Learning from Each Other: Gender Equality in Iceland and the U.S.

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• Date: May 1st, 2014

• Time: 8:15 AM TO 12:00 PM

• Admission: Free

• Place: Scandinavia House (between E 37th & E 38th Street) | 58 Park Avenue | New York, NY | 10016

• RSVP: iacc@mfa.is

If you have any questions, please contact the Icelandic American Chamber of Commerce at iacc@mfa.is or call +1 646 282 9360.

The conference is sponsored by: Icelandair, Eimskip, Siggi’s Skyr, Össur, High Liner Foods and Century Aluminum.

“Iceland was the first country where all the highest Offices of State and Church have been held by women: the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the Bishop and the Presidents of the Parliament and the Supreme Court. How did it happen? That is the essence of our New York dialogue.” – Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, The President of Iceland 

Event Description:
What works in reducing the educational and economic disparities between men and women? This issue is the focus of an unusual upcoming one-day gathering in New York!

Free Conference on Gender Equality Hosted by:
The Icelandic-American Chamber of Commerce and the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the American Scandinavian Foundation.

Iceland leads the world in closing the gender gap that has held back women around the globe for centuries and the U.S. holds the highest ranking among the largest nations, according to The Global Gender Gap Report 2013, issued by the World Economic Forum.

The conference will focus on why and how the people of Iceland have achieved near equality between the genders, and how Americans have continued to close the gap in the U.S. 

Agenda:

• Welcome Remarks –Jón Sigurðsson, Chairman IACC, President and CEO, Össur

• Opening Remarks –Nancy Ploeger, President, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce

• Presentation #1 – The Iceland Story
  Kristín Ástgeirsdóttir, Director, The Centre for Gender Equality, Iceland

• Presentation #2 – Gender Equality in the US: The Present and Future
  Deborah Gillis, President & Chief Executive Officer, Catalyst NYC

• Panel: Gender Equality Issues in Both Countries

• • Moderator: Lisa Kassenaar, Editor at Large, Global Women’s Coverage, Bloomberg News

  • Panelists:
    Kristín Ástgeirsdóttir, Director, The Centre for Gender Equality, Iceland
    Deborah Gillis, President & Chief Executive Officer, The Catalyst
    Ambassador Gréta Gunnarsdóttir, Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations

• Presentation #3 – Challenges for Women in Business
  Marsha Firestone, Women Presidents Organization

• Panel: Challenges for Women Business Owners Today

• • Moderator: Nancy Ploeger, MCC

  • Panelists:
    Marsha Firestone, Women Presidents Organization
    Herdís Fjeldsted, The Enterprise Investment Fund
    Guðbjörg Glóð Logadóttir, Founder and CEO, Fylgifiskar

• Closing Remarks – President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson

Iceland has been ranked for five consecutive years as the world’s most advanced nation in terms of gender equality, as measured by the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Index.

The island nation has progressed steadily in the index’s four areas: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment, closing its combined gender gap by 87 percent.

The U.S., ranked 23rd out of 136 nations, has closed its gender gap by 74 percent according to the index. Germany (ranked 14), Britain (18) and Canada  (20) are ranked ahead of the U.S. by relatively small margins.

Iceland’s Nordic neighbors Finland, Norway and Sweden, closely follow Iceland at the top of the rankings. Thirteen of the top 20 countries are northern European. At the bottom are Chad, Pakistan and Yemen, the latter having closed only 51 percent of its combined gender gap.

See the full report here!

For information about the American Scandinavian Foundation Gala Dinner on May 1^st, please click here: http://support.amscan.org/gala2014