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REYKJAVIK GLOBAL
FOCUSES ON IMPACT THROUGH INITIATIVES
REYKJAVIK ACTION ITEMS
THE REYKJAVIK ACTION ITEMS
In November 2023 The Reykjavík Global announced the launch of the Reykjavík Action Items at the 6th annual Forum.
Reykjavík Global asked its Conversationists and global community members to advocate for The Reykjavík Action Items in business, government, and societal policy-making. “The Reykjavík Action Items represent the commitment of our Reykjavík Global community to achieving global gender equality,” said Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir, Chair and Co-founder of the Reykjavík Global Forum. “Today, we collectively pledge to use our power, influence, and privilege to drive that change.”
“The Reykjavík Action Items represent the commitment of our Reykjavík Global community to achieving global gender equality,” “Today, we collectively pledge to use our power, influence, and privilege to drive that change.”
The four Reykjavík Action Items are based on Iceland’s successful policy models contributing to its high ranking in gender equality measurements, they are:
The Reykjavík Action Items are grounded in Iceland’s progressive and proven gender equality policy models.
Iceland consistently ranks among the highest countries in the world for gender equality, including in the Reykjavík Index, the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report, etc. Equal pay, equal representation, equal parental leave, and ending gender based violence are considered the critical factors in Iceland’s multi-decade path to gender equality success.
The Four Reykjavík Action Items were developed by Reykjavík Global’s Action Advisory Board in a collaborative study of the factors contributing to societies that rank the highest in the Reykjavík Index, the first measure of perceptions of women and men as leaders.
ACTION ADVISORY BOARD
Since its inception in 2018 the Reykjavik Global has evolved from an annual event into a community with year-round activities with the goal of enabling women to attain and retain power.
The Community aims to gather on several occasions during significant global events and unite women leaders and their allies in action towards a more equal world. To advance this goal and collectively create our global community of actions, the Reykjavík Global has been joined by valuable international partners who collectively create the Action Advisory Board.
Dr. Anino Emuwa
Founder,
100 Women@Davos
Michelle Harrisson
Global CEO
Verian
Dominik Weh
Co Head
Public Sector & Policy Practice Europe,
Oliver Wyman
Lopa Banerjee
Director at the Civil
Society Section,
UN Women
Hanna Birna
Kristjánsdóttir
Chair and Co-Founder, Reykjavik Global
Lisa Sun
Founder and CEO,
Gravitas
Laura Liswood
Secretary General,
Council of Women
World Leaders
Janna Salokangas
Co-founder, Mia and FinnishFlow
Sandra Pepera
Director, National Democratic Institute
Katja Iversen
CEO
Museum for the
United Nations
Jane Geraghty
Chief Client Officer
WPP
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Silvana Koch-Mehrin
Founder and President, Women Political
Leaders
Holly Gordon
Executive Director at
Sean Connery
Foundation
Adrianne C. Smith
Founder,
Inkwell Beach
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Susannah Wellford
Founder and CEO,
Running Start
Ana Kreacic
COO
Oliver Wyman Forum
Christy Tanner
Senior Advisor,
Reykjavik Global Forum
Gabriela Cuaves Barrón
Former President of
the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Claire Tavernier
Media and
Digital Advisor
Amy Barnett
Senior Advisor at
Bravo Mondo Corp.
Michelle Milford Morse
Vice President at UN Foundation’s Girls and Women Strategy
Bogolo Joy Kenewendo
Minister of Investment, Trade & Industry,
Botswana (2018-2019)
Elise Hufano
Designer and Partner, theDifference
Ragnheiður Elín
Árnadóttir
Director, OECD
Development Centre
Christina Lowery
CEO,
Girl Rising
REYKJAVIK INDEX FOR LEADERSHIP
Measuring societal perceptions across the G7 nations since 2018, our Index is the leading global measure, providing robust data, insights on key trends and the dissonance between genders and generations, to inform strategic decision-making in public policy.
The first data release for this years Reykjavík Index for Leadership shows Iceland as a clear leader although a downward trend in perception of gender equality in leadership continues overall
As global leaders from government, business and civil society gathered at Reykjavík Global Forum in November 2024, the latest annual data from The Reykjavík Index was presented showing a further decline in equality in terms of how society view women and men and their suitability for leadership. Launched in 2018, the Index measures perceptions of women and men as leaders across 23 economic sectors. The latest data released at the forum covers the G7 group of countries together with Iceland.
This year’s findings show that Iceland continues to have the highest scores of any country measured, with a Reykjavik Index of 87 compared to the G7 average of 68, their lowest yet recorded.
REYKJAVIK INDEX FOR LEADERSHIP 2024-2025
Average yearly Index scores for the G7 countries 2018-2025
A score of 100 would mean that women and men were viewed by society as equally suitable for leadership.
Whilst the findings show that ‘comfort’ with the idea of a female political leader in the G7 is similar to 2018 when the Reykjavik Index began, this varies across countries. In the US, only 47% of those questioned were ‘very comfortable’ with a female political leader (with research undertaken in September - October 2024). Figures are similarly low for women corporate leaders, with a G7 average of 50%.
Across the 23 sectors measured by the Index, the latest findings demonstrate an increasing polarisation within societies across the G7, characterised by competing forces of the drive to equality and a ‘backlash’ of ‘re-traditionalization’. These trends are particularly apparent amongst younger groups.
THE FULL REYKJAVIK INDEX FOR LEADERSHIP 2024-2025 WILL BE PUBLISHED HERE EARLY DECEMBER 2024
When the Reykjavík Index for Leadership was first launched in 2018, it was acknowledged that progress on the perception of women’s leadership was far from guaranteed. Nevertheless, it was fully hoped at that time to witness improvements in perceptions in the years to come, with countries and sectors approaching the target score of 100, meaning an absence of prejudice.
The findings revealed significant, complex, and deep-seated prejudice towards women – women were not seen as equally suitable to lead. They revealed entrenched gender norms in the perception of leadership across the economy, but particularly in those sectors that are seen as traditionally male, such as defense and police, or female, such as childcare.
REYKJAVIK INDEX FOR LEADERSHIP 2023-2024
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Any score of less than 100 is an indication of prejudice in society
Six years on, and the 2023-24 data shows that we have not merely seen stagnation in some areas, but regression on the perception of women and men being equally suitable for leadership, with the data for the G7 in the Index this year dropping two Index points lower than was first measured in 2018.
Top three headlines from our 2024 report
Are we seeing the start of a downward trend in our pursuit of gender equality in leadership?
The data from our 2024 research, across the G7 countries, would indicate that we are.
Young people are now more prejudiced than their parents - and the gap is widening.
The dissonance between the younger generation, and those aged 35 and older, is getting more pronounced and seems to be increasing for each year we measure attitudes.
Men and women both show levels of prejudice against women in leadership roles.
The fact that both women and men hold perceptions which are prejudiced against women’s suitability for leadership or positions of power, means that this is not about ‘fixing’ women or men. It is about how we tackle these prejudices across society as a whole. In fact, the G7 data shows not only a widening gender gap, but also a regression in the attitudes of women.
Michelle Harrison’s presentation on the Reykjavik Index for Leadership at the Forum in November 2023 included a combination of hopeful and encouraging message for the Nordic countries, as well as some worrying statements regarding the perceptions of young people. The Nordic countries: Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, as well as the Netherlands, produce Index scores that are significantly higher than the rest of those measured in the Index. Iceland remains the standout performer.
REYKJAVIK INDEX 23-24
REYKJAVIK INDEX 21-22
REYKJAVIK INDEX 22-23
NORDIC EDITION 23-24
REYKJAVIK INDEX 19-20
REYKJAVIK INDEX 20-21
For the annual POWER, TOGETHER. AWARDS, the Reykjavik Global honours outstanding initiatives, where people join forces to effect great change.
The power to advance society – to change and move things in a positive way – comes from using our power, together. This is especially true when change is needed to increase the number and influence of women leaders.
Together, women can make the changes necessary; together, women can create societies of better diversity; together, women can make sure the future holds as many opportunities for girls and women as for boys and men.
POWER, TOGETHER AWARDS
2024 AWARD WINNERS
The POWER, TOGETHER Awards 2024, honour outstanding initiatives where people join forces and use their power to advance society together and achieve great change, were presented during a ceremony at the Reykjavík Global Forum on November 12th 2024, as the Forum convened in Iceland with more than 500 Conversationists.
The 2024 POWER, TOGETHER Awards is
proud to honour the following recipients:
Girl Rising, GWL Voices, and SheDecides.
GIRL RISING
Research shows that when girls have access to education, their families and communities benefit profoundly, leading to healthier, more prosperous societies and a more sustainable future. Girl Rising is committed to building a world where every girl has the chance to learn and thrive.
Girl Rising is awarded the Power, Together Award to recognise their profound impact on behalf of 129 million girls out of school globally. Educated girls grow into empowered women who contribute to their communities and take on leadership roles, vitally tackling global issues.
GWL VOICES
GWL Voices is a powerful collective of over 70 women leaders from diverse backgrounds and regions, all committed to creating a gender-equal international system that effectively addresses today’s pressing issues in sustainable development, peace, security, and human rights.
GWL Voices is awarded the Power, Together Award to recognise their crucial work to empower citizens to use their voices and experiences to influence global leaders, placing women’s rights and transformative power at the heart of global governance. By championing a gender-equal international system, GWL Voices is driving the change needed for a more equal world.
SHEDECIDES
SheDecides is dedicated to building a world where everyone has the power to make their own choices about their body. By speaking out against opposition and resisting the rollback of rights globally, SheDecides is a catalyst for collective action and change.
SheDecides is awarded the Power, Together Award to recognise their diverse global movement, which is a driving force for bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.
2023 AWARD WINNERS
KVENNAFRÍ
Kvennafri is a women-led movement advocating for gender and income equality in Iceland. The movement dates back to October 24th 1975, where women all over Iceland left work, and did not do any housework or childcaring at home to demonstrate the importance of women’s contribution to society. 25,000 women out of a population of then 220,000 people in Iceland, took part and gathered in the capital of Reykjavík for a rally. This day was popularly called “Kvennafrí”, or ‘Women’s Day Off’.
The following year, the Icelandic Parliament passed a law guaranteeing equal pay. The strike paved the way for the election of Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, the first democratically elected woman president in the world, five years later, in 1980. The strike also resulted in the creation of the Women’s Alliance Party that ran for the first time in local elections in 1982 and parliamentary elections in 1983.
In 1985, 25,000 women left their work again to protest income inequality. And the Women’s Day Off continued to take place in 2005, 2010, 2016 and 2018 where women also rallied for gender equality. Recently, on Tuesday 24 October 2023, more than 100,000 women and nonbinary people in Iceland joined another one-day strike, the country’s largest effort to protest workplace inequality in nearly five decades.
#Kvennafri is being awarded the Power, Together Award to recognise their important, continuous, and tireless work to highlight gender inequalities, particularly income inequalities, in Iceland, even as the country ranks first for gender equality globally, proving that the work for gender equality is never finished.
PROJECT
DANDELION
Project Dandelion is the first global, women-led campaign for climate justice. Their mission is to build a chorus of voices that will help us to reach and motivate 2 billion people to ACT for Climate Justice.
Every movement needs a symbol. The Dandelion is designed to be the connecting tissue between all the elements of the growing climate justice movement - schoolchildren with Fridays for Future, young people protesting, indigenous peoples with their wisdom, local communities, progressive business leaders, religious leaders, artists, philanthropists - the list goes on. Women leaders will bring a new galvanising energy to this movement.
Project Dandelion is being awarded the Power, Together Award to recognise their invaluable work and focus on mobilizing women leaders to take action to secure a safe climate future for all.
GLIDE initiative
GLIDE Initiative,
led by Outright International, Synergía, and IFES
The Global LGBTQI+ Inclusive Democracy and Empowerment (GLIDE) Initiative is a unique collaboration between Outright International, Synergía – Initiatives for Human Rights and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). GLIDE seeks to stimulate the participation and engagement of LGBTIQ people and organisations in democratic spaces and processes.
The GLIDE Initiative puts LGBTIQ people at the helm of democratic initiatives. It enables LGBTIQ people to participate and influence decision-making to advance acceptance and be a force for addressing exclusionary laws, practices and norms that seek to dismantle democracy and LGBTIQ rights.
GLIDE Initiative is being awarded the Power, Together Award to recognise their crucial work to reduce inequalities and transform the future for LGBTIQ people globally, and particularly for facilitating participation of LGBTIQ people in decision-making in the Global South, where discriminatory laws, practices and norms, and barriers to democratic participation are often particularly prevalent and severe.