First woman to be elected President of a democratic nation. She had the esteem and affection of the Icelandic population, and with each election, she was reelected by a sweeping majority
Studied French, including French literature and theater at the Sorbonne in Paris and at the University of Grenoble. After drama studies in Copenhagen, she studied pedagogy and English in Iceland
She works to bring countries together in all domains, especially around women's rights, ecology, and education. She tries to spread these values to the young people in countries around the world
She is committed to the promotion of linguistic diversity and multi-lingual education
In October 2003 she participated to the Mondialogo School Contest - a joint initiative of UNESCO and Daimler-Chrysler - as a member of the international jury. The Mondialogo School Contest was created to encourage dialogue between cultures and put UNESCO's Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity into practice.
