St. John's Welcomes President of Iceland and First Lady for Official Visit

- Innovations in oceans, fisheries and health technology services are key shared priorities on the agenda -

ST. JOHN'S, NL, May 31, 2023 /CNW/ - His Excellency Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, President of Iceland and First Lady Eliza Reid will be in St. John's today during their state visit to Canada.

During their visit, President Jóhannesson will meet with business and community leaders in the oceans, fisheries, including a conversation moderated by CBC's Jane Adey on Iceland's "Cod Wars" and approaches to fisheries management.

The President will also meet with leaders in the health technology sectors.

"Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services is pleased to work with Business Iceland and the Embassy of Iceland to help solve common health-care challenges," said David Diamond, CEO of Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services. "We have helped participating Icelandic companies test their solutions within our organization and to gain a foothold in the North American health-care industry, leading to unique partnerships within Canada and the United States.  These partnerships help support better health outcomes for our patients, clients, the health system and the provincial economy and support our Living Lab model of building a culture of innovation, stimulating innovative thinking and fostering research to improve health services and products."

Below is an itinerary with details of the events of the Presidential visit. Times are indicated in Newfoundland Daylight Time (NDT). 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 31

2:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Event: Meeting with Premier Andrew Furey.
Location: Confederation Building

Summary: Upon their arrival to the Confederation Building, His Excellency Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, President of Iceland, and First Lady Eliza Reid will be greeted by Newfoundland & Labrador Premier Andrew Furey and his wife, Dr. Allison Furey. The dignitaries will hold a meeting to discuss shared values and goals regarding the blue economy and the green transition.
ARRIVAL OPEN TO MEDIA

3:15 - 4:45 pm
Event: Discussion about Innovation & Cooperation in Ocean Sector research & development
Location: Marine Institute, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Summary: This event will bring together leading companies and institutions from the maritime industries of both Iceland and Newfoundland & Labrador to showcase technological innovations and discuss how both sectors may collaborate more closely to advance shared goals. The President will also be signing guest books.
OPEN TO MEDIA

3:15 - 4:45pm

Event: Literature in Iceland and Newfoundland & Labrador: How Stories Shape Culture.
Venue: The Rooms

Summary: This intimate event will feature a rich roundtable conversation between the First Lady of Iceland, Ms. Eliza Reid and prominent writers from Newfoundland and Labrador. Questions for discussion will explore how books shape culture in both jurisdictions, how this is changing over time, and the role of writers in our increasingly digital societies.
OPEN TO MEDIA

5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Event: Sustainable Fisheries Management: A Conversation and Reception
Location: The Rooms 
Summary: This evening event will feature an address by and conversation with the President of Iceland on the topic of sustainable fisheries management. The President will address fishing disputes between Iceland and Great Britain from the 1950s to the 1970s, the evolution of Iceland's fisheries management policies, and the extension of Iceland's fishing limits in the 20th century. This address and subsequent conversation, moderated by the CBC's Jane Adey, will be informed by the President's doctoral research on Iceland's "Cod Wars", and delve into Iceland and Newfoundland and Labrador's shared deep connection to this critical marine species. The President will also be signing guest books, and he and the First Lady will join attendees for networking mixers held before and after this discussion. OPEN TO MEDIA

THURSDAY, JUNE 1

8:30 -10:00 am

Event: A roundtable on Health Service Delivery and Innovation in NL and Iceland
Venue: NL Health Innovation Acceleration Centre, 66 Pippy Place, St. John´s

Summary: This interactive roundtable discussion and series of presentations will bring together public and private sector leaders and entrepreneurs from both NL and Iceland to discuss how technological innovation and increased collaboration between these two jurisdictions can improve health outcomes for patients. The event will also build on an existing collaboration between Iceland and Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services intended to assist Icelandic companies with testing and refining their health technology solutions in a Canadian context while offering NL health authorities new means for improving health care delivery for patients. Icelandic presentations will be made by Prescriby and Kerecis.
OPEN TO MEDIA

9:00 – 10:00 am

Event: Iceland's Role in Advancing the Green Transition
Venue: St. John's Convention Centre

Summary: Iceland's First Lady and executives from Landsvirkjun, Iceland's national power company, will speak about Iceland's transition into an economy powered by renewable energy and how Icelandic technologies and services can help Newfoundland and Labrador meet its own decarbonization goals. Following these remarks, the event will include a moderated roundtable discussion on advancing the green transition between NL energy companies and Icelandic participants.
OPEN TO MEDIA

Note for Media:

• To confirm attendance, media must RSVP in advance via [email protected].
• Media are asked to arrive 30 minutes before the event's start time.
• Photos taken by the official photographer will be made available upon request via [email protected].

Follow the President of Iceland on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Embassy of Iceland

Press Contacts: Meetu Madahar, Brown & Cohen Communications & Public Affairs Inc., [phone], [email protected]; Charlie Echlin, Brown & Cohen Communications & Public Affairs Inc., [phone], [email protected]; Una Sighvatsdóttir, Office of the President of Iceland, [phone], [email protected]