Denmark and the Faroe Islands will hold the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2026. Key priorities for the year include strengthening the global coalition for gender equality and LGBTI rights, contributing with gender perspectives to the competitiveness of the Nordic region, and highlighting the living conditions of LGBTI people in rural areas across the Nordic region. The presidency’s priorities, projects and activities form one of the frameworks for NIKK’s activities during the year.
Denmark and the Faroe Islands’ Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers is grounded in the conviction that gender equality is a pillar of democracy and a core value in the Nordic region. Gender equality and equal rights for LGBTI people are essential for individuals’ ability to shape their lives and for the development of society.
The Nordic region has made a great deal of progress toward gender equality and LGBTI rights. At the same time, there is coordinated and targeted opposition to these rights, both in the region and globally. Against this backdrop, the Presidency will undertake a broad effort to advance gender equality and equal rights for LGBTI people.
In 2026, Denmark will host the IDAHOT+ Forum together with the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Council of Europe. The forum will take place on 19 May in Copenhagen in connection with the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, and this year’s theme is “Pushing for Progress”.
The IDAHOT+ Forum is a unique platform where decision-makers, civil society and international organisations meet to exchange experiences, coordinate efforts and strengthen work for equal rights and opportunities for LGBTI people across Europe.
NIKK will contribute to the programme by organising two parallel sessions during the Forum.
During the Danish and Faroese Presidency, a high-level conference will be organised to mobilise renewed and strengthened international political support for the gender equality agenda and building a strong coalition around a common position. The Copenhagen Summit will take place on 14 September.
In 2026, the Presidency will organise two Nordic-Baltic expert meetings on preventing gender-based violence. The first meeting will be held in May in Estonia and will focus on cyber violence. The second meeting will be held in Copenhagen in November, with a focus on early detection and prevention of domestic violence. The initiative builds on previous expert meetings related to the Istanbul Convention and efforts to combat domestic violence.
In recent years, the Nordic Council of Ministers has increased its focus on men and masculinity. Gender norms and expectations affect the lives of men and boys, their opportunities and the challenges they face. In 2026, the study State of Nordic Men will examine Nordic men’s well-being, including relationships and family life, masculinity norms, life online, and attitudes towards gender equality. The study is being conducted by Equimondo, and the report is expected in June 2026.
The competitiveness of the Nordic region is a priority issue for the Danish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. Competitiveness is described as crucial to supporting continued prosperity and meeting the growing demand for welfare in Nordic societies. The Danish Presidency has initiated a publication highlighting the importance of gender equality in relation to digitalisation, green transition and economic resilience – identified as key transformations for strengthening competitiveness.
NIKK has been commissioned to produce a study of competitiveness and gender equality, which will be published in September.
The living conditions of LGBTI people vary depending on where in the Nordic region they live, and rural and sparsely populated areas present specific challenges linked to geographical, cultural and social factors. In 2026, an initiative will be launched to increase understanding of the problems and challenges faced by LGBTI people in rural areas across the Nordic region. A knowledge overview summarising key studies will be produced, and this year’s call for proposals under the Nordic LGBTI Fund will be targeted specifically at applicants from the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland.
Findings from the knowledge overview and the initiative will be presented, among other occasions, at a seminar in Tórshavn on 16 June.