GRÓ Annual Report 2025 Published
The year 2025 was an active and productive one for GRÓ—Centre for Capacity Development, Sustainability and Societal Change, and the four training programmes in sustainable fisheries, gender equality, geothermal energy and land restoration. A total of 91 specialists from 35 countries graduated from the 5-6 month training, bringing the total number of GRÓ alumni at the end of 2025 to 1,858. Nine GRÓ scholarship recipients graduated, three with a PhD and six with a Master’s degree. In addition, several short courses were held in Iceland, in partner countries and online.
These and other activities of the year 2025 are featured in the GRÓ Annual Report 2025, which provides an overview of the main activities of the four GRÓ training programmes and the main priorities of the GRÓ Centre over the past year. GRÓ operates under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
In her foreword at the beginning of the report, the Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, highlights the work of the GRÓ programmes that have been an important pillar of Iceland’s international development cooperation for almost five decades. “By sharing Iceland’s experience in fields that have played a vital role in our own development – geothermal energy, fisheries, land restoration and gender equality – GRÓ helps create opportunities for lasting change far beyond our shores” she says and goes on to emphasise the accomplishments and developmental impact of GRÓ alumni around the world. “These achievements remind us of something important: development cooperation is not ultimately about projects, reports or statistics. It is about people. It is about investing in human potential and trusting local leaders to drive change where it matters most,” she says.
The report includes a specific annex detailing the activities of each GRÓ training programme, as well as an annex with examples of impact and success stories highlighting how GRÓ alumni have applied their training to the benefit of their home countries. Information on GRÓ’s activities in 2025 is presented in GRÓ’s results framework providing a holistic overview of the scope of operations.