News

Female foreign ministers publish joint statement on women's rights in Iran

Sixteen female foreign ministers met online on 20th October to discuss the serious human rights violations taking place in Iran, not least against women and children. Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, Iceland's Minister for Foreign Affairs, attended the meeting which was hosted by Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly.…

Report to Althingi on the HF-Fund’s position and the next steps

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs has issued a report on the status of the HF-Fund. The report sets out scenarios for possible evolution of the fund over the coming decades, given assumed continued operating losses, and explains the impact thereof on the Treasury given its guarantee of collection for the Fund’s liabilities.

Speech at the opening session of Arctic Circle, 13 October 2022

Declaration on Future Cooperation between Greenland and Iceland

Today, the prime minister of Greenland Mr. Múte B. Egede and the Prime Minister of Iceland Ms. Katrín Jakobsdóttir signed a declaration in Reykjavik on future cooperation between the two countries. In it, the ministers reaffirm their commitment to further strengthen and expand the bilateral relations between Greenland and Iceland.

Gender Equality Forum focuses on the status of women of foreign origin in the Icelandic labour market

Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir convenes the 2022 Gender Equality Forum in Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Center on October 26th. The theme for discussion will be the status of women of foreign origin in the Icelandic labour market, with special emphasis on access, opportunities and obstacles.

The State and Challenges of Energy Affairs

JEF Defence Ministers Statement

Following the deliberate damage caused to the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea, today Defence Ministers of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) met virtually to share assessments of the blatant and irresponsible attacks against critical civilian infrastructure.

Joint statement by the Nordic Ministers of Defence

The Nordic defence ministers issued the following statement after a virtual meeting on 30 September 2022.

Foreign Minister of Iceland addressed the UN General Assembly

The efforts of every country to safeguard the multilateral system were the guiding principles in Minister Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjord Gylfadóttir's first annual address to the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday, 24 September 2022. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, environmental challenges, climate change and human rights issues were also focal in her address.

Iceland supports EOD and demining efforts for Ukraine

On 11 August, Defence Ministers of 26 nations met in Copenhagen for a conference jointly hosted by Ukraine, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. The conference, organised to complement the efforts of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, aimed to develop concrete steps to enhance and sustain long-term support to Ukraine, in light of Russia’s continued brutal and unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

Fitch Affirms Iceland at ‘A’; Outlook Stable

Fitch Ratings has affirmed Iceland’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at ‘A’ with a Stable Outlook.

In View of the Climate Crisis

Multi-country Consortium Comes Together to Launch Pan-European Payments Pilot for EU Digital ID Wallet

A new multi-country consortium of Europe’s most trusted identity experts has today announced its proposal to deliver a large-scale, cross-border payments pilot strongly aligned with the aims of the European Commission’s EU digital identity wallet program

2023 fiscal budget proposal: protecting purchasing power and combating inflation

Safeguarding a strong position and taking targeted but sensible steps forwards – these are the main tasks for the coming term.

Iceland‘s National Cybersecurity Strategy 2022-2037 released in English

The Icelandic National Cybersecurity Strategy for the years 2022-2037 has been released in English on the Government’s website. The strategy includes the Government’s vision and objectives for the state of cybersecurity in Iceland, along with indicators and emphases related to achieving the defined objectives.

Presidents and Foreign Ministers of the Baltic States visit Iceland

The foreign ministers of the Baltic states and Iceland signed a Joint Declaration today at a gathering in Höfði, Reykjavík, celebrating three decades of diplomatic relations between the countries. In the Declaration, the countries reaffirm their sincere commitment to cooperation, condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and underscore their solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

Digital healthcare policy

Icelandic heritage celebrated in "New Iceland" in North America

The Icelandic festival of Manitoba, Íslendingadagurinn, was held in the town of Gimli in Canada on 31 July and 1 August. Minister for Foreign Affairs, Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, was a guest of honor and representative of the Icelandic Government at the event. She furthermore attended the Deuce of August, an Icelandic festival in Mountain, North-Dakota in the United States.…

Iceland ranks # 4 in Digital in Europe

Iceland lands 4th place in eGovernment Benchmark 2022 and continues to climb the list, following Malta, Estonia, and Luxemburg.

A small volcanic eruption in southwest Iceland

At 13:18 GMT today lava began flowing from a ground fissure around Fagradalsfjall near the town of Grindavík on the Reykjanes peninsula. The eruption follows intense seismic activity over the past few days.

Stafrænar víddir mansals í brennidepli á vettvangi ÖSE: Samstaða 12 ríkja undir forystu Íslands

Norðurlöndin flytja sameiginlega yfirlýsingu um jafnréttismál

MAR Advisors to enhance profitability and quality of seafood in Vietnam with support from SDGs fund

Consultancy firm MAR Advisors has been awarded a grant from the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs' Sustainable Development Goals Partnership Fund to explore opportunities for better market access for Vietnamese Seafood in Europe.

Opportunities in Icelandic Universities for Ukrainian University Students

A center for information on university studies in Iceland has been set up on the island.is website to help facilitate access to information for Ukrainian students seeking refuge in Iceland. Icelandic universities provide Ukrainian refugees various support in terms of flexibility and opportunities for continuing their studies, eg. in the way of exchange programs.

RetinaRisk receives grant from SDGs Partnership Fund to prevent vision loss among people living with diabetes in India

RetinaRisk, a HealthTech company founded by Icelandic doctors and scientists, has been awarded a grant of 10 million ISK from the Sustainable Development Goals Partnership Fund of the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs for a project that aims to revolutionize eye screening for people living with diabetes in India.

Iceland accepts the protocols on the accession of Finland and Sweden to the North Atlantic Treaty

Bergdís Ellertsdóttir, the Ambassador of Iceland to the United States, today delivered to the U.S. Department of State the instruments of accession to the protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty on the accession of Finland and Sweden. The Parliament, Althingi, adopted a Parliamentary Resolution on June 7th authorizing the Government to accept the protocols once they were ready.

Íslenskur sérfræðingur lagði áherslu á þolendamiðaða nálgun í mansalsmálum á vettvangi Sameinuðu þjóðanna í Vín

Verkís to explore direct geothermal utilisation in Djibouti

Engineering firm Verkís has recently been awarded a grant from the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs‘ Sustainable Development Goals Partnership Fund to explore opportunities for direct geothermal utilisation in Djibouti.

Össur Receives Grant from SDGs Partnership Fund to Support Ukrainians in Need

Icelandic health technology company Össur has been awarded a grant from the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ Sustainable Development Goals Partnership Fund for a project the company recently initiated in Ukraine.

Five companies awarded grants from SDGs partnership fund

Five companies in the fields of health care technology, geothermal technology, and fisheries have received grants from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ Sustainable Development Goals Partnership Fund for development cooperation projects in Djibouti, Ethiopia, India, Vietnam, and Ukraine. The total allocation from the fund amounts to 72 million ISK.

Would you like to work for the Government?

The role of the Ministry of Higher Education, Innovation and Science is to combine the powers of higher education, science, industry and innovation, thus enhancing prosperity and creating knowledge-based jobs.

JEF Defence Ministers' statement: Finland and Sweden's application for NATO membership

Today, the Defence Ministers of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) – comprising Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK – met in Oslo.

Defence Ministers of the Northern Group met in Reykjavik

Regional security in Northern Europe was the main topic of the ministerial meeting of the Northern Group which concluded in Reykjavik today.

Joint statement on the limited resumption of Arctic Council cooperation

In response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a flagrant violation of the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, based on international law, the other Arctic Council founding states -- Canada, Finland, Iceland, the Kingdom of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the United States -- on March 3 announced a pause in their participation in the Arctic Council.…

Joint Statement by the Ministers of Defence of the Northern Group

The Ministers of Defence of the Northern Group met in Reykjavík, Iceland, on 8 June, and gave the following statement.

Government accounts 2021: Strong economic rebound confirms successful application of fiscal policy during the pandemic

The results of the Government accounts for 2021 have now been published and the accounts sent to Parliament. According to the accounts, the outcome was negative by ISK 130 billion, as compared with a deficit of ISK 144 billion in 2020.

Statement by Nordic Ministers of Defence on Nordic Defence Cooperation

The Nordic defence ministers or their representatives met on 24 May 2022 on the island of Bornholm, Denmark, and gave the following statement:

Statement at OSCE Permanent Council on the Russian Federation's Ongoing Aggression Against Ukraine and the Increased Risk of Human Trafficking

Joint Statement at OSCE Permanent Council on the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia

Iceland to host the IDAHOT+Forum in 2023

The annual IDAHOT+Forum will be held in Iceland in May 2023 in connection with the Icelandic Presidency of the Council of Europe starting this November.

Iceland jumps up five places and into top ten on the Rainbow Europe Map

Iceland is now ranked number nine on ILGA-Europe‘s annual Rainbow Map, moving up five places between years.

Statement by Denmark, Iceland and Norway on Finland and Sweden’s decision to apply for NATO membership

The prime ministers of Denmark, Iceland and Norway have issued a joint statement welcoming the decisions of Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership, and emphasising that the Nordic countries all share the values and principles of the Alliance:

S&P Global Ratings Affirms Iceland‘s ratings at ‘A/A-1’; Outlook Remains Stable

International rating agency S&P Global Ratings has affirmed Iceland‘s sovereign ratings at A/A-1 with a stable outlook.

Nordic Defence Ministers joint statement on strengthening Nordic defence cooperation

The Nordic defence ministers met on 11 May 2022 in Kirkenes, Norway and gave the following statement:

Statement at OSCE Permanent Council on Women, Peace and Security in the Context of the War in Ukraine

Iceland's support for Ukraine reaches one billion ISK

Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir attended the High-Level International Donors’ Conference for Ukraine which took place in Warsaw earlier this month. At the conference, Prime Minister Jakobsdóttir announced a significant increase in Iceland's humanitarian and economic assistance to Ukraine with an additional contribution of 425 million ISK.…

President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s address to the Icelandic Parliament

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, addressed members of the Icelandic Parliament (Althingi), the President of Iceland and the Government of Iceland in a live video address at a special session of Althingi on Friday 6 May. He was the first ever foreign head of state to address the Parliament of Iceland.

Prime Minister's address at a special session of Althingi with the President of Ukraine - May 6th 2022

Prime Minister Jakobsdóttir attended Nordic-India Summit

Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir participated in a Nordic-India Summit in Copenhagen yesterday. At the summit the prime ministers of the five Nordic countries met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Nýr starfsmaður í Kaupmannahöfn