IHEU ger Distinguished Service to Humanism Award till Hope Knutsson och Siðmennt
tisdag 6 oktober 2015
The Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association (Siðmennt) met this past weekend to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their founding. Among conference events and cultural celebration, the guests included President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson.
Siðmennt has been going from strength to strength in recent years. After becoming a registered life stance organization in May 2013 the organization more than quadrupled its membership, evidence of strong support for humanist policies. They recently appointed their first ever Executive Director, Bjarni Jónsson, who had worked with many years with the organisation, including as representative to the Nordic Humanist organizations, and a new office was opened in Reykjavik in the past few months. After years of campaigning, in July they were able finally to celebrate the end of the country’s outdated ‘blasphemy’ law.
As well as celebrating these achievements, the 25th Anniversary conference also saw Siðmennt’s President Emeritus and long-time active leader of the organization, Hope Knutsson, awarded for her unmatched efforts toward Siðmennt’s success throughout its history. The Distinguished Service to Humanism Award is presented annually by the International Humanist and Ethical Union, as IHEU Executive Committee member Roar Johnsen explained in his speech to the conference, which follows below.
