Her Excellency Ms Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, former President of the Republic of Iceland, was appointed UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Languages in October 1998, in light of her outstanding contribution to the promotion of linguistic diversity and plurilingual education.
The world’s first woman democratically elected as head of state, H.E. Ms Finnbogadóttir has always been committed to protecting and promoting the identity and integrity of Iceland, in particular its culture and language.
In April 2017, she inaugurated the Vigdís International Centre of Multilingualism and Intercultural Understanding in Reykjavik, a category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO.
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