Beskrivelse av organisasjon

The Vigdís International Centre for Multilingualism and Intercultural Understanding (VIC) is situated in Veröld – House of Vigdís at the University of Iceland and operates under the auspices of UNESCO.

The main objectives of VIC are to promote multilingualism; raise awareness of the importance of language as a core element of the cultural heritage of mankind; promote translation and translation studies; work at the preservation of languages; promote research and education in foreign languages and cultures; support and promote research into mother tongues, regarding them as a basic element of human rights.

VIC organises conferences, symposia, lectures, research, film screenings, courses, workshops, meetings and exhibitions at its premises. Target groups for the Centre's events range from teachers, students, researchers, school children, to the general public.

Currently, indigenous languages and languages with small numbers of native speakers are a priority of the Centre, in connection with the International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022–2032 (IDIL 2022-2032). Within the framework of IDIL 2022-2032, the focus of the Centre is on languages of the West Nordic Region and of the Roma peoples.