News

The impact of the GRÓ Land Restoration Training Programme was the focus of the last and final event in the series “From Knowledge to Development Impact” on May 7. At the event, that took place at the National Museum of Iceland, GRÓ LRT fellows and alumni shared their experiences and insights on how capacity strengthening can drive progress in global development. In total, 240 fellows have graduated since 2007 when the Programme was launched.

Join us for the last event in a series highlighting Iceland’s contribution to global capacity development through the four GRÓ Training Programmes, a key component of Iceland’s international development cooperation.

The Director General of the GRÓ Centre for Capacity Development, Sustainability and Societal Change, Ms Nína Björk Jónsdóttir, met with key partner institutions and alumni during a visit to Malawi last week, together with the Embassy of Iceland in Lilongwe.

Alumni in Malawi from all four GRÓ training programmes decided, at an alumni event held in Lilongwe on 26 March, to begin preparations for establishing a GRÓ alumni network in the country. This marked the first time alumni from all four programmes on geothermal, fisheries, land restoration and gender equality gathered in Malawi. The event was organized in partnership with alumni, the Embassy of Iceland in Lilongwe, and the GRÓ Centre in Iceland.

In recent years the world has seen human rights being called into question that once were considered secure and undisputed. The fight for equality is facing growing opposition in many parts of the world; women’s fundamental rights are under attack and LGBTQ+ people face increasing discrimination and persecution. We have seen just how fragile progress toward gender equality over recent decades can be. Rights achieved after decades of struggle, in some cases centuries, can be undone with a single stroke of the pen.