31/8/2001
Vigdis Finnbogadóttír

The first democratically elected female head of state and goodwill ambassador to the World Conference Against Racism.

Vigdis Finnbogadóttír was born in Reykjavik in 1930; her father a civil engineer and her mother the dedicated chairwoman of the Icelandic Nurses Association. She attended the University of Iceland before continuing her education further afield at the University of Grenoble and the Sorbonne in Paris, where she specialised in drama. A gifted student, she also developed her other life passions for language, culture and international relations.

The well-travelled student returned to Iceland in 1953 to work at the National Theatre and to continue her studies at the University of Iceland. Once her education was complete she then went on to play a crucial role in the development of education for others.

Employed as a foreign language teacher at an experimental college in Reykjavik, she was responsible for planning and developing the French teaching department. During the vacation periods she worked with the Icelandic Tourist Board and was instrumental in the development of a new guide training programme that she headed for several years. Maintaining her interest in foreign affairs, she took advantage of a sabbatical year to return to France for further study of Franco-Icelandic relations, later serving as chairman of the Icelandic Alliance Francaise. On top of this, she taught drama at her former university and was a founder member of Grima, the first experimental theatre group in Iceland. Her production of an Icelandic version of Feydeau's farce 'A Flea in Her Ear', brought her instant acclaim and this success brought renewed interest in her theatrical expertise. In 1972 she was appointed as a director of the Reykjavik Theatre Company.

As well as maintaining this influential and diverse career, Vigdis Finnbogadóttír was, from 1976, a member of the Advisory Committee on Cultural Affairs in Nordic Countries. Given her capacity for organisation and management it is perhaps no surprise that she became its chairwoman in 1978, with the name of Vigdis Finnabogadottir becoming more and more familiar in both cultural and political circles. Two years later she was persuaded to stand for the non-political office of President of Iceland. Beating three male rivals, President Vigdis - addressed on a first-name basis according to the Icelandic tradition - was elected as the country's fourth President; the first woman to be elected a constitutional Head of State.

President Vigdis held the Presidency for four terms, devoting herself during this time to the cultivation of Iceland's language, its distinctive culture and its youth. She is a founder and patron of the Save the Children Association in Iceland. She is also a committed advocate for human rights, and was awarded lifetime honorary membership of the Women's Rights Association of Iceland in 1990.

President Vigdis retired from the Presidency in 1996, having greatly raised the profile of the office and building deep personal popularity. Since that time she has continued to be a dedicated spokeswoman for peaceful relations and human rights, her latest challenge in this field being her appointment as a goodwill ambassador to the World Conference Against Racism. Teacher, politician, advocate and leader, Vigdis Finnbogadóttír, has applied the values of service, commitment and vision to every aspect of her far-reaching and varied career.

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