Empowering Change and Building Women's Power: On the Ground at the Reykjavk Global Forum
(An absolutely fascinating, lengthy, important read)
Empowering Change and Building Women’s Power: On the Ground at the Reykjavík Global Forum
12/22/2023 by Cynthia Richie Terrell
The Reykjavík Global Forum convenes women leaders to share solutions on how to further advance society towards gender equity and grow the number of women in leadership positions.
The sixth annual Reykjavík Global Forum, hosted by the government and Parliament of Iceland last month, convened more than 500 people from 80 countries, creating a diverse and dynamic platform to address critical global issues and build women’s power.
I had the honor of representing RepresentWomen (https://www.representwomen.org/) and our mission at the forum and was thrilled to be part of the delegation led by Susannah Wellford, of Running Start alums, who gave a terrific presentation and enriched and diversified the program in many ways.
Running Starts alums presenting at the Reykjavik Global Forum: Caroline Hoover, Sherra Bennet, Alexis Williams and Lyssa Schei Davids.
The forum began with an informative tour of Parliament, where women hold 48 percent of seats, followed by a reception at the home of the president of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson and his accomplished wife, author Eliza Reid. Highlights of the gathering included Icelandic pancakes, opening remarks from co-founders of the forum Hanna Birna Kristjansdottir and Silvana Koch-Mehrin, and a welcome from co-chairs Ashley Judd and Adela Raz.
From left: Eliza Reid, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, Ashley Judd and friends.
‘Power, Together for Leadership’
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This year the forum incorporated data from the Nordic countries for the first time—Iceland’s score of 92 makes it an interesting case study of what institutional and cultural factors have led to such low levels of attitudinal barriers for women in Iceland, and if they can be replicated and adapted for use elsewhere. It was sobering to learn that overall, most G7 countries have seen stagnant or declining scores in the perception of women’s leadership since 2018.
Focus on Four Action Items
While the index offered a compelling argument for why work is still needed to advance women’s leadership, a session led by Christy Tanner, senior advisor to the Reykjavik Global Forum, provided a terrific roadmap for how to advance women’s leadership. Tanner reported on her work with the Reykjavik Global Action Advisory Board, which led to the development of a new strategy that is focused on the Reykjavík Action Items that serve as powerful tools to transform data into action. These policy initiatives include:
equal pay
equal representation
equal parental leave
ending gender-based violence
All are critically important for building women’s political power and leadership.
“We encourage international women leaders to focus on four key actions to promote equality in the world: equal pay, a more equal share of the sexes in decision-making, equal parental leave and actions to end gender-based violence,” said Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir.
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Michelle Milford Morse with an attendee in Reykjavik.
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Former women presidents with Laura Liswood and Rick Zednik.
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RepresentWomen advisor Laura Liswood with Running Start CEO and RepresentWomen board member Susannah Wellford.
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Here is a translation I found online:
“In sight there is now freedom
And it could have been sooner
Now women mass together
and carry signs of freedom
the hour is upon us
let’s all stand hand in hand
and firmly stand our ground
even though many want to go backwards
and others stand in place
we’ll never accept that.”
Forum co-host Ashley Judd with Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, who became the first democratically elected female head of state when elected president of Iceland in 1980.
Women’s Power Strengthens Democracy
Despite examples of setbacks reported in the Reykjavík Index and other research studies, the forum was filled with energy and commitment to advancing gender equality, through the Reykjavík Action Items and many conversations about strategies to build women’s power. This collective dedication underscores the reality that we all understand the urgency of addressing gender inequality, and shows how powerful a global community can be when united by a common cause. To take action and keep pushing the needle on gender balance in the United States, it’s important to examine what is working in countries like Iceland to address attitudinal and structural barriers in both the private and public sectors, and consider how those strategies can be adapted and replicated in countries like the United States. The momentum sparked at this event is a testament to the value of doing this work in community, and building a movement dedicated to empowering women leaders. Through collective efforts, we can turn the Reykjavík Action Items into a global reality and work towards representative, equitable, empowered and resilient democracies around the globe.
Sweet treats, candle light to brighten the short days, and soft guitar melodies were all clear signals that the Reykjavik Global Forum is dedicated to building the spaces for women to come together to bridge divides, build relationships, and blaze a path to women’s equality.
https://msmagazine.com/2023/12/22/women-politics-leadership-reykjavik-global-forum-gender-equality-equity/