities used by 2m people in 25 countries since 2008. Partners include Reykjavík city, Scottish Parliament, and the World Bank. | Citizens Foundation | We believe that by building from success in improving communities of all sizes, restoring faith in democratic engagement one constituency at a time, we will thereby help forge solutions that will mount to a global tide of change. The nonprofit Citizens Foundation was founded in 2008 in Iceland and now has offices in Iceland, the United States & the UK. Its mission is to connect governments and citizens by creating open state-of-the-art engagement platforms and offering consultation on how to best plan & execute successful citizen engagement projects. | Citizen participation & democratic innovation |
| IceFemIn - Icelandic Feminist Initiative | Non-governmental organization | Gender Equality | Empowering Women, Feminist Activism | IceFemIn offers talks, workshops, seminars, participation in conferences, consultations and assistance with developing strategies and strengthening women’s movements and co-organizing different kinds of events. Our purpose is to empower women, inspire them and encourage them to improve their situation and development in the society towards gender equality. | IceFemIn - Icelandic Feminist Initiative icefemin.is |
IceFemIn - Icelandic Feminist Initiative - is a movement founded in 2017 by Icelandic women who have been active feminists for many years and who have a broad experience in politics and activism, especially by founding, shaping and working within and for The Women’s Alliance (Kvennalistinn). We think it is high time we share our experience of founding a new political movement and tell the story of how initially a handful of women in Iceland managed to make themselves heard and initiated a fundamental change in their society. It was not easy, but it brought about the joy of sisterhood and empowerment. By telling our story and the story of the successes of women’s movements in Iceland, we hope to inspire other women and encourage them to take feminist initiatives in their own societies. The Women’s Alliance managed to bring women’s issues into the limelight and change the political debate permanently. It put on the agenda women’s concerns and issues that had never been brought up in Parliament before, such as domestic and sexual violence against women and children, pornography and rights of homosexuals. At its’ initiative the first Emergency Reception Center for victims of sexual violence and a shelter for women were established. Among the bills issued was one proposing a longer maternity leave as well as suggesting a special paternity leave for men. As pacifists The Women’s Alliance wanted to disband military alliances, eliminate nuclear weapons and implement peace education. Environmental issues played a big role in the agenda of The Alliance, and its representatives in Parliament presented the first bill on a ministry of environment. Everyone knows that humankind faces threatening problems such as increasing inequalities within societies and between nations, poverty, not least of women, accumulation of wealth, owned by men, expanding weapon industries, big corporations and climate change. It is more evident than ever, that women have to take the active role of „doers” both in private and public life, creating a new world true to their own values, heart and mind. |
IceFemIn offers talks, workshops, seminars, participation in conferences, consultations and assistance with developing strategies and strengthening women’s movements and co-organizing different kinds of events. Our purpose is to empower women, inspire them and encourage them to improve their situation and development in the society towards gender equality. Key persons involved: Kristín Ástgeirsdóttir historian and activist, Kristín Jónsdóttir historian and writer, Sigrún Jóhannesdóttir education consultant |
| Iceland GeoSurvey (ÍSOR/Íslenskar orkurannsóknir) | State agency | Education, Energy, Environment / Climate, Innovation, Research | Renewable energy | Iceland GeoSurvey, ÍSOR, is a consulting and research institute providing specialist services to the Icelandic power industry, the Icelandic government and foreign companies, in particular in the field of geothermal sciences and utilisation. | Iceland GeoSurvey (ÍSOR) | Iceland GeoSurvey was originally founded in 1945 as a part of the State Electrical Authority, later Orkustofnun, the National Energy Authority. Iceland GeoSurvey became an independent non-profit governmental institute on the 1st of July 2003 and took over all responsibilities of the former GeoScience Division of Orkustofnun. Systematic energy research by Icelandic government institutes started in 1945 and has been carried out continuously ever since. Iceland GeoSurvey and its predecessor have from the start played a key role in this work. This research and the activities of the Icelandic power industry have resulted in that over 60% of the primary energy use in Iceland at present has its source in geothermal energy. Iceland GeoSurvey and its staff have about 70 years of experience in geothermal research, services and consultancy abroad. This includes most categories of geothermal research and utilisation. Among the countries involved are Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Russia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Rumania, Georgia, Germany, Portugal, Guadeloupe, Greece, Turkey, USA, Indonesia, Philippines, Dominica, El Salvador, Costa-Rica, Nicaragua, Chile, Argentina and China. Iceland GeoSurvey, and its predecessor, has been heavily involved in the training program of UNU Geothermal Training program from 1979 and are responsible for 60-70% of all the training within the program. Iceland GeoSurvey are also supplying the training program with several personnel in the study board. | Iceland GeoSurvey provides a wide variety of energy research, exploration and development services on contract in Iceland and abroad. The main services provided are: Geothermal and hydropower resources:
Environment:
Other research:
Iceland GeoSurvey has moreover specialist laboratories such as water chemistry and petrologic ones; six well-logging trucks and allied probes; all major geophysical exploration equipment and a compre¬hensive interpretation and reservoir simulation software; good computers, good data collection and GIS facilities and a well-equipped technical and scientific library. Topics: Geothermal energy, geothermal direct use, geothermal exploration, groundwater, chemical analysis, geological mapping, geophysical exploration, remote sensing, drilling consultancy, well logging, mud logging, geotherma training, geothermal direct utilisation, geothermal power production, resource asessment, reservoir assessment, geothermal modelling, geological modelling, geothermal monitoring, scaling analysis, corrotion analysis, production consultation, sustainable utilisation. |
| Icelandic Assocation of Local Authorities | Municipality/regional entity | Gender Equality | Empowering Women, Gender Education, Gender Mainstreaming, Women in the Workplace | Gender mainstreaming in municipal schools, pre-schools and sport and leisure activities for children and youth. Establishing gender equality plans. Sharing experience on participation of women in politics at the local level. Combating sexual harassment at the workplace. Equal pay management systems. | Icelandic Assocation of Local Authorities |
Gender mainstreaming in municipal schools, pre-schools and sport and leisure activities for children and youth. Establishing gender equality plans. Sharing experience on participation of women in politics at the local level. Combating sexual harassment at the workplace. Equal pay management systems. Icelandic municipalities have according to the Icelandic Gender Equality Act, a legal obligation to make gender equality plans both in relation to their role as service providers and as employers. The plans shall provide framework for gender mainstreaming in all municipal activities. Furthermore, the Gender Equality Act puts special emphasis on gender equality in the education system, in child-care services, and in leisure and sport activities for children. Icelandic municipalities are responsible for primary schools from the age of 6 to 16, and pre-schools. They also provide and promote leisure and sport activities for children and youth, in cooperation with local sport clubs and other youth organisations. Around 90% of Icelandic children are enrolled in municipal pre-schools. This is probably the single most important factor explaining the extraordinarily high percentage (79%) of Icelandic women participating in the labour market. The pre-schools are defined as being a part of the school system and some of them have gender equality as one of their fundamental principles.
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Icelandic municipalities can provide best practices in these fields and the Icelandic Association of Local Authorities, which is their member association, will act as an intermediary for the EEA Bilateral projects. Furthermore, Icelandic municipalities can share political experiences in relation to the fact that 48,7% of municipal councillors in Iceland are women which is according to a recent survey, conducted by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), the highest in Europe. In addition to this, in relation to their role as employer Icelandic municipalities can also share their experience on processes to combat sexual harassment in the work place and on equal pay management systems. |
| Icelandic Tourism Research Centre | Research Institute/University | Environment / Climate, Research | NA, Tourism | The Icelandic Tourism Research Centre (ITRC), which was stablished in 1999, is a cooperative project between three universities: the University of Akureyri (UNAK) the University of Iceland, and Hólar University Collage. UNAK hosts ITRC, thus the staff of ITRC are all employed by the University of Akureyri. The ITRC's aim is the improvement and promotion of tourism research in Iceland and strengthening the bonds of research and industry through domestic and international collaborative projects. | Icelandic Tourism Research www.rmf.is [email protected] | The main objective of the ITRC is to boost research and thus understanding of the impact tourism has on the Icelandic economy, society and environment. ITRC has during the past two decades established itself as the leading tourism research organisation in Iceland and has led or taken part in a very wide range of projects, including many tourism development projects. ITRC works closely with the Icelandic Tourism Board, as well as with the Icelandic Travel Industry Association. Since ITRC is a co-operative project between three universities, the centre has a strong pool of experts who are able to participate, support & disseminate the work of the research centre. The ITRC has participated in several multinational projects, e.g. funded by the EU Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme. ITRC will provide strategic cooperation and engagements between different educational sectors and local/regional businesses since they have established strong diverse networks and relationships with tourism businesses, development bodies and communities interlinking them with strategic tourism projects. | Tourism and climate changes, tourism in rural areas, nature and tourism, tourism and creative industries, tourism impacts. |
| Icelandic Women’s Rights Association (IWRA) | Non-governmental organization | Gender Equality | Feminist Activism, Gender Education | The Icelandic Women's Rights Association offers an introduction via talks, seminars or participation in conferences to feminist activism and the effective strategies of civil societies in driving social change, based on best practices and lessons learned by the Icelandic women's movement in the past decades | Icelandic Women’s Rights Association (IWRA) | The Icelandic Women’s Rights Association has fought for women’s rights and gender equality since 1907. |
Feminist Activism and the Role of Civil Society in Social Change Iceland is commonly recognized as one of the most gender-equal societies in the world. The main driver for this success in guaranteeing gender equality is the activist work of the women's movement in Iceland. The Icelandic Women's Rights Association offers an introduction via talks, seminars or participation in conferences to feminist activism and the effective strategies of civil societies in driving social change, based on best practices and lessons learned by the Icelandic women's movement in the past decades. The association also has experience in bilateral projects which have involved creating multinational feminist networks and teaching gender studies at the high school level. Key person involved: Brynhildur Heiðar- og Ómarsdóttir is the executive director of the Icelandic Women's Rights Association. She has experience in feminist activism and civil society participation and was a key organizer of the women's strikes in Iceland in 2016 and 2018. |
| Island Panorama Center | Non-governmental organization | Civil Society, Culture | Human Rights | The main objectives of the center is to build a tolerant, non racial, non prejudiced and non discriminative Icelandic society. | Island Panorama Center | Island Panorama Centre iS a non governmental, non partisan, non profit and neutral centre based in Reykjavik, Iceland. It is an organisation that works to build a tolerant, non racial, non prejudiced, non discriminative society where social justice and equality exist for all. The main objectives of the centre is to build a tolerant, non racial, non prejudiced and non discriminative Icelandic society. We believe that free speech means being morally responsible in whatever we say or do. We therefore promote, encourage and campaign for diversity, inclusion, acceptance and understanding. Our aim is to educate, support and train society in this respect. | Human rights, equal rights, ethnic diversity, overt and covert discrimination, extremism, xenophobia and VET education. |
| Kara Connect – A digital workstation for professionals in Health, Education and Welfare | Private company | Education, Gender Equality, Technology | Digitisation, Empowering Women, Gender Based Violence, Health | Kara Connect is an online GDPR secure workstation for professionals in Health, Education and Welfare. It is designed to relief professionals helping others of all kinds of administrative and security issues and at the same time give them added time and value in their practices as well as opportunities to scale their services. | Kara Connect – A digital workstation for professionals in Health, Education and Welfare | Kara Connect is an online GDPR secure workstation for professionals in Health, Education and Welfare. It is designed to relief professionals helping others of all kinds of administrative and security issues and at the same time give them added time and value in their practices as well as opportunities to scale their services. |
Focusing on digitalising women Kara Connect is an online GDPR secure workstation for professionals in Health, Education and Welfare. It is designed to relief professionals helping others of all kinds of administrative and security issues and at the same time give them added time and value in their practices as well as opportunities to scale their services. Citizens can reach specific professionals for their needs irrelevant of location in a secure online environment if they wish and use online tools to book, pay, get invoices, notifications and messages. Kara simplifies access to help. Professional support (80%) and caregiving for family members (90%) is in the hands of women. All societies see increased difficulties in accessing their help for mental health problems, welfare support and special education training. The Kara team helps individual therapists, clinics, municipalities and schools to digitalise, log and connect their services. In addition to on-boarding professionals into Kara we support and co-develop units that want to be more accessible to citizens, increase access to their support personnel, optimise and gather data points to project needs and to scale their services irrelevant of location of client or professional. Examples: • Connecting school counsellors and school psychologists for better access in different locations • Supporting women in violence settings reaching support personnel • Digitalising the work flow of Child Protection Services so that cases move more quickly through and support systems are connected. • Speech therapist offices online for school children from 3 years • Alcohol support system (AA) gives choices of volunteers and professional services • Special education units in municipalities • Support to children in foster care |
| Keilir Academy - Department of Marketing, Development and International Relations | School | Education, Innovation, Research | NA | Keilir is an educational institution founded in 2007 based in Ásbrú Enterprise Park in Reykjanesbær on the Reykjanes Peninsula in South-West Iceland. The school has become a frontrunner in reinventing educational practices and possibilities within the Icelandic educational system through innovative educational approaches and bringing together business, industry, academia and entrepreneurs. | Keilir consists of four different schools: Aviation Academy, Health Academy, Secondary School and a Preliminary Studies Department where the main objective is to prepare students, who have a vocational training and/or sufficient practical experience in industry, with the knowledge and competency necessary for further studies at university level. The purpose of Keilir is to create and disseminate knowledge in an active partnership with domestic and international schools, companies and other economic partners. | ||
| Locatify ehf | Private company | Culture, Education, Innovation | NA | Locatify Ltd. is a privately held Icelandic SME company established in 2009. Locatify specialises in innovative technologies for delivering location based apps for storytelling and gamification. Locatify is a service provider for the technology and provides an easy to use platform for this purpose and white label mobile apps. Locatify continuously maintains and extends new technical innovations for delivering location based solutions to end customers. | Locatify | Locatify is an Icelandic software development company originally founded with the goal of harnessing the latest mobile technology to share local stories with travellers. Locatify' goal is to connect people and places via location based games and guides. For: Destinations – Museums – Events – Tourism – Team-Building – Education Locatify has a powerful and easy to use Creator CMS ® where everyone can easily create and publish treasure hunt games, tour guides and other location-based app content, no coding is required. Customer can create indoor and outdoor experiences where they can use maps, GPS, BLE Beacons and UWB for triggering media content when and where it matters most. Locatify has a full stack team of developers, graphic designer and marketing people, and has taken part in many international projects. | |
| Lög og réttur ehf. (Law and rights - legal services) | Private company | Civil Society, Culture, Energy, Environment / Climate, Gender Equality, Innovation, Research | Public Procurement | The law firm focuses on public procurement procedures that can be beneficial for the state and local government to gain more environmentally friendly outcome and thereby fight the problems caused by climate change. | Lög og réttur ehf. | The law firm focuses on public procurement procedures that can be beneficial for the state and local government to gain more environmentally friendly outcome and thereby fight the problems caused by climate change. | Public Procurement (innovative public procurement procedures for greener outcome) - environmental law |
| Mannvit hf | Private company | Energy, Environment / Climate, Innovation | Renewable energy | Mannvit is an international consultancy firm in the fields of engineering, technical services and innovation. Mannvit provides services in the fields of engineering, greem energy, geoscience, environmental studies, IT and construction material research. Mannvit also offers complete project management and EPCM services. Our services are divided into three core fields: renewable energy & transmission; industry and infrastructure. | Mannvit hf | Mannvit is an international consultancy firm the operation is divided into three core divisions; Infrastructure, Renewable Energy & Transmission and Industry. Since 1963, the Company has provided services for a wide range of public and private projects including: infrastructure and transport, buildings, EIAs, project management, renewable energy, power transmission, power intensive industry, telecommunications, chemical processing and more. Mannvit is a leader in geothermal resource development and hydroelectric power, with five decades of experience in all phases of development. The company offers services and solutions for geothermal energy and hydroelectric power development projects all over the world - capable of taking projects through from start to finish. Mannvit has aprox 250 emploees in nine offices in Iceland. Mannvit also has operations in Indonesia, Greenland, Germany and Hungary. Mannvit owns shares in several firms with related activities, including Mannvit-Verkis, HRV Engineering, Vatnaskil Consulting Engineers and GTN GmbH in Germany. Mannvit’s operations are certified in accordance with the international quality management standard ISO 9001, the ISO 14001 environmental standard and the ISO 45001 occupational health and safety management standard. | Geothermal energy utilization, hydro power, wind power, green energy, geoscience, general engineering work |
| Maskina | Private company | Gender Equality, Research | Women in the Workplace | The Gender Barometer is an employee survey that assesses the status of gender equality in the workplace through collection of the experiences and attitudes of employees. | Maskina |
Maskina specialises in gender surveys. The Gender Barometer is an employee survey that assesses the status of gender equality in the workplace through collection of the experiences and attitudes of employees. The baseline of the Gender Barometer is the Icelandic labor market, where gender equality has consistently been ranked the highest in the world (World Economic Forum, Dec. 18, 2018). Through comparing and contrasting the experiences of employees of different genders, the Gender Barometer helps organisations understand how they stand in terms of gender equality and what factors they need to work on to create a more gender equal workplace. The factors that the Gender Barometer assesses are:
Maskína research is a research company in Reykjavik, Iceland, that was established in 2010. Maskina conducts both quantitative and qualitative research, such as customer surveys, employee surveys, marketing research, focus groups, in-depth-interviews, and more. The leading experts in this project are Thora Thorgeirsdottir, PhD, Thorlakur Karlsson, PhD, and Thora Asgeirsdottir, MBA. Dr. Karlsson and Mrs. Asgeirsdottir are the owners of Maskina and have managed and participated in a number of projects on gender equality in Iceland in the private and public sector. Dr. Thorgeirsdottir has a PhD in Human Resource Management and is specialised in flexibility in the workplace and work-life balance. Both Dr. Thorgeirsdottir and Dr. Karlsson teach at univeristies in Iceland. Reference: World Economic Forum (Dec. 18, 2018). Iceland most gender equal country in the world, World Economic Forum finds. Retrieved from: https://icelandmag.is/article/iceland-most-gender-equal-country-world-world-economic-forum-finds | The Gender Barometer |
| Menningarfélagið Tjarnarbíó (Tjarnarbio Theatre) | Non-governmental organization | Culture | Performing arts | Tjarnarbio Theatre is a small 180 seat black box theatre located in the center of Reykjavik, Iceland, widely known as the home of the independent performing arts in Iceland. Tjarnarbio is not a production house but rather a hosting venue that mainly supports independent performing arts. We co-produce all kinds of performances as well as host other events. | Tjarnarbio Theatre | Tjarnarbio Theatre is a small 180 seat black box theatre located in the center of Reykjavik, Iceland, widely known as the home of the independent performing arts in Iceland. Tjarnarbio is not a production house but rather a hosting venue that mainly supports independent performing arts. We co-produce all kinds of performances as well as host other events. There are 6 steady employees at Tjarnarbio: director, marketing manager, technical director, a stage manager and a bar manager, as well as a lot of part time employees that manage ticket sales and the bar. On a yearly basis we co-produce up to 10 shows and host performing arts festivals. The venue is owned and supported by Reykjavík City and managed by the Association of Independent Theatres in Iceland. Tjarnarbio serves both the artists and the audience with integrity, and as an institution we pride ourselves on helping artists realize their dreams. Tjarnarbios vision is to become the main platform for innovation in Icelandic performing arts, to become the leading force in Iceland in international collaboration for the performing arts and to become an information hub for the performing arts in Iceland. The venue and production Our facilities consist of a 9 x 11 m black box stage, a theatre café/bar, a small rehearsal room and 2 meeting spaces. A co-production/residency at Tjarnarbio can receive 1-4 weeks of rehearsal time on stage (as well as free use of the rehearsal room and meeting spaces) with the commitment of showing at least 5 shows over a period of few weeks. Lighting and sound equipment is available, but we offer minimal tech assistance. We do however offer marketing support. Our general ticket sale split is 35% / 65% with 65% going to the artists. Our selection process for collaborations/residencies starts with an open call that is announced in January and concludes in late February/early March. The director and board of Tjarnarbio score application based on a transparent scoring system that can be found on our website www.tjarnarbio.is, and the selection for the following year is announced in late March/early April. | |
| Miðeind ehf. | Private company | Education, Innovation, Research, Technology | Artificial Intelligence, Language Technology | Miðeind develops Natural Language Processing and Artificial Intelligence technology for the Icelandic language. | Miðeind ehf. | Miðeind is a privately owned startup company based in Reykjavík, Iceland, specializing in Natural Language Processing and Artificial Intelligence applications for the Icelandic language. The company’s most visible NLP product to date is Embla, a voice-based assistant app for smartphones that answers a wide range of questions in natural language. Embla is built on Greynir, Miðeind’s core technology stack. Greynir includes a tokenizer and a fast deep constituency parser, guided by a wide-coverage context-free grammar for Icelandic. Miðeind is working on a spelling and grammar checker for Icelandic text that uses the deep parser, among other methods, to provide much more detailed linguistic advice than has been possible to date. Miðeind is also working on machine translation to and from Icelandic based on state-of-the-art deep neural network technology. The company aims to implement AI-based services for Icelandic, including text summarization and more powerful question answering. All software developed by Miðeind is open source and freely available on GitHub under GNU GPLv3 or MIT licenses. Use of the software under a different license is negotiable. Miðeind is a member of SÍM, a consortium of Icelandic universities, institutions and companies charged with implementing a 5-year NLP plan for the Icelandic language, supported by government funding. Miðeind currently employs several experts in various NLP-related fields. Its founder and owner, Vilhjálmur Þorsteinsson, is a veteran software designer and entrepreneur in the IT industry. | Natural language processing, machine translation, voice assistant, chatbots, artificial intelligence, grammar correction, spelling correction, neural networks, parsing, tokenization |
| Ministry for Foreign Affairs with UN Women Iceland | State agency | Gender Equality | Men for Gender Equality | A Barbershop Conferance to be organized in the respective recipient countries. The Government of Iceland has sperheaded a dialogue, conferences, the so called Barbershops, where the aim is to raise awareness among men, to stress their role, responsibilities as well as opportunities. Its purpose is to motivate “men and boys to commit to upholding gender equality.” | Ministry for Foreign Affairs / UN Women Iceland |
Why is it called a Barbershop? Most men have been to a barbershop or a locker room. These are spaces where men talk to each other and where behaviours and attitudes about gender relations - including what it means to be a man - are learned, discussed and reinforced. While relations between men and women are often discussed among men in barbershops, these conversations too often reflect the stereotyped roles of women and men, and rarely tackle serious issues at the root of gender inequality. The Barbershop was an initiative taken by Iceland and Suriname in 2014 inspired by the HeForShe campaign and the Geneva Gender Champions initiative. The first conference was co-convened by the UN and the permanent representations of Iceland and Suriname to the UN, held at the United Nations in New York on 14-15 January 2105. At the current rate, gender equality will not be reached until the year 2133. Something has to change. With men largely missing from the debate on equality, we are playing with only half the team. This is what the Barbershop is all about. It’s a training camp of sorts, designed to equip men with the tools they need to take on an active role in achieving equality. Barbershop events provide a setting for male-to-male discussions and reflections about their own behaviours, privileges, and roles creating barriers for women‘s empowerment and how men can instead become agents of change in realising gender equality. This way, the Barbershop platform encourages men to make a proactive commitment to gender equality at an individual and collective level, inspire other men to join them and bring the discourse on gender equality to barbershops and locker rooms around the world. |
Barbershop Conference A Barbershop Conference to be organized in the respective recipient countries. The Government of Iceland has sperheaded a dialogue, conferences, the so called Barbershops, where the aim is to raise awareness among men, to stress their role, responsibilities as well as opportunities. Its purpose is to motivate “men and boys to commit to upholding gender equality.” Iceland has developed a Barbershop Toolbox to enable others to mobilize the men around them for gender equality. The Toolbox is part of Iceland's commitments to the HeForShe movement and can be accessed on the movement’s website.
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| Mundo travel and international consulting | Private company | Gender Equality, Human rights | Empowering Women, Gender Education, Gender Mainstreaming, Human Rights | Mundo offers its expertise to design and organize seminars/workshops/trainings for leadership, professors and diversity officers within the academic settings about an intercultural and inclusive organizational culture | Mundo travel and international consulting |
Mundo has a long experience working with EEA grants. Mundo was hired to asses the whole program of EEA grants in Spain during the years of 2013-2016 from the point of view of gender mainstreaming. Mundo will also work for Portugal. In my former role as the director of International Affairs at Reykjavík University I created a training center for universities in the beneficiary countries of EEAgrants where we trained academics and university staff on internationalization of universities, set up training seminars on writing in English, leadership, spoken and written English and in many other fields that fitted the training needs of each institution etc etc We also took care of organizing conferences for partner institutions. In 2018 Mundo took care of training of professors from Poland and in 2019 Mundo is the organizer of an international conference on regional development in Iceland. Mundo has a department where we organize tailor made teacher’s training. Mundo’s experience with EEA grants: • Consulting for Spain on EEA grants programme in Spain 2013-2016 • Training for beneficiary countries • Conference organization • Training for teachers |
1. Equity and inclusion in the academia (ref. 2. Research and 5. Social Dialogue – Decent Work) The homogeneous demography of academics through history is a restricting factor, limiting the aspects and approaches of the diverse groups of people that until recently did not have the opportunities to gain higher education. The academic scissors of gender in the academia has been a concern for some time, with women counting for more than half of the students, but the proportion of women decreases with the rise of the academic ladder, ending with less than 20% of full professors being women. Students and academic employees mostly belong to higher socioeconomic class and Western universities also to hire western (and mostly native) tenures and professors. Universities are becoming increasingly aware of those limiting factors and focus on how they can create and maintain a more inclusive environment for diverse people. Many different measures are needed for this, but training and education are important factors. Mundo offers its expertise to design and organize seminars/workshops/trainings for leadership, professors and diversity officers within the academic settings about an intercultural and inclusive organizational culture. 2. Human rights and local governments (ref. 12. Good Governance, Accountable Institutions, Transparency, 17. Human Rights – National Implementation, 23. Disaster Prevention and Preparedness) Local governments are involved with all daily activities of the municipality’s inhabitants. A clear human rights policy and thorough implementation of it is necessary to create a diverse and inclusive society. Creating the policy can be tricky. The local government has to come to an agreement about the main focus and approach, the main components of the policy and the projects of implementation. The local government will also have to gain support among officers and inhabitants to avoid implementation gap. A participatory policy making has shown to be an effective approach in the sector of human rights. Involving NGOs and main shareholders in the beginning is important (including the national government and companies of different sizes), as well as the employers of the municipality. Mundo offers its expertise to consult local governments of designing, writing and implementing human rights policies in an effective way. 3. Conference for change agents in organizations (ref. 1. Business Development, Innovation and SMEs, 5. Social Dialogue - Decent Work, 16. Good Governance, Accountable Institutions, Transparency) A conference where gender and diversity officers, human resource managers and change agents in other roles would be empowering for those individuals, who often feel lonely and lack support within their organizations. In a two day conference they would learn about effective tools and tactics as well as mistakes and failures to avoid. The conference would include speakers from the academia on change agents and diversity management; successful diversity managers and politicians and the participants would get time to expand their network, exchange experiences and learn from each other. Mundo offers its expertise to organize and execute a large conference on this issue, preferably in Iceland. • Training for City councils and Universities • Evaluation of country programs from the point of view of gender mainstreaming • Middle aged women - Mundo is known for programs on empowerment for women.
Key person involved: Margrét Jónsdóttir Njarðvík is the founder and owner of Mundo. She has a vast experience of international relations. She holds a PhD from Princeton University and an MBA from Reykjavík University and was an associate professor at Reykjavík University and the director of International Affairs until she founded Mundo in 2011. Margrét founded the Association of Menopausia in Iceland in 2013 and holds a webpage - www.breytingaskeidid.is as well as a facebook group of 5000 women on that subject. She was an Associate professor at Reykjavík University before she founded Mundo. Sóley Tómasdóttir is a diversity consultant at MUNDO. Her expertise is based on a combination of political experience, public debates and academic knowledge. Sóley has been working as an independent expert on gender and diversity the last years, counselling organizational leaders and giving trainings and workshops on diversity and inclusion in the organizational settings. Sóley holds an MSc degree in pedagogy, gender and diversity from Radboud University. |
| Nanom | Private company | Energy, Environment / Climate, Innovation, Technology | Materials, Nanotechnology | Nanom uses nanotechnology to make products smarter, more efficient and longer lasting. We are creating the materials of tomorrow by applying advanced nanotechnology to our partners innovations. Our patented high-surface nanoparticles enable more efficient and cost-effective energy solutions or can improve products. We have the ability to convert materials to nano size on a scale previously unheard of unlocking new material properties and competitive advantage | Nanom (Greenvolt Nanom ehf) | Nanom is based in Iceland at the Iceland Science Park vísindagardar. Nanom uses nanotechnology to make products smarter, more efficient and longer lasting. Our patented nanotechnology can greatly increase the size and surface of batteries´ electrodes creating more efficient energy storage through material innovation. Their Nanom method is a scalable, cost-effective method of manufacturing high-surface nanoparticles and for creating nano composites. The method changes the structure of materials, opening up new possibilities for energy storage. Our unique Unique surface enhances energy-conversion & storage but the particle shape is also ideal for other sectors as it dramatically improves batteries, inks, composites, tires, fuel cells, filtration and more. The particles have the ability to integrate into existing manufacturing flow so you can use high performance particles without changing the manufacturing process. | We are looking for collaboration projects within nanoparticle innovation angle, providing nanoparticles for a specific project or to assist in sustainable energy projects. |
| O.M.A.H.A.I | Non-governmental organization | Civil Society, Culture, Education, Gender Equality, Research | Human Rights | Mission: O.M.A.H.A.I is specialized in providing sustainable programs of growth to sustain dialectical process for individuals to progress. O.M.A.H.A.I is in the front line of designing and launching sustainable innovative need-based building capacity advanced educational programs. The education of Women and Children stands in the very heart and soul of this firm foundation. Education lies in the heart of our world’s collective efforts to constitute a firm foundation for a united humanity. Vision: Empowering the Marginalized, to enlist the constructive potential of individuals who have traditionally been excluded, through designing and launching sustainable programs of growth that address the individual need to progress intellectually, materialistically, physically and spiritually to release the capacities of individuals and collective communities towards contributing to the emergence of building a united world. | O.M.A.H.A.I | O.M.A.H.A.I is a non- profit- organization that is standing on the front-line of providing expert insights into designing and launching well-grounded sustainable programs of growth. The education of Women and Children stands in the very heart and soul of O.M.A.H.A.I sustainable programs of growth. O.M.A.H.A.I is joining forces with the world’s collective efforts to build bridges between cultures through its advanced consultancy services and, more significantly, through its advanced sustainable programs of growth. In addition to the consultancy services, O.M.A.H.A.I offers these distinct programs to sustain growth:
In order to respond to the requirements of growth, to maintain focus on the educational process that propels progress, and to establish a strong community-building effort, O.M.A.H.A.I is offering a complex system that involves dividing each educational program into cycles and stages: 1- The educational programs for children and junior youth are divided into 4 cycles, each cycle includes four stages: a) Language proficiency (Arabic) (Farsi/Dari) b) Intellectual proficiency and Mindfulness c) Creative proficiency through Art, Music, and Sport d) Community Service projects 2- The educational programs for women are divided into 4 cycles, each cycle includes four stages: a) Language proficiency ( Mother tongue and Icelandic : the host-country second language) and Information Technology proficiency b) Intellectual proficiency and Mindfulness c) Empowerment projects such as Art, Music, and Sport d) Community Service Projects 3- O.M.A.H.A.I provides advanced consultancy services in the following fields: a) Education (Children and Adults) b) Culture (Building Bridges) c) Language (Translation and Interpretation) d) Issues related to child care and child abuse 4- O.M.A.H.A.I is standing on the front-line of providing expertise insights into designing and launching well-grounded training and courses for the wider community in Iceland in the following areas: a) Language courses (Adults and Children: Arabic & Farsi/Dari) b) Social Service course (in the areas of Otherness and Displacement) c) Cultural and Literature courses (History, Customs, Music, Festivals and etc…) d) Animator training courses to work with children and Junior youth e) Cultural cooking courses | Ongoing Opportunity for Growth, Manpower Development, Advancing Education, Needs-based Improvements, Building Capacity, Advocate Awareness through Individual Community Engagement , Human Rights Sustainability, Access to Services and Learning Programs, Innovative Training Strategies |
| Oxygen Group | Private company | Environment / Climate | Carbon Offsetting, Sustainable solutions | Oxygen Group offers a comprehensive service in the carbon offsets market and creates sustainable and value-adding solutions in every industry. | Oxygen Group | Oxygen Group creates and manages carbon offsetting projects that produce certified carbon credits. Utilizing CDM, Verra and Gold standard methodologies and registering our projects in the ICR, GSF and Verra registries. | Oxygen Group assists with project design and management of certified carbon credit projects in Iceland and abroad. |
| ReSource International | Private company | Civil Society, Energy, Environment / Climate, Innovation | Circular Economy | ReSource Group invents and delivers appropriate engineering solutions to complex environmental problems. We work in operations, consulting, design, monitoring and R&D in a diverse portfolio of projects related to the circular economy, management of waste and water, pollution and electricity generation. Our projects span much of Western and Northern Europe and we have bases in Iceland, Scandinavia and Switzerland. | ReSource International ehf. Árleynir 8, 112 Reykjavík [email protected] www.resource.is | ReSource International aims to help achieve economic circularity and reduce environmental impact. We do this by working with companies and governments at all levels to monitor and reduce pollution, install and operate environmental systems, reduce and valorise waste streams and consult on environmental strategy – we are environmental specialists. | Biogas - Circular economy - Drinking water - Engingeering and consulting - Environmental management - Landfill - Operation and maintenance - R&D - Smart City - Surveying - Sustainable transportation - Waste management - Wastewater. |
| RetinaRisk | Private company | Innovation | Health | The clinically validated RetinaRisk app empowers people living with diabetes to better understand their risk of sight-threatening diabetic eye disease and the RetinaRisk API solution serves doctors as a decision support tool for better and more personalized dibabetes care. RetinaRisk can streamline and make diabetic eye screening more efficient and cost effective, potentially leading to savings of 40-60% in healthcare cost. | RetinaRisk is a healthTech company founded by world-renowned team of visionary doctors to transform the future of healthcare by providing personalized care based on individualized risk assessment. The clinically validated RetinaRisk algorithm empowers the 463 million people living with diabetes around the world to calculate their individualized risk of developing sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy, one of the leading causes of blindness in the world. RetinaRisk was developed by Dr. Einar Stefansson, Professor at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Iceland and Dr. Arna Gudmundsdottir, Endocrinologist at the National Hospital Reykjavik, who have over 30 years’ experience in screening for diabetic retinopathy and treating diabetes. RetinaRisk algorithm is based on extensive international research and has been clinically validated in over 25.000 diabetic patients in five countries and found to be extremely robust. It allows healthcare providers to identify high-risk patients who need immediate care to prevent vision loss. RetinaRisk is focused on wellness, prevention and personalization through digital engagement and predictive analytics. We’re witnessing the rise of digital health and fundamental changes in healthcare with patients becoming more knowledgeable and active participants in their wellness journey. RetinaRisk offers a truly personalized approach leading to the right patient receiving the right treatment at the right time. | ||
| Reykjavik Geothermal | Private company | Energy, Environment / Climate | Renewable energy, Sustainable solutions | Reykjavik Geothermal is a geothermal exploration and developmental company. The nature of RG business and expertise spans the whole value chain; including resource exploration and reservoir assessment, environmental and social sustainability, exploration drilling, design and development, production drilling, construction and operations of geothermal power plants. | [email protected] - www.rg.is | Reykjavik Geothermal (RG) is a geothermal development company founded in 2008. The Company is focused on the development of geothermal resources for utility scale power production. RG specifically identifies and targets locations where quality geothermal resources can be efficiently harnessed to meet the local demand for power and clean dependable energy. RG was founded in Iceland by a team of experienced geothermal project managers and scientist. RG management has been responsible for projects in over 30 countries including leading the development of one of the world’s largest geothermal power plants in Hellisheidi, Iceland; on time and on budget. | RG expertise spans the whole value chain, including surface exploration, reservoir assessment and environmental and social impact assessment, financing and contracting, tendering and exploration drilling, design and development, production drilling, construction, and operations of geothermal power plants. RG can work with governments on legal frameworks, and RG role can involve consultancy to project management of various types of geothermal projects. |
| Sesseljuhús Environmental Center | Self-owned organization | Culture, Education, Environment / Climate | Study tours, Sustainable solutions | Sesseljuhús Environmental Center was built in 2002 to honor Sesselja' s work and to support the environmental sector of Iceland. Throughout the years there have been exhibitions and educational displays for the public, e.g. affects of climate change and how to create a sustainable household. | Sólheimasetur [email protected] solheimar.is | Sólheimar Eco-village has a powerful social service where individuals with disabilities are given the opportunity to grow, develop and become an active participant in the community through employment and vocational training, lively social and cultural work. Currently there are 45 individuals with disabilities living at Sólheimar. Sólheimar' s founder, Sesselja Sigmundsdóttir, was one of the first environmentalists of Iceland. She studied organic farming abroad and brought back the knowledge to Iceland and was a pioneer in the field. Sesseljuhús Environmental Center keeps her passion for this cause alive. | Educational exhibitions focusing especially on environmental issues. Sólheimar provides sizeable housing and expert knowledge on inclusion. |
| South Iceland Nature Research Centre | Research Institute/University | Environment / Climate, Research | Seabird Research | SINRC studies seabirds with a focus on Atlantic Puffins around Iceland, and Manx Shearwater, European and Leach´s Storm-Petrels in the Westman Islands. | South Iceland Nature Research Centre | SINRC actively collaborates in virus, contaminant (including heavy metals), geologger (GLS) deployment (www.seatrack.seapop.no/map), diet, stable isotopes and genetical studies on seabirds. We greatly welcome collaborative research. | Oceanographic changes in N-Atlantic and their effects on seabirds. |
| The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies - Department for Lexical Studies & Lexicography | Research Institute/University | Culture, Education, Innovation, Research | Dictionaries | The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies is an independently funded academic research institute at the University of Iceland, operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. Its role is to conduct research in the field of Icelandic studies and related scholarly disciplines, in particular Icelandic language and literature, disseminate knowledge in these fields and preserve and augment the collections entrusted to its care. | The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies. E-mail address: [email protected]. | The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies is an independently funded academic research institute at the University of Iceland, operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. Its role is to conduct research in the field of Icelandic studies and related scholarly disciplines, in particular Icelandic language and literature, disseminate knowledge in these fields and preserve and augment the collections entrusted to its care. The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies has five following departments: Manuscript Department - The Árni Magnússon Manuscript Collection, Department for Language Planning, Department for Onomastics, Department for Lexical Studies & Lexicography, Department for Ethnology & Folklore | Icelandic-Polish online dictionary |
| The Association on Women’s Menopause | Non-governmental organization | Gender Equality | Empowering Women | The Association on Women‘s Menopause was founded in 2013 by Icelandic women interested in social, psychological, cultural and physical changes on women during menopause. We have a very active facebook group where over five thousand women share articles, opinions and thoughts about this period of change in their lives. We have celebrated conferences on the subject, made videos and a homepage. | The Association on Women’s Menopause |
The Association on Women‘s Menopause was founded in 2013 by Icelandic women interested in social, psychological, cultural and physical changes on women during menopause. We have a very active facebook group where over five thousand women share articles, opinions and thoughts about this period of change in their lives.
| We have celebrated conferences on the subject, made videos and a homepage. We are interested in collaborating with our sisters in Europe on topics that are interesting for women going through this stage in their lives as long as it brings empowerment to its participants. Please contact [email protected] for further information. |
| The Icelandic Human Rights Centre (ICEHR) | Non-governmental organization | Gender Equality, Human rights | Gender Based Violence | The ICEHR provides education programmes to enhance understanding of concepts such as gender-based violence and violence against women and girls (VAWG). These programmes include lectures, case-studies, monitoring, strategy building, situation testing etc | The Icelandic Human Rights Centre (ICEHR) |
The Icelandic Human Rights Centre (ICEHR) is a registered non-profit umbrella organisation, established in 1994, consisting of 15 partners, including Amnesty International (Icelandic Division), The Icelandic Red Cross, UN Women, The Women’s Rights Association, the LBGT organisation, the Association of Disabled, the Universities of Reykjavík and Akureyri. Among the Centre’s many activities is human rights education (equality, discrimination, LBGT rights, civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights etc.), publication (A report on hate speech, a brochure on the rights of transgender people in Iceland, a brochure on discrimination etc.), comments on law bills, shadow reports to UN and CoE bodies and legal counselling for immigrants. ICEHR organizes seminars, workshops and study trips on domestic and international level, on human rights issues. ICEHR is also the main NGO contact point for partner searches in Iceland for projects under the EEA Grants NGO Programmes. | ICEHR provides education programmes to enhance understanding of concepts such as gender-based violence and violence against women and girls (VAWG). These programmes include lectures, case-studies, monitoring, strategy building, situation testing etc. All participants are required to be active in the education and to render their understanding of various issues and problems for group discussion and for clarification. The programme also includes education on the Istanbul Convention (CoE Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.
The aim is also for participants to: • Gain an overview of some of the key issues related to violence against women • Be able to identify different types and sites of gender-based violence, its main victims and perpetrators • Understand how violence against women is a human rights issue • Be familiar with the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women • Gain an overview of the causes and contributing factors to VAWG • Be familiar with factors that can reduce VAWGs risk of violence • Be familiar with different theories that explain victim-blaming. • Be familiar with the effects of VAWG • Gain an overview of the guiding principles when designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating policies, procedures and services related to addressing VAWG. ICEHR provides education programmes on trafficking in human beings which indlude education on the Palermo Protocol to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, the CoE Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, and national legislation on trafficking. The programme includes education on the definition of trafficking and prescribed actions under the CoE Convention aimed at Prevention, protection, prosecution and partnerships. Key prevention measures include education which entails identification of victims, resources and offers available to them, outreach, addressing the demand, awareness raising etc. Partnerships must include a clear definition of the role and tasks each institution, NGO etc., shall have and an effective, well organised system with clear channels and procedures as well as assignment of responsibilities, etc. Equal treatment of women and non-discrimination on the basis of sex is a fundamental right, enshrined in all major human rights instruments. ICEHR provides education on UN Gender Equality Bodies. This programme includes education on the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), UN WOMEN, Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the United Nations Gender Equality Studies and Training (UNU GEST) and the role of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women. Hate speech and sexism against women. The education includes information and research on how hate speech on the internet manifests itself differently against women. Also, information on legislation against hate speech, awareness raising, training of public officials, internal supervision and codes of conduct, the role of the media and means to control social media, media literacy, government action plans against prejudice and discrimination, gender studies, data collection, registration and research as necessary tools to establish the status of minority groups, the extent of discrimination in society and to systematically counteract prejudice which might lead to hate speech. Counseling and support for women. Legal and social work counseling for women, rules of conduct, confidentiality, outreach and more. Special focus on education on ways and means to overcome the isolation of immigrant/migrant women and their poor access to justice. Key person involved in the education: Margrét Steinarsdóttir is a lawyer, specialized in human rights and has vast experience in human rights education. She has organised and directed various human rights education programmes as well as seminars, work-shops and conferences regarding human rights issues. She also has 15 years of experience as a legal counsellor to immigrants in Iceland. Her areas of expertise include gender equality and gender based violence, trafficking in human beings, legislation on discrimination, legal advice, immigrant women ‘s status and issues, hate speech and sexism. |
| The Metropolitan Police in Reykjavik | State agency | Gender Equality | Gender Based Violence | The Metropolitan Police in Reykjavík has sysematically changed its approach and handling of Domestic Violence cases. We have also changed our approach towards teenages who run away from home, with good results. | The Metropolitan Police in Reykjavik |
The Metropolitan Police in Reykjavík has sysematically changed its approach and handling of Domestic Violence cases. We have also changed our approach towards teenages who run away from home, with good results. The Icelandic government has also made a funded multi-agency plan to work on sexual violence and the results within the Metropolitan Police have been very good. Bjarkarhlíð, a family justice center, has been founded and the police is a partner in that concept. All of these initiatives are important for the well-being of women and children in the society. |
The new gender-related approach has in all the three areas showed amazingly good results, and the Metropolitan Police in Reykjavik, Iceland, with its Chief of Police Sigríður Björk Guðjónsdóttir welcomes sharing of these practices and giving information on statistics and results. |
| The National Film Archive of Iceland | State agency | Culture, Education, Research | Digitisation | The National Film Archive of Iceland collects, preserves, restores and screens Icelandic motion pictures of all kinds and from all times. | Þóra Sigríður Ingólfsdóttir | The National Film Archive of Iceland is a public service institution that deals with the preservation of film culture by collecting, documenting and preserving films and related material. The Archive researches Icelandic film culture and publishes studies in this field. The director of The National Film Archive is Þóra Ingólfsdóttir. You can enter the website of The National Film Archive here (Icelandic only) here https://kvikmyndasafn.is/ | The archives collection consists of about 140.000 items, most of them are still analogue in all kinds of formats. The archive is planning to digitize the material in the next five to ten years and prioritize material in danger, such as U-Matic but scan films at the same time. This is absolutely necessary and the process needs to be planned and started very soon. A more precise timeframe will be set as soon as we can measure the beginning of the process and flow. |
| The Women’s Counselling (WC) | Non-governmental organization | Gender Equality | Gender Based Violence, Human Rights | Through long lasting experience, the Women’s Counselling provides expert knowledge regarding equal rights as human rights, violence against women and girls, women entrepreneurship and various legal and social work issues. Advice on the founding, organization and operation of a volunteer NGO is also provided. | The Women’s Counselling (WC) |
The Women’s Counselling is free legal and social work counselling for women (men also seek advice). It provides expert advice free of charge. It is open twice a week and people can either come for interviews or be advised via telephone or email. The advice covers any and all topics, is rendered anonymously and full confidentiality is guaranteed. The advantages of this set up is the anonymity, which gives those in difficult situations the courage to come, no records kept regarding those who seek advice, qualified experts are at hand (and students under supervision), legal and social work advice are an excellent combination and no appointments are needed The Women’s Counselling is a part of the strong women’s rights movement in Iceland and has therefore been an active participant in bringing about changes for promoting gender equality, such as in legislation and official practices. The experience gathered in counselling for individuals is used to give advice to official institutions and bodies, like the police, ministries, social services etc. That is, the experience and know-how is taken further and put to use.
| Through long lasting experience, the Women’s Counselling provides expert knowledge regarding equal rights as human rights, violence against women and girls, women entrepreneurship and various legal and social work issues. Advice on the founding, organization and operation of a volunteer NGO is also provided. |
| The Women’s Shelter (WS) | Non-governmental organization | Gender Equality | Gender Based Violence | The Women’s Shelter in Iceland is the only Shelter of its kind in Iceland. It provides women and their children a shelter when staying at their own home is not safe or possible due to violence. | The Women's Shelter (WS) |
The Women’s Shelter in Iceland is the only Shelter of its kind in Iceland. It has a history of 37 years in providing women and their children a shelter when staying at their own home is not safe or possible due to violence. At present thirteen professionals work at the Shelter. Members of the implementation team are the managing director, shift manager and the financial director. Other members of staff at the Shelter are a lawyer, a social worker and counselors with various educations such as psychology, gender studies, sociology, criminology, anthropology and family counseling. There is close collaboration with child protection services, the police, educational institutions, immigration authorities and other NGO’s. During the stay, women are offered interviews which can be in the form of general consultation, advice, support and information. Most of the women meet with a social worker and a lawyer to get general information on practical matters. Furthermore, a female police officer provides consultation at certain hours on permanent presence at the Shelter. The stay is free of charge for the women and their children and is open 24 hours a day all year round. In 2018 the total number of women who had to live at The Women’s Shelter in Iceland was 135. Their age ranged from 18-82 years old, 56% were coming for the first time, and 38% had their children with them. In 2018 there were 70 children living in the Shelter ranging from newborns to 17 years old in age. The average time of stay was 32 days. Average number of inhabitants per day, every day of the year was 17, of which 11 women and 6 children. |
1. Temporary housing project As history has shown us at the Shelter, women often find it difficult to leave their abuser as they do not have a place to stay when leaving the Shelter. Although the percentage of women going back to their abuser when leaving the Shelter is 13% we still find it too many women and too many children who sometimes have no other choice than going back to the abuser. Hence, a non-profit housing organization was established by the Women’s Shelter in 2016, aiming at building a house with 18 apartments for women to live at for two to three years when leaving the Shelter. Whilst living there, the women will be able to have more time to get the support and assistance from various aspects of the society in order to start a new life. Members of staff have now gained quite a good insight into how, what and why to open such an housing option for female survivors of domestic violence. 2. Let‘s talk about violence One of the Shelter’s aims is to assist children who have to live at the Shelter to recover from the dramatic situations and influences which violence has had on them. In 2016 the Women’s Shelter premiered a short animated cartoon called Let’s talk about violence. The staff at the Shelter wrote the script and advised on the drawing of the cartoons. The main goal of the cartoon was to deliver clear messages regarding domestic violence to children. The message children are supposed to be left with is that domestic violence is not the family’s private matter, it can take place in every family and that the violence is never the child’s fault as adults are responsible for the child’s wellbeing. Children are encouraged to speak about the violence as there is always someone who can help. Let´s talk about Violence, all around Iceland is a project aiming at showing the cartoon to staff at schools and kindergartens all around the island in order to prepare staff for showing the cartoon to their students. Key person involved: Hildur Guðmundsdóttir, is the ward manager at the Shelter and has held the position for the last couple of years. She has an extensive experience and hence understanding of the topic of domestic violence. She has lectured on the influence of domestic violence, the aims and roles of the Women’s Shelter on various venues. Ms. Guðmundsdóttir has conducted various research on issues relating to domestic violence such as a study on casting a light onto the life of women of foreign origin living in the Shelter, where do they go after their stay and how can the Shelter improve its service to that vulnerable group. Ms. Guðmundsdóttir has a valuable experience from both working directly with the survivors and within the field of presentations and exchanging information. |
| túrí ehf | Cultural institution | Culture | History | A small Icelandic-German enterprise concentrating on Storytelling for adults and children with applications (textile artwork). One-woman-show. | Gudrun Kloes túrí ehf | túrí ehf is owned by Gudrun Kloes, a German living in Iceland for almost 40 years. Author, publisher, translator, storyteller. Main subjects are Icelandic folk stories, sagas, German-Icelandic history made visual by textile artwork (application). Performance in German and Icelandic. | Storytelling, Icelandic sagas, history, textile artwork |
| United Nations University Gender Equality Studies and Training Programme (GRÓ-GEST) | Research Institute/University | Gender Equality | Gender Budgeting, Gender Education, Gender Mainstreaming, Men for Gender Equality | The GEST programme offers short courses as a part of its academic programme which are specialized trainings catered to the needs of professionals in different fields and can be offered on site, and tailored to the need of the organization/institution | United Nations University Gender Equality Studies and Training Programme (GRÓ-GEST) |
United Nations University Gender Equality Studies and Training Programme (UNU-GEST) is a post graduate teaching programme based at the University of Iceland. The GEST programme‘s mission is to use a multi-disciplinary approach to promote gender equality and social justice in developing, conflict and post-conflict countries through: Strengthening skills of professionals, scholars and organizations; high-quality, collaborative, and policy-relevant research; and creating a platform for transnational dialogue and knowledge exchange. The GEST programme offers short courses as a part of its academic programme which are specialized trainings catered to the needs of professionals in different fields and can be offered on site, and tailored to the need of the organization/institution. The GEST short courses are intensive trainings of the duration of 3-5 days, designed to contribute to capacity-building, expansion of knowledge base and development of institutional competences. The GEST programme seeks to incrementally expand its delivery of short courses in partner countries to EEA countries of Eastern Europe/ Balkans over the course of next years, see above. |
1) Men as Allies The course Men as Allies has the objective of providing practical tools and critical insights on how to engage men and boys in promotion of gender justice and prevention of violence. The course is tailored to the needs of practitioners and advocates who work in development, education or youth sector. Objectives of the course: • Increase understanding of how practices of patriarchal masculinities (of various kinds) sustain gender inequalities. • Identify the conditions of male socialization that are fueling patriarchal masculinities and specify strategies for challenging and influencing patriarchal socialization of boys. • Explore the wider societal processes through which we can shift patriarchal masculinities and work to promote more transformative/healthy masculinities. • Investigate what activities and types of involvement can be done on various levels to address men as allies: grassroots mobilizing, government initiatives at all levels, strategies and policies etc. • Offer strategies for building community support and advocacy with institutions, governments (local, regional, national) and development partners to adopt policies and scale up programmes that reinforce personal and social change.
2) Teaching Gender to Youth Teaching Gender to Youth programme tackles several key aspects of the introduction of gender studies at elementary and high school levels, from generating political and institutional will to inaugurate the programmes, to curriculum development, teaching and student organizing. In Iceland, gender studies have been taught as either an elective, or mandatory subject at high school level since 2010 and, as of recently, pilot programs at elementary school level have been introduced as well. The GEST programme has since mid-year 2017 worked on formulating the course Teaching Gender to Youth with the objective to provide practical tools and critical understanding on how to advocate and develop curricula for teaching gender equality at schools. The course is tailored to the needs of teachers, curriculum developers, educational administrators and policy makers. A pilot version of the course was taught in the GEST postgraduate diploma programme in Spring semester 2018 for an audience of 24 fellows from 14 developing countries. The main objectives of the course are: a) Provide knowledge and skills on how to teach gender studies at primary and secondary school level using interactive methods of teaching and resources available to teachers (especially in rural areas). b) Offer tools on how to develop curricula for gender studies at elementary and high school level that will include discussions about socialization of girls and boys, gender roles, gender stereotypes, understanding of gender equality, health and safety, division of labor etc. c) Examine strategies for advocating and generating support for gender reform at elementary and high school level, both on the macro level (policy makers and curriculum developers), and on the micro level (in schools – teachers and key mediators). d) Identify strategies to ensure pupil participation, and support pupils to organize and create their own gender equality projects in schools.
3) Gender Responsive Budgeting The GEST programme has developed a short course on gender responsive budgeting addressing government planning, programming and budgeting that contributes to the advancement of gender equality and the fulfilment of women's rights. It entails identifying and reflecting needed interventions to address gender gaps in sector and local government policies, plans and budgets. Budgets are important policy instruments for transformation to move society towards gender equality, to promote development and women‘s rights. The Gender Responsive Budgeting short courses are tailored to the needs of recipients, but following is a sample of different types of gender budgeting (GB) training offered: 1) Introduction of Gender Responsive Budgeting where the courses introduce core concepts and underpinning principles for Gender Budgeting work, practices, policy processes, instruments, tools and strategies. 2) Gender-Based Public Finance Reform Review where the course provides a platform for staff working on public finance reforms to implement GB in organizational processes to support different types of public finance reforms and performance assessments. 3) Process Assessments and Mid-term Reviews for Gender Responsive Budgeting Projects where the focus of the training is geared towards ongoing gender responsive budgeting efforts, and mid-term adaptation to programme implementation processes. 4) Increasing the Efficiency of Gender Responsive Budgeting bringing different stakeholders together for strategy building; civil society, academics, public institutions etc. to identify procedures for joint efforts to increase the effectiveness of GB work. |
| University of Iceland - Department of Environment and Natural Resources | Research Institute/University | Energy, Environment / Climate, Innovation, Research | Renewable energy, Sustainable solutions | The Environment and Natural Resources Programme at University of Iceland conducts high quality research on energy and natural resource issues, with a particular emphasis on energy development and wellbeing, climate change mitigation and adaptation, land-use (including conservation and focus on ecosystem services) in various contexts and corporate social responsibility. | Environment and Natural Resources University of Iceland | The Environment and Natural Resources Programme at University of Iceland conducts high quality research on energy and natural resource issues. The programme has several focal points including: sustainable energy development where the focus is on assessing transitions of energy systems towards sustainability using system dynamics and evaluating the social, economic and environmental impact of changes in energy systems; energy resource and environmental policy analysis, climate change mitigation and adaptation, cost benefit analysis, ecosystem services, land-use, sustainability indicators, circular economy, wellbeing and sustainability assessments and corporate social responsibility. | Sustainable energy development in various contexts, nature conservation/protection, ecosystem services, policy analysis. Expertise in e.g. systems modelling in many contexts, stakeholder engagement, policy analysis, cost-benefit analysis and life cycle assessment. |
| Vatnaskil | Private company | Energy, Environment / Climate, Research | Renewable energy, Urban Planning | Vatnaskil is a private SME providing specialized consultancy on a broad range of natural and engineered systems. Our expertise lies in developing conceptual and computational models of these systems and applying them to solve issues related to resource development and management, climate change mitigation, urban planning, structural design, health and the environment. | Vatnaskil | Vatnaskil provides specialized consultancy in the development, management and protection of a wide range of natural resources ranging from deep geothermal reservoirs to shallow groundwater, surface waters and the atmosphere. The firm also offers consultation relating to engineering design and optimization of urban environments and industrial processes. Our services are organized within four main sectors: renewable energy, environment and climate, infrastructure and utilities and industrial processes and design. Our diverse team of specialists provide flexible modeling solutions tailored to the specific needs of our clients in the energy, utilities, industrial and governmental sectors. Vatnaskil has four decades of experience serving our clients in Iceland and around the globe. | Renewable energy, Resource management, Climate change mitigation, Water supply, Wastewater management, Urban planning, Computational fluid dynamics, Full value-change modelling |
| Verkis ehf. | Private company | Energy, Environment / Climate, Innovation | Renewable energy, Sustainable solutions | Verkis offers high quality engineering service worldwide on sustainable solution. Our expertise lies in the development, design and construction of reliable infrastructure. For the past 90 years we have taken a big part in developing and designing the Icelandic infrastructure that needs to withstand the island’s strong natural forces. Our primary goal is a reliable solution that fits your requirements. | Verkis ehf. | We offer multidisciplinary engineering consultancy worldwide, expanding all fields of engineering and project management:
| We are open to discuss any projects that include sustainable solutions and require technical implementation, engineering or management. Topics: Engineering consultancy, Geothermal energy, Hydropower, Certification for sustainability, Waste management, Circular solutions, Sustainable infrastructure, Life cycle analysis, Sustainable energy, Blue-green solutions, Smart city, BIM, Project management |
| Vigdís International Centre / Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute | Research Institute/University | Culture, Education, Gender Equality, Research | Literature, Roma | Roma in the Centre is an initiative uniting several Romani Studies related projects under the auspices of the Vigdís International Centre for Multilingualism and Intercultural Understanding. It is a sign of our long-term commitment to research and popularise — in Iceland, in Nordic countries, in Europe and globally — the literature and culture of the Roma/Gypsies. The centrality of the Romani agency is crucial for the initiative´s approach. | Vigdís International Centre for Multilingualism and Intercultural Understanding | The Vigdís International Centre for Multilingualism and Intercultural Understanding is situated in Veröld – House of Vigdís. The centre operates under the auspices of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, and is affiliated to the Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute for Foreign Languages at the University of Iceland. The main objectives of the Centre are: To promote multilingualism in order to further understanding, exchange and respect between cultures and nations; To raise awareness of the importance of language as a core element of the cultural heritage of mankind; To promote translation and translation studies and the observation, analysis and statistics of translation flow; To work at the preservation of languages and to create awareness of language policies and control of languages, with multilingualism as a guiding light; To promote research and education in foreign languages and cultures; To support and promote research into mother tongues, regarding them as a basic element of human rights. | Project in the field of Romani Studies, for projects of a practical nature related to Romani culture, Romani literature, publishing, education. |
| Vinnslan listhópur | Non-governmental organization | Culture, Gender Equality, Research | Film, Performing arts, Theatre | Vinnslan is a not for profit organisation who focuses in making and producing live art that is controversial and has deep political, social and humanitarian meaning to it. Vinnslan is made up of 5 artists who work interdiciplinary across borders with as flat structure as possible. | [email protected] www.vinnslan.com | Vinnslan was founded in 2012 by Icelandic Artists who were interested in making interdiciplinary live art, but also to host and produce events that would bring artists and people interested in art together through creation. Vinnslan has created 15 big events where 30 artist or more create togheter. Vinnslan has produced it's own work for stage, shortfilms and installations. | Any kind of project that would involve creating live performance work, curation, documentaries, films. |
| Women of Multicultural Ethnicity Network – W.O.M.E.N. in Iceland | Non-governmental organization | Gender Equality | Human Rights, Intersectional Feminism | W.O.M.E.N in Iceland can offer advice regarding our ‘best practices’ in working with marginalized women of foreign origin living in Iceland. We can share information regarding projects we have worked within our sixteen-year tenure here in Iceland. | W.O.M.E.N. in Iceland |
Our main goal is to advocate for the rights of women of foreign origin in the labor market, in the justice and immigration system, in health and welfare systems, through assisting with getting educational validation and attaining equal access to education in Iceland. With the coming of #MeToo we have vastly increased our efforts in combating gender violence. As we are a nongovernmental organization we rely on volunteer efforts and collaborative projects. We offer peer counseling and free courses funded through various grants which we are fortunate enough to receive. Our association was founded on October 24, 2003, with the object of uniting, creating awareness and addressing the interests and issues of women of foreign origin living in Iceland in order to bring about genuine equality for them as women and as foreigners in all areas of society. | W.O.M.E.N in Iceland can offer advice regarding our ‘best practices’ in working with marginalized women of foreign origin living in Iceland. We can share information regarding projects we have worked within our sixteen-year tenure here in Iceland. We have worked with various issues from creating social links and networks so women of foreign origin do not become isolated, through various projects for sharing culture and bridging socio-cultural gaps in society. We have primarily focused our efforts in recent years to inform, support and empower women of foreign origin in all areas of society. We have increased cooperative work with institutions and organizations in combating gender-based violence and discrimination against minorities.
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