Embassy of Iceland in Canada

Congratulations to Canada’s Barbara Hannigan on receiving a 2026 Governor General’s Performing Arts Award this week from Canada’s outgoing Governor General, Her Excellency Mary Simon.

In May 2024, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra named Barbara its next chief conductor and artistic director for a three-year term beginning this year. In a 2024 interview with the New York Times, Hannigan shared “that she was drawn to the inventiveness of the Iceland Symphony, which she first conducted in 2022 in a program of Ives, Schoenberg, Berg and Gershwin. ‘These people are working in a kind of shimmering creative realm that resonates very much with my own,’ she said. ‘I realized I could do things with them and ask things of them that they took so naturally.’”

We look forward to welcoming Ms. Hannigan to Iceland soon.

This week Canada’s Foreign Policy—Global Affairs Canada hosted its annual meeting with Canadian heads of mission posted abroad. Taking full advantage of their presence in Ottawa, our ambassador joined her Nordic counterparts, Canada's ambassadors to 🇩🇰 🇫🇮 🇮🇸 🇳🇴 🇸🇪, and Global Affairs Canada's Nordic desk team for informal conversations about ongoing cooperation between Canada and the Nordics. Topics discussed included security and defence, Ukraine, Arctic affairs, trans-Atlantic security, and global issues. Thank you to Sweden's Ambassador to Canada, Signe Burgstaller, for hosting this gathering at your beautiful residence.

Denmark in Canada | Embassy of Finland to Canada | Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs | Norwegian Embassy in Canada | Embassy of Sweden in Ottawa | Embassy of Canada to Iceland

This week in Ottawa Ambassador Halldórsdóttir represented Iceland at the 7th annual UN Women Top Funding Partners Roundtable. There, discussions focused on how policy and financing decisions at the multilateral level can protect the hard-won gains of gender equality around the world.

Ambassador Halldórsdóttir noted that in today’s challenging geopolitical context, “gender equality is not a soft add-on, but a prerequisite for effective and sustainable security outcomes.”

Thank you to Canada’s Foreign Policy—Global Affairs Canada for hosting this year’s roundtable, and to Canada’s Secretary of State for International Development, Randeep Sarai, UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous, and Cynthia Termorshuizen, Canada’s Deputy Minister of International Development, for their opening and closing remarks.

A steadfast supporter of UN Women from its earliest days, Iceland has offered to hold the next Top Funding Partners Roundtable in Reykjavík next year.

Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs | Canada’s International Development – Global Affairs Canada

Today, 17 May, is the International Day against Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. On the international stage, Iceland advocates for human rights and legal reforms and fights against all forms of violence, discrimination and prejudice against LGBTQI+ people. Human rights are for everyone, regardless of s*xual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or s*x characteristics.

Today Ambassador Halldórsdóttir joined counterparts from Ottawa’s Diplomats for Equality network to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). Thank you to the High Commission of Malta in Canada, the Embassy of Colombia in Canada, the Embassy of Spain in Canada, and Dignity Network Canada for co-hosting this important event. 🇮🇸 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇨🇦

The Embassy of Iceland in Ottawa is inviting applications for the position of Administrative and Consular Officer. Applications are due by 5pm EDT May 12th. For a complete job description and application instructions, please see: https://www.government.is/news/article/?documentId=74b3c24f-6f8e-4829-9124-c9bab75daf95

Happy International Day of the Icelandic Horse! 🇮🇸 🐎

Cinephiles and anyone concerned with the future of our planet take note: Time and Water, a documentary focused on the work of Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason and directed by Sara Dosa, will premier this weekend at Toronto's Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, with screenings on May 2nd and 3rd. For tickets and more, see: https://shorturl.at/7fXus

"Holding onto memories of the past in order to preserve them for the future comes by way of family history and the landscape that surrounds him. On one hand, he is mourning the loss of his grandparents and hoping to keep their stories alive. On the other, he sees the rapid melting of the glacial landscape, brought on by climate change.

These two perspectives start to merge into one, leading Magnason to contemplate the notion of time and how so much can be lost to future generations. Director Sara Dosa, an Academy Award nominee and Hot Docs alum, sketches a portrait of the author’s desire to put a time capsule together. Incredible archival footage, stunning cinematography, and fascinating folklore combine to tell a story of embracing history before it vanishes." - Gabor Pertic

Icelandic Canadian Club of Toronto (ICCT) | Icelandic National League of North America | Canadian Nordic Society | Icelandic Film Centre - Kvikmyndamiðstöð Íslands

Time and Water Screening with closed captions. There will be ASL interpretation for the intro and Q&A on May 3. For Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason, holding onto memories of the past in order to preserve them for the future comes by way of family history and the landscape that surrounds him. On one hand, he ...

On Tuesday we joined MPs and our Nordic, Baltic, and Polish counterparts on Parliament Hill for the launch of the Canada-Nordic-Baltic-Poland Parliamentary Friendship Group. Co-organized by the Estonian Embassy in Ottawa and Canada-NB8-Poland Parliamentary Friendship Group Chair Kurt Holman (MP, London-Fanshawe), the group is reflective of the strong mutual interest that exists in both Canada and our countries in further deepening our relations.

Photo credits: Błażej Marczak, Embassy of Poland, Ottawa

Denmark in Canada | Embassy of Finland to Canada | Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs | Embassy of Latvia in Canada / Latvijas vēstniecība Kanādā | Embassy of Lithuania to Canada | Norwegian Embassy in Canada | Embassy of Sweden in Ottawa

Last week in Reykjavík and Keflavík our ambassador completed the latest edition of our ministry's security and defence training course. The course is part of a targeted effort to develop knowledge and improve collaboration in security and defence matters among a range of public, private sector, and academic institutions and officials. In addition to foreign ministry officials, participants included staff from the State Prosecutor's Office, Morgunblaðið (news media), and Reykjavík University.

Yfir 120 manns hafa nú lokið námskeiði um öryggis- og varnarmál, sem varnarmálaskrifstofa utanríkisráðuneytisins og skrifstofa alþjóðamála og skrifstofa löggæslumála í dómsmálaráðuneytinu standa fyrir. Námskeiðið fer fram tvisvar á ári og var vornámskeiðið haldið í síðustu viku, dagana 13.-17. apríl.

Markmið námskeiðsins er að auka þekkingu á málaflokknum hjá starfsfólki ráðuneyta, stofnana, fjölmiðla, háskóla, fyrirtækja og samtaka sem koma að öryggis- og varnarmálum með einum eða öðrum hætti.

Sjá frétt frá utanríkisráðuneytinu í athugasemd.