Young people in every generation have to assert themselves to secure their own generation's rights. This applies to democratic rights, as well as freedom of expression and minority rights, said some of the young politicians currently representing the Nordic Council at the annual Russian-Nordic youth parliamentary forum.
"An example is the young Russians who are today fighting for democratic rights, known as "Strategy-31", and the young people who are fighting for gay rights here in Russia", said Jeppe Mikkelsen (R), Danish member of the Nordic Council, in front of the assembled young parliamentarians in Petrozavodsk on Thursday.
The participation of young people in political processes was one of the day's topics for discussion when the parliamentarians shared experiences and best practices from their respective regions and countries.
According to Silja Borgarsdóttir Sandelin (SFP), President of the Nordic Youth Council, the political parent organisations could give members of the political parties youth organisations a bit more room to manoevre, given that most of the active youth members often have their sights set on a political career.
"It is also a good idea to involve young people who do not necessarily have a party political background. In Finland we have seen examples of youth groups formed to provide input on specific issues to some ministers", said Borgarsdóttir Sandelin.
Juho Eerola (Sannf), Finnish member of the Nordic Council Presidium, stressed that closer co-operation between the Nordic Region and Russian requires meaningful contacts in all areas of society, where NGOs, sports clubs and educational institutes are just some examples.
"By seeking mutual respect, tolerance, understanding and co-operation we can work together to find the best solutions in these (economic) turbulent times and, therefore, we should further strengthen contacts between young politicians in the Nordic Region and Russia", said Eerola, who also pointed out the importance of language understanding in the region.
Marjaana Mäkelä
Phone
+45 24 69 94 49
Email
marm@norden.org
Heidi Orava
Phone
+45 21 71 71 48
Email
heor@norden.org