Stories of alumni

27 June 2025

The small country that teaches the world – Iceland and development cooperation through the education of the GRÓ programmes

A translation of an original article appearing in visir.is June 27 2025
FTP fellows at the alumni meeting in Beijing. From right to left: Xing Kun (felow from 2014), Inga Dóra Pétursdóttir (deputy head of mission), Zhang Qian (fellow from 2017), Liu Xinshan (fellow from 2000), Þórir Ibsen (ambassador), Stefán Úlfarsson (specialist at FTP), Chen Huixia (fellow from 2019) and Pétur Yang Li (commercial counsellor).
20 June 2025

Alumni meeting in Beijing

On June 11th four former FTP fellows, joined with 15 other former fellows from other GRÓ training programmes, in a GRÓ alumni networking reception hosted by the Icelandic embassy in Beijing.
Mr. Mambetov and his curious
4 April 2025

Taalai Mambetov, GRÓ LRT Alumnus: Advancing Sustainable Land Use and Ecological Restoration

Taalai Mambetov, GRÓ LRT 2024 alumnus, works as a lecturer at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA) and Kyrgyz National University (KNU), where he teaches courses on environmental sustainability, climate science, botany and plant physiology. Alongside teaching, he conducts research on ecological restoration, sustainable land use and soil carbon assessment. One of his main challenges in his work is promoting sustainable management of natural ecosystems, particularly pasturelands and degraded soils, which are crucial for Kyrgyzstan's agricultural sector. Currently, Taalai is pursuing a PhD at the Institute of Biology, National Academy of Science of Kyrgyz Republic, focusing on grass species for land restoration.
Kunzes Dolma
14 March 2025

Kunzes Dolma, GRÓ GTP Alumna: A pioneer in advancing geothermal energy and gender equality

Kunzes Dolma GRÓ GTP alumna and PhD scholar is the first woman to be trained in the geothermal profession in India. She has also, since her return, been promoting the use of geothermal in her region of Ladakh, but also having a real impact in improving gender equality, focusing on the participation of women in decision making in Ladakh and opening people’s eyes to domestic violence against women and the need of shelters for women living in such conditions. She is India’s Ambassador for Women in Geothermal (WING), an international organization aimed at promoting the professional development, and advancement of women in the geothermal community.
7 March 2025

Call for Applications: The March 8 Fund 2025

Supporting local gender equality initiatives amid global backlash
Akhil presenting his research study during GEST
7 March 2025

Akhil Neelam, GRÓ GEST Alumnus: Political parties crucial for advancing women’s political participation

Akhil Neelam, a distinguished alumnus of the GRÓ Gender Equality Studies and Training Programme (GRÓ GEST 2023), is a passionate social entrepreneur and policy professional dedicated to promoting gender equality and inclusive politics in South Asia. As the co-founder of the Centre for Gender And Politics (CGAP), Akhil leads a volunteer-driven think tank that has mobilized over 130 professionals from 14 countries to drive research and advocacy work on gender-inclusive politics. With a background in Mechanical Engineering and Liberal Arts, he has also played a pivotal role in implementing large-scale education reforms in India, benefitting over 6 million students through innovative EdTech initiatives.