Young Nordic politicians favour openness and inclusion
The members of the Nordic Youth Council (NYC) have made it clear to their prime ministers that they favour an open, humane and inclusive society, and will make this the main theme of their annual Session in Copenhagen, 28-30 October.
"We believe it is important that the prime ministers also include young people in their efforts to improve the Nordic Region," Lindberg continues.
- Photographer
- Sigurður Ólafsson/norden.org
"We are calling on the prime ministers to support the motion on open societies that we adopted at a seminar in Finland in September," says Minna Lindberg, President of the NYC.
The motion, which has been submitted to the PMs, includes proposals about how to live side by side in a multicultural society and how to bolster democracy.
The NYC will listen intently to the discussions at summit of prime ministers and parliamentarians held on 1 November during the annual Session of the Nordic Council. The outcomes of the summit will then be discussed at "To Oslo, With Love" in the Norwegian capital during the first weekend of November.
"To Oslo, With Love is the continuation of the dialogue we started in the wake of the summer terror attacks. We believe it is important that the prime ministers also include young people in their efforts to improve the Nordic Region," Lindberg continues.
Human rights in the Baltic Sea region are also on the agenda for the Session of the NYC, which opens on Friday afternoon with a seminar on human rights attended, amongst others, by Line Barfod, a former Danish MP and member of the Nordic Council, who chaired the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) working group on trafficking in human beings.
"It is important not to forget that vulnerable groups exists in the Nordic countries, despite the fact that so many of us lead really good lives," Lindberg adds.
She also stresses that just signing the human rights convention is not the same as implementing it, which requires a considerable amount of hard work over a prolonged period.
"We have opted to focus on the Baltic Sea region because the countries there have so much in common and because the current partnerships, e.g. the anti-trafficking initiatives, need to be strengthened," she says.
The Danish parliament, Christiansborg, in Copenhagen will be the setting for the next stage in the development of a joint Nordic youth policy. The Session of the NYC takes place immediately before the 63rd Session of the Nordic Council.
The NYC is made up of representatives of political youth organisations in the Region. It provides activists with the opportunity to exchange ideas and visions and to put young people's demands on the agenda.
"To Oslo, With Love" was launched after the terror attacks in Oslo and on Utøya during the summer. It is a dialogue forum that brings together a variety of Nordic initiatives designed to counteract racist and anti-democratic forces, and to spread the message of tolerance, diversity, democracy, openness, anti-racism, humanity and respect for human rights.
Contacts
Silje Bergum Kinsten
Phone
+45 33 96 02 51
Email
siki@norden.org
