Activities Of The Nordic Council Of Ministers

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2020-719/ Sustainable development, gender equality, and a child rights and youth perspective are overarching areas that are important for all the work done by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The responsibility for considering these applies to everyone who is working in or on behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers, regardless of policy area. By strengthening this work, we are ensuring that the work of the Nordic Council of Ministers is sustainable, gender-equal, inclusive, representative, and accessible.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/nord2020-015/ Abstract [en] The well-being of children and young people, and their ability to exercise their rights, is a pre-requisite for the continued development of the Nordic region. Children and young people are therefore priority target groups for the Nordic Council of Ministers, so the Council will integrate a children’s rights and youth perspective in its work. The ambition for greater integration of a children’s rights and youth perspective also brings a responsibility to ensure that the work is based on a number of guiding principles. There must be a common minimum level of the involvement of children and young people and, above all, the work must be carried out in a way that protects and promotes children’s safety and security. This document is relevant for all situations in which children and young people are contacted or involved in the work of the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2022-724/ In 2019, the Nordic prime ministers adopted a vision for the Nordic Region to be the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by the year 2030. The Nordic Council of Ministers was tasked with steering Nordic co-operation towards delivering this vision. The Nordic Council of Ministers is following a special action plan in its efforts relating to the vision for the period 2021 to 2024. Now, after almost two years, a mid-point evaluation has been produced. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine during the period, the Nordic Council of Ministers has delivered concrete results and made an impact. The activities of the Nordic Council of Ministers are being steered towards supporting the Nordic countries as well as possible in their realisation of the vision. Efforts relating to the green transition have been bolstered by way of DKK 120 million in additional funding thanks to a budget redistribution in the period 2021 to 2024. The mid-point evaluation was approved by the Ministers for Nordic Co-operation in September 2022.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/nord2023-020/ Rights-based analysis related to children and young people (RBA) is a tool that helps assess the impact of our activities on children and young people (0-25 years old). Use it when you are developing, implementing, or evaluating a Nordic initiative and when you want to integrate a child rights and youth perspective into your work. The tool contains different forms tailored to different activities and is for those working within or on behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers. By turning your analysis into action, you support the objective of giving children and young people a stronger voice and participation in the Nordic co-operation.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2022-719/ The Nordic Council of Ministers for Health and Social Affairs’ (MR-S) co-operation programme for 2022–2024 will generate knowledge and exchange information about shared challenges in the field of health and welfare throughout the Nordic Region. The main purpose is to generate initiatives and solutions that will contribute to the development of policy and guarantee the sustainability of the Nordic welfare societies at local, regional, national and Nordic levels at a time of limited resources.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2021-719/ The Ministers for Nordic Co-operation (MR-SAM) have decided that the Nordic Council of Ministers will co-operate with civil society in the Nordic Region to a greater extent in its work relating to the Our Vision 2030 programme and the action plan for 2021-2024. Consequently, both a Nordic network for involving civil society organisations and a procedure for public consultations are being established to increase the opportunities for input from civil society, business and industry, and other stakeholders in the Nordic Region in respect of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ efforts to implement Our Vision 2030.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2023-733/ The vision of the Nordic Region as the most integrated and sustainable region in the world by 2030 guides the work of the Swedish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2024. Sweden will continue efforts to ensure that the Nordic Region is a leader in the green transition, globally competitive and socially sustainable. Making it easier for companies and people to operate across borders is crucial for competitiveness and growth. The Presidency will continue to prioritise work on Nordic integration and measures to facilitate cross-border mobility.

Thanks to an active process of renewal within the Nordic Council of Ministers, in recent years co-operation has become more flexible and dynamic. The purpose of this annual report is to highlight some examples of the results of this process, categorised into the four main areas of the vision: freedom of movement, innovation, visibility, and international engagement.