It Can Be Done! Stories of real results for Gender Equality: The Nordic Case.

Co-hosted in partnership with Equimundo and Nordic Council of Ministers.

The Nordic region didn't rise to the top of global gender equality rankings by coincidence. It got there through decades of deliberate policy choices: parental leave systems, childcare infrastructure, political quotas, pay transparency, each one a calculated bet that equality wasn't just the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do. That bet paid off: stronger economies, higher growth, higher labour force participation, and a better quality of life for everyone, not just women.

This session cuts through the theory. No abstractions, no platitudes, just what actually worked, what it cost, and what it took to get there. Our speakers bring hard-won, first-hand experience from inside the rooms where these policies were designed, fought for, and implemented: the strategies that succeeded, the trade-offs that were necessary, and the results that followed.

The Nordic story is not a fairy tale, and it is not finished. But it is proof of concept, evidence that gender equality is not a distant aspiration but a deliverable outcome, achievable through policy, investment, and political will. If it can be done there, it can be done anywhere.

This is a roadmap, not a victory lap. Join us to hear how it was built and what it will take to build it elsewhere.

The event is held at Scandinavia House on Wednesday September 23rd 2026:

08:00-08:30 Breakfast Networking

08:30-08:40 Welcome and opening remarks

08:40-09:55 Conversation Chaired by Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir,

Chair and Co-Founder, Reykjavik Global Forum, Senior Advisor, UN Women

Audience Q&A

09:55-10:00 Closing Remarks

Speakers:

Andreas Koskela Nielsen, Deputy Head of Department, Nordic Council of Ministers

Anna-Karin Jatfors, Director, Strategy, Planning, Resources, and Effectiveness Division, UN Women

Chloé Lewis, Deputy Director of Research, Evaluation, and Learning, Equimundo

Unnur Orradóttir Ramette, Director, ministry for foreign affairs, former ambassador of Iceland to France, PR to OECD & UNESCO

Janna Salokangas, Co-Founder & CEO, Mia AI

RGF background:

The Reykjavík Global is a diverse, action-oriented community of 12,500+ trailblazing women leaders and their allies working to empower more women to attain & retain power.  The Reykjavik Global runs various initiatives and programme tracks built around Knowledge - Convening - Action. The community convenes several times a year at various Global Events, Virtual Conversations and at the annual Flagship event, the Reykjavik Global Forum in Iceland.