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To mark the International Day of the Girl Child, the United Nations, the European Week of Action for Girls’ Coalition, the Embassy of Iceland and the European Commission present “Raise the Bar”, by Gudjon Ragnarsson.

In 2015 a basketball team for girls was formed in Iceland. The coach was experienced, unconditional and constantly raised the bar. The girls were trained as leaders off the field and like professional athletes on the field. Early on, they set their goal high, they would always compete with the best team and with that ambition they were victorious in competing in girls’ and boys’ tournaments. Until they no longer were allowed to compete with the boys. This is a story of 8–13-year-old girls, who wanted to change the paradigm in women’s basketball in Iceland. With great sacrifice, they faced the challenges they met.

Monday 9 October 2023 – Register for tickets 19:00 / Cinéma Galeries

Welcoming speech by Kristján Andri Stefánsson, Ambassador to Belgium and Head of Mission of Iceland to the EU.

The film will be followed by a panel discussion, in the presence of:

Michaela Moua, Anti-Racism Coordinator, European Commission

Birgit Van Hout, Director, Representation Office in Brussels, UN Population Fund (UNFPA)

Margrét Jónasdóttir, Producer of “Raise the Bar”

Young Advocates of the European Week of Action for Girls (EWAG) Coalition

Moderated by Sherri Aldis, Director, UNRIC.

The film has a runtime of 70 minutes.

The event will be followed by a reception, courtesy of the Icelandic Embassy

Click here to register for tickets.

Check-in at the cinema starts at 18:30.

Due to a large number of no-shows, we kindly ask you to register only if you are able to attend our event. As we are forced to overbook, a ticket does not guarantee a seat – please be on time.

NO LATE ADMISSION

To help promote a series of UN International Days, prestigious European design schools and academies produce short videos as part of a partnership between UNRIC and Fabrica, the Benetton research centre on communication.

2013 International Mother Language Day.

Pehr Lodhammar is the Senior Programme Manager for United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Iraq. The role includes great pressure from safety and expectations perspective, however also enormous rewards when the locals can return to their home after UNMAS has cleared the area from explosive hazards. UNRIC talked with Lodhammar to hear more about UNMAS’s work, Lodhammar’s journey to the UN, and how the Swedish management style has been to his benefit.

So far, Lodhammar has worked as a Senior Programme Manager in Iraq for three years. Before he started his position at UNMAS in Iraq, he worked in 14 different countries across the globe, and in all of these countries, the focus of work has been on ammunition clearance.

Bishara ha 27 anni e viene dal Ciad. Dal 2013 vive presso l'ex MOI di Torino, dove, insieme a centinaia di altri migranti, ha trovato un luogo in cui vivere dopo la fine della cosiddetta "Emergenza Nord Africa".

The people of Lampedusa have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

[English translation below]

LAMPEDUSA UFFICIALMENTE CANDIDATA AL NOBEL PER LA PACE

Lampedusa è ufficialmente candidata al Nobel per la Pace 2014. La candidatura è stata presentata da Elisabeth Eide, professore di Scienze sociali all’Università di Oslo e Akershus, tra i norvegesi titolati a avanzare le proposte al Comitato per il Nobel per la Pace.

“Negli ultimi venti anni - si legge nella lettera inviata al Comitato per il Nobel norvegese - centinaia di migliaia di persone hanno trovato il primo approdo nella piccola isola vulcanica di Lampedusa. Qui hanno trovato soccorritori, medici, volontari e comuni cittadini che li hanno accolti in nome della pace. Lampedusa ha 6.300 abitanti, che più e più volte hanno mostrato la propria ospitalità e il proprio coraggio. In diversi casi gli abitanti dell’isola hanno contribuito a salvare profughi che stavano annegando, mettendo a rischio la propria vita”. 

“Oggi Lampedusa  - prosegue la scrittrice e docente universitaria - è uno dei più importanti accessi all’Europa e la popolazione dell’isola svolge un ruolo centrale nell’offrire un trattamento umano ai profughi dei barconi. Gli abitanti di Lampedusa si sono mostrati in grado di convivere in pace con i nuovi arrivati e hanno dimostrato di avere una singolare capacità di empatia e solidarietà.

“Il Premio Nobel per la Pace alle istituzioni e alla popolazione dell’isola  - sottolinea la Eide - accenderebbe i riflettori sulla compassione per gli altri esseri umani (…) e può anche significare un barlume di speranza per coloro che sono costretti ad abbandonare la propria patria alla ricerca di quella pace e sicurezza che non hanno nel paese da cui provengono. Costituirebbe un segnale che qualcuno pensa a loro come qualcosa di più che un numero nelle statistiche dei morti. Non ultimo, costituirebbe anche un riconoscimento per una piccola popolazione la cui umana compassione è stata messa grandemente alla prova negli ultimi venti anni e che ha superato tale prova perché rispetta la dignità umana e mostra che gli esseri umani possono praticare la convivenza pacifica”.

La notizia della candidatura ufficiale è stata annunciata dal sito della rivista L’Espresso che nei mesi scorsi ha lanciato una petizione pro Lampedusa che ha raccolto oltre 50.000 firme.

LAMPEDUSA OFFICIALLY NOMINATED FOR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE 

Lampedusa has been officially nominated for the Peace Nobel Prize in 2014. The application has been submitted by Elisabeth Eide, Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Oslo and Akershus.

As she says in her letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, "over the past two decades hundreds of thousands of people have found their first landing on the tiny volcanic island of Lampedusa. Here they found rescuers, doctors, volunteers and ordinary citizens who have welcomed them in the name of peace. Lampedusa has 6,300 inhabitants, who have shown their hospitality and their courage. In several cases, they have helped to save drowning refugees”.

"Today Lampedusa - the writer and university professor continues - is one of the most important accesses to Europe and the island's population plays a central role in providing humane treatment to refugees in boats. The inhabitants of Lampedusa have shown themselves able to live in peace with the newcomers and have been shown to have a remarkable capacity for empathy and solidarity.

"The Peace Nobel Prize to the institutions and the population of the island - said Eide - kindled the spotlight on compassion for other human beings (...) and it can also mean a glimmer of hope for those who are forced to leave their homeland in search of the peace and security that they don’t have in the country they come from. It would be a signal that someone thinks of them as something more than a number in the statistics of the dead. Last but not least, would also be a recognition for a small population whose human compassion was greatly put to the test over the last twenty years and has passed this test because it respects human dignity and shows that humans can practice peaceful coexistence”.