Int´l Gender Equality Prize to be given in Tampere on 22 Nov

Tampere Hall will host the International Gender Equality Prize award ceremony on 22 November to announce the winner of the 2021 Award, said the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in a press release on Monday.

The prize is awarded to a person or operator who has significantly promoted gender equality internationally.

The prize will be presented by Prime Minister 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.

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 and Prime Minister.

“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”, said 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.