Annual reports
In 2025, the staff at UiA – Centre for Equality worked with clear purpose to create real opportunities, share knowledge and challenge established norms — across working life, academia, the public sector and society at large.
2025 Highlights
7 March: The Power of Equality – Together for Fair Performance Development
Conference on health, the athlete perspective, support schemes and inclusion.
26 March: Report on Public Services' Encounters with Queer People
Launch of a report produced in collaboration with NORCE on public sector employees' knowledge of queer issues and their understanding of and approach to the duty of equality.
14 August: Arendalsuka
Collaboration with the national equality centres and Kilden Gender Research in the UiA tent, covering the topics "No one to be close to – on men, sex and social exclusion" and "Sickness absence and gender: explanations, challenges and solutions".
25 August: The "Red Flag" Campaign Takes First Place
The Centre and UiA's communications department won first place with the awareness campaign "Red Flag" at the EUPRIO Awards (the European organisation for communications professionals in higher education).
6 September: Inspiration Gathering – "How to Create Safe Spaces for Queer People?"
Collaboration with "Nettverket" (The Network) – a church for all, exploring what it can feel like to be queer and Christian, and how to work towards greater inclusion of queer people in Christian communities.
18 September: "The Visible Invisibles? Being a Minority Background Academic in Norway"
National conference for academics from minority backgrounds, aimed at building community and creating real opportunities.
18 October: Drag Show: Cross and Corset – A Revelation in High Heels
Show and capacity-building event on gender, faith and diversity at Grimstad kulturhus, in collaboration with X-dolls.
11 December: Launch of "The Diversity Guide"
Launch at UiA featuring two seminars introducing a digital guide on inclusive communication and use of imagery, alongside the handbook "A Dance with Norms".
Annual Summary
In 2025, the staff at UiA – Centre for Gender and Equality worked with clear purpose to create real opportunities, share knowledge and challenge established norms — in working life, academia, the public sector and society at large. As the only equality centre in Norway affiliated with a university, we are uniquely placed to contribute to advancing equality.
The Centre's academic expertise is increasingly being drawn upon in teaching contexts, including in the Gender, Power and Diversity programme. At the same time, the Centre is actively working to secure funding to lead research projects. Towards the end of 2025, work therefore began on a new strategic plan for the Centre, with the aim of clarifying values, priorities and goals — both internally and in our external partnerships.
Throughout 2025, the Centre has used the university as a meeting place for equality actors, hosting a number of events. We organised UiA's equality and diversity conference in collaboration with the Equality and Diversity Committee (LMU) at UiA and a regional working group, which included participants from the Governor of Agder, Agder County Council, Kristiansand Municipality, Arendal Municipality and LO Agder.
Several members of the Centre also helped establish the new group "Diversity UiA", which hosted a conference on minority stress in academia.
In addition, the Centre co-organised an inspiration gathering on the theme "How to create safe congregations for queer people?" in collaboration with Nettverket (The Network) – a church for all, with participants from the Free Church of Norway.
Events like these strengthen our networks, both regionally and nationally.
In 2025, the Centre also developed a number of resources related to inclusion. We launched a digital diversity guide based on the handbook "A Dance with Norms". The guide is designed for anyone who wants to communicate inclusively — particularly those working in the media, the public and private sectors, recruitment and higher education.
The Centre also delivered an exhibition on digital inclusion to county libraries in Finnmark, Troms, Nordland, Trøndelag, Vestland and Møre og Romsdal. The exhibition shares the experiences of people who have encountered digital barriers.
Our work on gender and sexual diversity has shown us just how vital visibility and capacity building are in driving real change — particularly at a time of growing polarisation and resistance to queer rights. Through the podcast Skeiv Dagsorden (Queer Agenda), research-based knowledge on current issues is made accessible to audiences both regionally and nationally.
We are also proud of the continued development of our work against sexual harassment. The awareness campaign "Red Flag" was run again in 2025, sparking important debate and helping to hold perpetrators of sexual harassment accountable — a perspective that is far too rarely seen in preventive work. This is an example of how we work actively towards cultural change, not merely awareness.
In August 2025, the campaign won the international award for outstanding and innovative communications work that makes a difference at the EUPRIO conference in Lisbon.
The Centre has been a clear voice in public debate throughout 2025. We have contributed to broader discussions about equality in Agder through 75 media appearances, including 49 news stories — demonstrating that our work not only engages people, but helps set the agenda on important social issues.
While we have achieved a great deal, we know that the work for equality and diversity is never finished. We still need evidence-based action, political will and commitment from both individuals and organisations to keep moving forward.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed in 2025: our talented colleagues, valued partners, the national equality centres and Reform – Resource Centre for Men.
Special thanks go to the University of Agder (UiA), the Ministry of Culture and Equality, the Ministry of Education and Research and Agder County Council for funding our work.
Together, we press on in building a fairer and more inclusive society — through knowledge, collaboration and decisive action.
Lee Michael Shults, Acting Director