Press release by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and City of Tampere
The 2021 International Gender Equality Prize will be awarded in Tampere, Finland on 22 November 2021
On Monday, 22 November, Tampere Hall in Tampere will host the International Gender Equality Prize award ceremony, which will announce the winner of the 2021 Award. The prize is awarded to a person or operator who has significantly promoted gender equality internationally. The prize will be presented by the Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin. The International Gender Equality Prize (IGEP) amounts to EUR 300,000.
Nominations for the winner were submitted during the first half of the year. More than 400 nominations were received this year. On this basis, an independent jury of international experts made its own proposal for the final decision of the Finnish Government. The biennial prize is awarded in co-operation between the Finnish Government and the City of Tampere.
Finland has a long history of advocating and promoting gender equality both at home and around the world. For example in 1906, Finnish women became the first in the world to receive full political rights. Throughout Finland’s independence, women have served as leaders in all key positions, including President of the Republic and Prime Minister. Gender equality is a core value in Finland. It has been essential in shaping and defining the way we have built our nation to achieve the success we enjoy today. One of Prime Minister Marin’s Government Programme goals is to make Finland a forerunner in gender equality.
“Promoting gender equality worldwide requires effective actions and determined work. The International Gender Equality Prize recognizes and raises awareness of this work and also contributes to the promotion of gender equality globally”, says Prime Minister Marin.
The prize was established in 2017 by the Government in honor of Finland's 100 years of independence, and it is now being awarded for the third time. The prize was first awarded in Tampere in March 2018, when it was awarded to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Merkel donated the prize to a Nigerien women's and children's rights NGO, which used the prize money to set up a shelter for victims of domestic violence in Niamey, the capital of Niger. In 2019, the prize was awarded to Equality Now, a globally influential women's rights organization.
The 2021 award ceremony will be held at Tampere Hall, 15.00–16.30, on 22 November 2021. You can follow the guest event live online. Instructions for registering for the webcast of the award ceremony can be found on the award’s website: www.igep.fi/en.
On Monday, 22 November, Tampere Hall in Tampere will host the International Gender Equality Prize award ceremony, which will announce the winner of the 2021 Award. The prize is awarded to a person or operator who has significantly promoted gender equality internationally. The prize will be presented by the Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin. The International Gender Equality Prize (IGEP) amounts to EUR 300,000.
Further information
Pirita Ruokonen, Special Adviser to Prime Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, [email protected] (media contacts for Prime Minister Marin)
Sami Siltanen, Project Coordinator,Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, [email protected] (information about the prize gala)
Iina Ojala, Head of PR and Marketing, City of Tampere, Finland , [email protected]