News
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13 March 2020 /Stricter measures to slow down the spread of COVID-19
The Government has announced a ban on gatherings of 100 people or more, starting Monday 16 March. Universities and upper secondary schools will close for four weeks ...
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09 March 2020 /Response to COVID-19 in Iceland
This statement has been updated on March 13, 2020 Icelandic authorities have taken preventive steps to contain the potential spread of the COVID-19 virus in the country. As Iceland has few entry poin...
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17 February 2020 /Report on Iceland in the UN Human Rights Council
The objectives of Iceland's membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council have been achieved in all key respects. This is among the conclusions of a report prepared by the Icelandic Ministry f...
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28 January 2020 /UK and EEA EFTA Separation Agreement signed
Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, today signed the EEA EFTA Separation Agreement on behalf of Iceland, alongside the Foreign Ministers of L...
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18 December 2019 /Iceland remains the top country on the World Economic Forum’s gender gap index
Iceland remains the top country on the World Economic Forum’s gender gap index for the 11th year running. According to the report, gender parity will not be attained for another century if continued ...
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27 November 2019 /Foreign Ministers of Iceland and Russia met in Moscow
Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, and Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russia Federation, met in Moscow yesterday. The focus of their discussion was...
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21 November 2019 /Arctic Council actors join forces in Hveragerði
For the first time during the Icelandic Chairmanship, representatives of the eight Arctic States and six Indigenous Permanent Participant organizations, as well as the Arctic Council’s six Working Gro...
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15 November 2019 /UN adopts Iceland's proposal to declare International Equal Pay Day
A resolution on International Equal Pay Day was today adopted by consensus in the Third Committee (Human Rights) of the General Assembly. Iceland, Australia, Canada, Germany, Panama, New Zealand, Sout...
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10 October 2019 /Iceland criticises the Turkish military offensive in Syria
Iceland strongly criticises the Turkish military offensive against Kurds in Northern Syria. This position has been formally communicated to the Turkish authorities. As this military offensive is not i...
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09 October 2019 /First joint meeting between the Arctic Council and the Arctic Economic Council
The Arctic Council and the Arctic Economic Council hold their first joint meeting today in Reykjavik, bringing together government representatives of the eight Arctic States, business representatives,...
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01 October 2019 /Report of the working group on the EEA co-operation has been published
A working group appointed by Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, delivered its report today on Iceland‘s membership of the European Economic Area Agreement. Appoi...
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30 September 2019 /Minister for Foreign Affairs addressed the UN General Assembly
Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, emphasized human rights, reforms in the international system and the urgency of concrete actions against climate change in his addre...
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23 September 2019 /Minister for Foreign Affairs met with allies in the US Congress
Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, met with Members of the United States Congress, National Security Council and the State Department in Washington D.C. last week to d...
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12 September 2019 /First Arctic Council Working Group on Sustainable Development (SDWG) meeting in Iceland concluded
The first meeting of the Sustainable Development Working Group during Iceland’s Arctic Council Chairmanship brought together around 70 participants in Reykjavik and Ísafjörður on 10-12 September, repr...
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10 September 2019 /Thematic Conference on Strengths, Well-Being and Engagement of Youth in the Arctic
A thematic conference on Strengths, Well-Being and Engagement of Youth in the Arctic was held today at the National Museum of Iceland, in Reykjavik, in connection with the meeting of the Arctic ...
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09 September 2019 /Land restoration essential for mitigating the climate crisis - letter of intent signed
On 8 September 2019, Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson, Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources, and Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Agency (UNEP), signed a le...
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04 September 2019 /U.S.-Icelandic Business Round Table on the Occasion of the Visit of Vice President Mike Pence to Iceland
Mr. Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States, and Mr. Gudlaugur Thór Thórðarson, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, led a round table discussion on strengthening commercial, scientific an...
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11 July 2019 /Iceland´s resolution on the situation in the Philippines approved in the UN Human Rights Council
The UN Human Rights Council today passed a resolution, tabled by Iceland, on the promotion and protection of human rights in the Philippines. The resolution expresses concern over allegations of human...
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28 June 2019 /Trade dialogue with the United States
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) and an interagency delegation from Iceland led by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs convened in Reykjavík on June 27, 2019, for a trade dialogue. Iceland ...
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24 June 2019 /Iceland supports campaign for equal rights of LGBTI+ people
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson, has decided to donate USD 100,000 in funding to Free & Equal, the UN public information campaign aimed at promoting equal rights and fa...