Please join us for this special Book Talk presentation in Honor of International Women’s Day 2022
hosted by the United Nations Association of New York
Eliza Reid
First Lady of Iceland
Author of Secrets of the Sprakkar
in conversation with
Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir
Senior Adviser on Women’s Leadership, UN Women
Chair of the Reykjavík Global Forum
Introduction by
Ambassador Jörundur Valtýsson
Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations
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Thursday | 24 March 2022 | 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. EST
To celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day, and the 66th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), UNA-NYC is honored to host a discussion with the First Lady of Iceland, Eliza Jean Reid, who will speak about her new book, Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland's Extraordinary Women and How They are Changing the World*. The First Lady will be in conversation with Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir, Senior Adviser on Women’s Leadership, UN Women.
For the past twelve years, the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report has ranked Iceland number one on its list of countries which are closing the gap in equality between men and women. Paid parental leave, affordable childcare, and a broad support for gender equality are core values in Iceland.
What is it about Iceland that makes many women's experience there so positive? Why has their society made such meaningful progress in this ongoing battle, from electing the world's first female president to passing legislation specifically designed to help even the playing field at work and at home? How can we learn from what Icelanders have already discovered about women's powerful place in society and how increased fairness benefits everyone?
Please join us for this fascinating conversation when our special guests offer a look at some of these important achievements that Iceland presents to the rest of the world today.
Introducing First Lady Reid will be the Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations, Ambassador Jörundur Valtýsson.
Note: readers can purchase the book here
*”Sprakkar” is an ancient Icelandic word that means “extraordinary women.” Read a CNN article about it by First Lady Reid here.
Eliza Reid
Eliza Reid is a journalist, editor, and cofounder of the annual Iceland Writers Retreat.
Eliza grew up on a hobby farm near Ottawa, Canada, and moved to Iceland in 2003, five years after winning a student raffle for a date with the man who became her husband, Gudni Jóhannesson. When he took office as president of Iceland on August 1, 2016, Eliza became the country’s First Lady.
In that capacity, she has been active in promoting gender equality, entrepreneurship and innovation, tourism and sustainability, and the country’s writers and rich literary heritage. Being the spouse of the head of state is an immense privilege, full of surreal and wonderful experiences. Eliza has been candid about the role, which is an unofficial position with no job description, penning a lauded op-ed in the New York Times and delivering a TEDx Talk on the topic.
Secrets of the Sprakkar is her first book.
Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir
Before joining UN Women in New York, Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir served full time as the Chair of the Executive Board of the Women Political Leaders (WPL). She is the Chair of the Reykjavík Global Forum that takes place in Iceland every year and gathers 500 women leaders from nearly 100 countries to discuss and share ideas and solutions on how to further advance society, increase equality between women and men and promote and positively develop the number of women in leadership positions.
Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir was active in Icelandic politics for many years, both in the national Parliament and local government. She is the former Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Parliament and former Minister of the Interior in Iceland.
Before getting elected to Parliament, she was the Mayor of Reykjavík, the President of the City Council and chaired several committees and organizations for the City of Reykjavík. She is also the former Vice Chair of the Independence Party in Iceland; the former deputy Secretary General of the party and the former Secretary General of its Parliamentary Group.
She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Iceland in 1991 and later a Master of Science in International and European Politics from the University of Edinburgh (1993).
Ambassador Jörundur Valtýsson
Jörundur Valtýsson is the Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations since September 2019.
Before his latest appointment, Mr. Valtýsson was Director General for International and Security Affairs in his country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade between 2015 and 2019.
Mr. Valtýsson served as a foreign policy adviser to the Prime Minister from 2013 to 2015, and as Director of the Department of Security and Defence at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade from 2011 until 2013.
From 2007 to 2011, Mr. Valtýsson was Deputy Permanent Representative of Iceland’s delegation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He served as Special Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2007, and as Cabinet Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister from 2004 until 2005.
Mr. Valtýsson began his diplomatic career as First Secretary in the Political Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, holding that post from 2001 until 2004.
He earned a Master of Science in international and European politics at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and a Bachelor of Arts in Russian language and political science from the University of Iceland, Reykjavik.