The core task of Nordic Information on Gender, which usually goes by its Nordic acronym NIKK, is to gather and disseminate research, policy, knowledge and practice in the area of gender equality in the Nordic region.

‘Over the years, NIKK has proven to be a strong cooperative body with far-reaching expertise in the areas of gender equality and gender equality work in the Nordic countries. By extending the assignment, we want to contribute to an even more long-term approach that will make a difference and bring us closer to the goal of gender-equal Nordic cooperation,’ says Julia Fäldt Wahengo, senior adviser at the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Next, the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research and the Nordic Council of Ministers will initiate a dialogue regarding the most effective plan for the next four years. A new programme for the Nordic gender equality cooperation will also be developed this year and go into effect in 2019.

‘The cooperation programme will be drawn up for the next four years, so we also want to enable the central role of NIKK in the implementation of the programme and contribute in a more long-term way than would have been possible with a shorter assignment contract,’ says Fäldt Wahengo.

‘The Nordic cooperation is fun and exciting. The Secretariat has a long tradition of Nordic collaborations in the area of gender research. Hosting NIKK adds another dimension to the Secretariat. It gives us a better perspective on the Swedish gender equality work. We tend to believe that the Nordic countries do pretty much the same things, while the truth is that the they often differ significantly. And NIKK’s motto, that “shared knowledge makes a difference”, is definitely true here and in many other areas,’ says Kerstin Alnebratt, director of the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research.