By Hafdís Karlsdóttir, SIE President 2024-2025
A warm welcome to all of you — Governors, Presidents, Board members, Silent Observers, and esteemed guests.
It is truly wonderful to see you gathered here in Iceland. I would like to extend a special welcome to those who have travelled from other Federations, some covering half the globe to join us. We are honoured to have SI President Siew Yong from Malaysia, SI Africa Federation President Jalila from Morocco, and Alice Owuor from Kenya. It was a shorter journey for Ruth Hailey, SIGBI President, coming from Wales. Sitting here in the front row, we are also joined by Renata Trottmann-Probst, past SIE President and now SI President-Elect, as well as Marie-Jeanne Bosia and Mariet Verhoef-Cohen, both past SIE and SI Presidents, and Deborah Thomas, Executive Director of SI. A heartfelt welcome to you all.
From left to right: Sigrun Thorgeirsóttir (SI Iceland President), Marie-Jeanne Bosia (SI & SIE Past President), Siew Yong Gnanalingam (SI President 2024-2025), Hafdís Karlsdóttir (SIE President 2024-2025)
Many of you participated in the workshop and the visit to the Power Plant yesterday, where you gained insight into monitoring the impact of climate change and how Iceland harnesses geothermal energy to power homes, businesses, and industries. I hope you also enjoyed the trip to the ski hut, where you experienced Icelandic food and entertainment. For those who witnessed the Northern Lights on your way back, I trust it added a magical touch to the day. I certainly hope your experience was as delightful as mine.
Now, it’s time to get down to business!
You’ve all received the materials prepared for this Governors’ Meeting, including reports from the previous year. Today, you’ll hear from the board teams about the work undertaken this year and the plans for the future. At the last GM, we presented a strategic plan for this biennium, which has served as the foundation for this year’s activities. Each team created an action plan with a clear timeline and assigned responsibilities. This important work took place in February when the entire board met face-to-face for the first time. To delve deeper, we asked: Why? What? When? Who? And How?
In Membership Development, the focus is on how we can remain an attractive and reliable organization, recognised as a key partner in decision-making, and as the leading voice for women and girls worldwide. We are fostering connections with Single Clubs through regular communication and visits, with an emphasis on how we will achieve our goals. Through initiatives like scholarships, the Leadership Academy, and mentoring, we continue to educate, empower, and enable opportunities for younger women, always guided by our vision.
Our triple-A approach — Action, Advocacy and Awareness — works in harmony to realise our vision. We realize our vision through the actions of our clubs, with our strength rooted in program work at both the Union and Club levels. Advocacy also plays a key role, as we lobby via our representatives and within our communities.
Awareness is spread through internal and external communications, including gatherings, social media, articles in local papers, and newsletters. These efforts highlight the status of women and girls, drawing attention to our projects.
Hafdís Karlsdóttir, SIE President 2024-2025
While much progress has been made toward gender equality, there is growing resistance from political and social forces aiming to reverse these gains. This is particularly evident in the opposition to the Istanbul Convention. That is why we are collaborating with members to act as ambassadors for the Istanbul Convention in their local communities. This convention serves as a critical tool in holding governments accountable for eliminating domestic and gender-based violence, ultimately paving the way for gender equality.
Organisational Development is focused on how we can best work together to achieve our goals. The Board exists to serve the organization and drive progress. Our headquarters is the hub of knowledge and professionalism, ensuring continuity from one biennium to the next.
As shared, we planned to establish three task forces. Two are already up and running—Strategic Planning and Corporate Identity. Regine van Tomme will provide an update on the work of the Corporate Identity task force later today.
Once the Strategic Plan for 2026–2031 and 2026–2036 is finalised and approved through our legislative process, we will establish a task force to examine the Board’s composition. This group will determine the roles and competencies needed to carry out the Strategic Plan efficiently, and the support required from Headquarters. As always, we build on our traditions but remain forward-thinking, seeking the most effective ways to organise and work together.
And key decisions will be made today, regarding our legislation, finances and funding which will enable the advancement of our vision and mission.
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the staff at our Geneva Headquarters for their unwavering dedication, team spirit, and hard work. Their professionalism ensures that deadlines are met and provides critical support to the President and the Board. I am truly grateful for this experienced and loyal team, who worked “their socks off” preparing this GM!
In preparation for this Governors’ Meeting, I’d also like to express my gratitude to Professional Convention Organiser Sigrún Sigurðardóttir, a Soroptimist from the Club of Reykjavík, for her invaluable assistance to me and the SIE HQ team and for her assistance here today running this meeting.
I wish us all a productive and insightful Governors’ Meeting 2024, conducted in the true Soroptimist spirit!