The work to improve the living conditions of LGBTI people is an important part of Nordic co-operation and of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ vision of becoming the world’s most sustainable and integrated region. Since 2020, the Nordic Council of Ministers has been co-operating to promote equal rights and opportunities for LGBTI people in the Nordic region. One part of this work is the Nordic LGBTI Fund, which is administrated by NIKK on behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers. This autumn, the Fund opens up for applications for the third year in a row.  

Who can apply for funding?  

Dialogue and co-operation are one of the cornerstones of Nordic collaboration. The Nordic LGBTI Fund provides the opportunity for this. The Fund finances projects where at least three organisations, from at least three Nordic countries, collaborate. The call is open to various activities and organisations, such as voluntary organisations, authorities and companies.  

Projects that contribute to Nordic interests and work for equal rights and opportunities for LGBTI people in the Nordic countries can apply for financing from the Fund. A total of approx. 1,2 million DKK will be distributed.  

The activities should start during 2023 and are to be carried out within two years. The funding can be used to develop common methods and new knowledge, and to hold conferences and build networks, etc.  

• Read the guidelines for the Nordic LGBTI Fund  
• Read about the projects granted funding in 2022 

Sign up for our digital Q&A

On 12 September at 14:30 (CET) we will organise a digital meeting via Teams where you will have the opportunity to learn more about the fund and ask your questions about the application. Register here no later than 11 September.

The Nordic conference Prevent and Intervene – Ending Sexual Harassment at Work, at Litteraturhuset in Oslo on 30 October, will follow up on the results of the five projects that have been granted funding in the Nordic research initiative on sexual harassment at work 2021-2023. 

‘The focus on preventive work and collaboration between different labour market actors is what makes this research initiative unique. It will therefore be very exciting, both to learn about the results of the projects and to listen to discussions and reflections on Nordic collaboration in the work against sexual harassment in working life’,  says Maja Lundqvist, coordinator of the conference. 

Violence, harassment and other forms of vulnerability in working life are major social challenges, with serious consequences for individuals and work organisations. At the same time, there are major knowledge gaps in terms of methods for preventing and preventing violence and harassment, protecting vulnerable people and acting proactively in work environments.  

This conference, held in English, will bring together policy makers, labour representatives and researchers to discuss challenges and solutions. In addition to reflections and conclusions from the five funded projects, Nordic dimensions of knowledge about sexual harassment will be discussed, as well as preconditions for developing and implementing new knowledge in the field. 

The research programme is an initiative of all the Nordic ministers for gender equality. It is a cross-sectoral Nordic collaboration between the sectors for gender equality, for culture and for working life and the Nordic Committee for Children and Young People. The initiative is administered by NIKK on behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers. 

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“The Nordic countries are at their strongest when they stand together. Nordic co-operation generates concrete results and builds bridges between our inhabitants. This is especially true in the area of gender equality, where the Nordic countries have co-operated successfully over many years, generating a rich store of knowledge.”  

So says Iceland’s Prime Minister, Katrín Jakobsdottír, who has made it clear that gender equality and LGBTI issues are one of the cornerstones of Nordic co-operation when she launched the presidency at the beginning of the year.  In particular, Jakobsdottír emphasised that work to improve the living conditions of LGBTI people needs to be strengthened in several areas.  

“We want to focus on the rights of LGBTI people, where we have seen backsliding in the Nordic countries and other parts of the world in recent years. We need to use our strong, joint Nordic voice to counter the dangerous decline that has occurred.” 

Focus on transpersons’ rights during the year 

During the year, projects are being carried out on the conditions of transgender persons in working life and a project on the living conditions of older LGBTI people, which was initiated by the Norwegian Presidency in 2022 and will be completed this year. Both projects are important for identifying needs and communicating knowledge and conclusions.  

Within the LGBTI group, transgender persons are particularly vulnerable, and we are therefore emphasising their rights in our Presidency project, which focuses on the conditions for transgender persons in working life. 

The Nordic Council of Ministers has a clear vision that the Nordic region is to become the most integrated region. In 2022, the Nordic Ministers for Gender Equality established a Nordic roadmap (Pushing back the push-back: Nordic Roadmap on advancing gender equality, women’s and girls’ rights, and equal rights of LGBTI persons) with the aim of acting against and reacting to the antigender movement that has emerged in the Nordic countries as well as globally. 

At the meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York (CSW67) in March, the Nordic Ministers for Gender Equality met to discuss a Nordic solution so that everyone can live a life free from sexual harassment, abuse and violence in the digital world. 

During her year as President of the Nordic Council of Ministers, Katrín Jakobsdottír will work to integrate the gender dimension into work with innovation and technology.  

“Gender equality must remain a top priority when it comes to innovation and technological change. No country has eradicated gender inequality and if we don’t have policies in store, we risk that existing biases might be further established in the digital space. We need to take action to make innovation and technological change work for all of us. By embedding gender in innovation and technology development, investing in feminist innovation and tech, dismantling gender stereotypes and educating and empowering women I believe innovation and technological change can contribute to a better, more inclusive, society.” 

Searing images and new theories are presented in the anthology Re-Imagining Sexual Harassment – Perspectives from the Nordic Region which is published on April 18 by Policy Press/Bristol University Press. In the book, 19 writers contribute to a more nuanced and deeper understanding of issues such as violence in the workplace, sexual harassment in academia and the challenges and opportunities of the legal system. Academic text is alternated with literary contributions. 

‘We invited researchers in the Nordic countries who could provide new perspectives and theoretical approaches. It was also important for us with contributions from people outside academia, in order to nuance the image of knowledge about vulnerability. There are experiences and embodied knowledge of vulnerability and resistance that fiction can better access’, says Maja Lundqvist, , one of the three editors of the book.

Bringing together a broad range of research 

In the book a research field in a broad sense is brought together into four different tracks. The first discusses sexism and sexual harassment in relation to other forms of violence in society. The second concerns justice, vulnerability within the legal system and state responsibility. The third covers different aspects of Nordic gender equality and the image of the equal, ‘women-friendly’ region as an obstacle to change. The fourth theme broadens the view of ‘doing something about the problem’ beyond checklists and policies. 

‘The book provides a structural understanding of what it means to live in the Nordic region. When sexual harassment is viewed through concepts developed in power-critical research, patterns emerge of how different types of vulnerability and violence reinforce each other’, says Editor Kajsa Widegren.

Responsibility for the wider problem is needed

An important theme in the book is that sexual harassment in society is seen as deviant but at the same time is normalized. Therefore, sexual harassment must not be treated as something that simply begins and ends with individual events, according to Editor Angelica Simonsson.  

‘Responsibility needs to be more spread out. If sexual harassment is understood as isolated incidents in various workplaces, we will only be able to deal with a small part of a wider problem’, she says

In recent years, NIKK, Nordic Information on Gender, has produced and compiled Nordic knowledge and policy reviews on sexual harassment, and administered a research initiative on sexual harassment in the labour market. The Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research has produced research and policy reviews, participated in expert groups and collaborated in research projects on sexual harassment and gender-based violence in Sweden and internationally. The long-term work has highlighted the extent and complexity of the problem, which led to the idea for an anthology.

 ‘We hope that the book can be important in the discussion about sexual harassment. The Nordic region is a complex region and the book shows that the idea that some countries have come so much further, or are even finished with the work for gender equality, can stand in the way of actual change’, says Maja Lundqvist.  

On 25 April, NIKK, together with RIKK, the Institute for Gender, Equality and Difference at the University of Iceland, and the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research at the University of Gothenburg, invite everyone who works to prevent sexual harassment through research, policy-making or in their practice to a thought-provoking and inspiring discussion.    

During the seminar, authors and editors will discuss some of the central questions in the two anthologies “The Routledge Handbook of the Politics of the #MeToo Movement” (2021, Routledge) and “Re-Imagining Sexual Harassment – Perspectives from the Nordic Region”, which is edited in collaboration between NIKK and the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research and will be published 18 April, 2023 (Policy Press/Bristol University Press).   

The program will be published shortly!  

Participants:  

• Maja Lundqvist, co-editor of Re-Imagining Sexual Harassment. Perspectives from the Nordic Region.  
• Hildur Fjóla Antonsdóttir, PhD in Sociology of Law, author of the chapter “Beyond Restorative Justice. Survivors’ Calls for Innovative Practices in Iceland” in Re-Imagining Sexual Harassment.   
• Silas Aliki, lawyer and writer, author of the chapter “I Have Always Thought a Lot about the Nature of Violence. Carceral Feminism and Sexual Violence in the Neoliberal State” in Re-Imagining Sexual Harassment.  
• Giti Chandra, co-editor of The Routledge Handbook of the Politics of the #MeToo Movement and author of the chapter “The Anonymous Feminist. Agency, Trauma, Personhood, and the #MeToo Movement”.  
• Irma Erlingsdóttir, co-editor of the Routledge Handbook of the Politics of the #MeToo Movement and author of the chapter “Fighting Structural Inequalities. Feminist Activism and the #MeToo Movement in Iceland’.  

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When the Nordic Council of Ministers established the Nordic Gender Equality Fund in June 2013, the aim was to stimulate Nordic cooperation in the area of gender equality. Since then, the Fund has granted funding to NGOs, public authorities, researchers and networks within the context of 79 different projects, all which aim to increase gender equality in the Nordic countries.

This publication gives an insight into ten of these projects, one for each year in the history of the Fund, and the concrete results they have generated. In brief reports and interviews, project participants share their experiences, knowledge and insights from their efforts to promote gender equality. They reflect on the benefits of Nordic cooperation and how we can meet the challenges identified in the Nordic cooperation programme for gender equality. They also give us examples of how the perspectives of children and young people can be integrated into work to promote gender equality, and contribute to the achievement of global sustainability goals.

Thanks to the cooperation projects financed through the Gender Equality Fund, knowledge in the area has grown and spread across Nordic borders. By sharing these projects they will be able to benefit more people and inspire new and exciting Nordic cooperation projects in the future.

”Gender equality is one of the common fundamental values of the Nordic nations. It is hugely important that we provide funds to non-profit organizations and academia working towards greater gender equality and also to the academic community. I have no doubt that the projects and research supported by this fund will help our governments in policy making and further progress gender equality in our societies.”

– Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland.

Ten years of cooperation through the Nordic Gender Equality Fund in all languages

English:
Ten years of cooperation through the Nordic Gender Equality Fund (online version)
English version in PDF for print

Finnish:
Kymmenen vuotta yhteistyötä pohjoismaisen tasa-arvorahaston kautta (online version)
Finnish version in PDF for print

Icelandic:
Tíu ára samstarf gegnum Norrænan jafnréttissjóð (online version)
Icelandic version in PDF for print

Swedish:
Tio år av samarbete genom Nordisk jämställdhetsfond (online version)
Swedish version in PDF for print

This webinar presents four reports with new research and key learnings. One of them is NIKK:s report on young men´s mental ill-health, which will be published later this spring. The webinar is arranged in collaboration with the Nordic Welfare Center.

Nordic youth, experts and scientists will share their knowledge and insights into why involvement can make a huge difference during a crisis. You will be given insights into what consequences the pandemic had, and how we can handle a future crisis better. We also dive into some new research on the consequences for young people’s mental health., and the gender differences.  The webinar is a part of a four-year Nordic cooperation project lead by the Nordic Welfare Centre on behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Registration and event details

The webinar is free of charge and will be held in English. For this webinar we offer English Sign interpretation on request. Please register in the sign up form no later then April 12th.

Time zone: Europe/Stockholm (UTC+1)

Registration form: Nordic youth – voices on wellbeing (lyyti.fi

Start: 27 Apr 2023 at 13:00
End: 27 Apr 2023 at 15:20

Nordic Welfare Center’s event page: Nordic youth – voices on wellbeing  | NVC (nordicwelfare.org)

Norway took over the presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2022. Minister of Culture and Equality Anette Trettebergstuen summarises the year in which the Commission on the Status of Women conference was held in New York with its aim of strengthening climate policy. The report How climate policies impact gender and vice versa in the Nordic countries concluded that the gender dimension was largely lacking in national climate policy in the Nordic countries.

Increase women’s influence in the green transition

Moving forward, the Nordic countries’ ministers for gender equality want to increase knowledge and raise awareness so as to target climate policy more accurately, and to avoid the green transition deepening gender inequality in the Nordic countries. The meeting focused in particular on work to reduce the vulnerabilities of women and girls to climate change, and to increase their influence on climate policy.
– Women and men work in different industries and have different levels of purchasing power; and they have different lifestyles, attitudes and priorities. This means that as groups, women and men are going to be affected differently by climate change and climate policy unless we take the gender dimension into account. Women must be involved in shaping the big decisions we are facing as part of the green transition, and we must ensure that we use the green transition to engender a positive trend in the area of gender equality rather than setbacks. This should also be a global focus, says Trettebergstuen.

A green and gender-equal Nordic region

The year’s primary effort for a green and gender-equal Nordic region has been to focus greater attention on and increase understanding of the connection between gender equality policy and climate policy. During the 2022 UN climate summit (COP27), an official side event was organised by the Environment and climate policy area within the Nordic Council of Ministers, in conjunction with the African Union and UN Women.
– It’s useful to share experiences concerning how we are affected by climate change in different regions of the world. Measures and solutions for the future of education and the labour market were also discussed in parallel at a Nordic conference in Oslo in cooperation with the Working life policy area,” explains Trettebergstuen. “We are also conducting a knowledge development project to map the gender distribution in parts of the blue economy, which refers to fisheries and aquaculture, in the Nordic countries. This will give us an even better knowledge base for the future.

“Oslo was hit hard”

During the year, the Nordic Ministers for Gender Equality met in Oslo, the city where two people were shot dead and 26 were injured during the Pride festival. In order to respond to growing opposition to gender equality and the rights of LGBTI people in particular, the Nordic Ministers for Gender Equality decided at the meeting on a two-year plan entitled Pushing back the push-back – a Nordic Roadmap. The roadmap describes more coordinated and vigorous efforts and is a step in the right direction towards a more proactive Nordic gender equality policy in the future.
– We live in a time when these rights are being actively opposed in various parts of the world. Oslo as a whole and many individuals were hit hard by the terrible event at this year’s Pride festival. In the Nordic countries, we are at the forefront of gender equality and freedom for all and must speak with a clear voice when attempts are made to frustrate the enjoyment of fundamental human rights. Together, the Nordic countries can speak with a much stronger voice than these countries and regions can do alone. No one is liberated until everyone is liberated, says Trettebergstuen.

Measures for equality in the workplace

No individual’s opportunities in the education system or the workplace should be limited due to restrictive gender norms and prejudices. The conference on working life A gender-equal Nordic region – measures and solutions for the future of education and the workplace focused on how the Nordic countries ensure that education and the labour market promote gender equality and combat discrimination. “Gender equality is an end in itself and a key means of achieving a sustainable and competitive labour market,” Trettebergstuen stresses.
– Gender equality is about justice and women’s representation in the power structures of the society. We know that gender equality pays off and that workplaces benefit from diversity. In the Nordic countries, there are good measures in place at the central and local government levels which can help to combat gender segregation in educational choices and gender segregation in the labour market. We must facilitate mutual learning, cooperation and sharing experience. We need more men working in health and social care, and more women in the industrial, technological and energy sectors. This is important for the success of the green transition.

Handing over with pride to Iceland

Trettebergstuen is proud that interdisciplinary collaborations have been strengthened during Norway’s 2022 Presidency. She emphasises that it is crucial that gender equality efforts garner support in other industries and disciplines in order to achieve good, long-term results.
– We have worked well with several Councils of Ministers, including those responsible for education, health, employment, culture, fisheries and the maritime environment, and the climate and environment. A number of the projects we initiated will continue for several years. These include efforts to improve knowledge of the quality of life and living conditions of LGBTI people. This year, we have focused on older LGBTI people, which complements previous efforts and contributes to a knowledge base for LGBTI people that encompasses the whole of a person’s lifetime. We greatly appreciate our good dialogue with Iceland, which will now take over the presidency for Nordic co-operation in the area of gender equality.