Arendal Week 2021

I 2019 vedtok de nordiske statsministrene at Norden skal bli verdens mest bæredyktige og integrerte region i 2030. Island, Sverige, Danmark, Norge, Finland og de selvstyrte områdene Åland, Færøyene og Grønland var enige om målet.

Så kom 2020, og landene gikk i lockdown. Hovedstad etter hovedstad, land etter land, ble rammet av en pandemi som ikke så grenser, bare muligheter.  

Hvordan kommer man tilbake etter det? Skal Norden fortsatt være en felles region, hvor finnes det samarbeid i dag? Er koronapandemien en hump i veien for samarbeidet, eller har sykdommen satt kjepper i hjulene for verdens mest integrerte region? 

Vi spør de som hele tiden jobber over grensene - hvilket nordisk samarbeid ser de for seg videre?

How has the mental health of children and adolescents been affected over the course of the pandemic, as well as by it? Will we see a lonely generation come out of it? Or have youngsters just found it boring? 

How has the mental health of children and adolescents been affected over the course of the pandemic, as well as by it? Will we see a lonely generation come out of it? Or have youngsters just found it boring?  

During the pandemic, decision-makers in the Nordic countries have been repeating their mantra about the need to shield children and young people. However, in practice this has varied in the different countries: Denmark introduced home schooling for a whole year, while Sweden kept schools open throughout. Norway has chosen to take the middle road. Leisure time has also been affected by a ban on exercise sessions and gatherings. We keep hearing how Nordic politicians will attempt to target those who need additional support. 

And they tell us that it is crucial. What has it really been like to be young during the pandemic? That is a story that our young people should tell themselves.

The COVID-19 crisis has once again demonstrated the well-known adaptability of the Nordic model. The parties have worked together and saved jobs, incomes and GDP. Nevertheless, Nordic labour market researchers warn that more and more people are ending up permanently excluded from the labour market. 

What challenges must be addressed in our future labour market? We know a good deal about the risk factors.

That is why we invite all labour market parties and politicians to propose how they want to further develop and strengthen the Nordic labour market model.

Over the past four years, researchers working on the Future of Work project at Fafo, funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, have examined the future of the labour market in the Nordic Region. How sound is the Nordic labour market model? Will we be able to create enough jobs in the future, and how will we ensure that we have the right skills to fill these jobs? Also, how do we deal with increased differences between those with higher and lower incomes?

The pandemic has exacerbated challenges and accelerated the digitalisation of workplaces, as well as the emergence of new forms of work. What could the consequences of it be?

When the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, neither Norway, the Nordic Region, nor the world were ready. There was no Nordic vaccine production. Masks and visors had to be ordered from China. At a Norwegian hospital, the staff discovered that the infection control equipment they had purchased was fake. Italy sent emergency kits to Norwegian hospitals. At the same time, Denmark procured vaccines from Israel, far beyond Nordic borders. How effective was Nordic co-operation in the area of healthcare during the pandemic? What will happen the next time the Nordic Region faces a crisis? 

The Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Council want to strengthen Nordic co-operation on emergency preparedness. But what should this co-operation entail in the area of healthcare? 

And—are Norway and the Nordic Region at all willing to stand together in the face of the next health crisis? These and more questions will be put to the panel.

The Nordic Region should be the world’s most integrated region and has a common education and labour market. The Nordic Council of Ministers is working to counter border barriers that hamper mobility and growth. How were foreign students in the Nordic Region affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? What incentives are needed to provide security for students who want to make a step into the Nordic Region and the future?

ANSA (Association of Norwegian Students Abroad) and Info Norden, the Nordic Council of Ministers’ information service, are joining forces this year to draw attention to how student mobility in the Nordic Region has been affected by the pandemic.