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The Peace Institute's staff, guest researchers and interns regularly attend conferences, courses and seminars related to the Peace Institute's areas of interest, both as lecturers and participants. Find below reports and reflections on such events. Sarah Stephan took part in "Brussels Democracy" seminar
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Diskussionstillfälle om tjej- och killgrupper, 3 oktober 2011
Inbjudan till diskussionstillfälle om tjej- och killgrupper
- Förebyggande arbete bland ungdomar - för folkhälsa, fred och jämställdhet!
Måndagen den 3 oktober kl 15.00 i Folkhälsans Allaktivitetshus
Välkomna: Lagtings- och kommunalvalskandidater, tjänstemän inom landskaps- och kommunalförvaltning, skolpersonal, ungdomsarbetare, tredje sektorn och övriga intresserade. Samtliga partier har fått inbjudan.
- Tjej- och killgruppsverksamhet - på Åland och som “exportvara”
- Vad är tjej- och killgruppsverksamhet?
- Varför tjej- och killgrupper?
- Efterfrågan och effekter, gruppledarna berättar
- Hur ska alla unga som vill kunna få möjlighet att delta i tjej- och killgrupper på Åland?
- Visioner för framtiden
Arrangörer: Ålands fredsinstitut och Folkhälsan på Åland tillsammans med tjej- och killgruppsledare på Åland samt projektet Utmana könsroller för att motverka sexslaveri.
Inbjudan i pdf kan laddas ner här.
Education for boy and girl group leaders held in Riga
August 26th to 28th six girl or boy group leaders from the Åland Islands and ten from Latvia all partcipated in an educational session in Riga, led by Finnish trainer Mia Hanström. The education was organized within the project Challenging Gender Roles for Prevention of Trafficking as a first step to teach leaders how to extend the network of leaders through education for beginners.
Meetings and lectures on mediation
On the 10th to 11th of September 2011 a national meeting for Swedish speaking mediators is to be arranged on the Åland Islands. About 30 volontary mediators will discuss and listen to lectures on themes such as restorative justice, youth criminality and the controversial theme of mediation in cases of violence in close relationships.
The meeting is hosted by the Åland mediation office that is run by the Åland Islands Peace Institute.
Since 2006 the Åland Islands Peace Institute offers mediation for criminal cases and certain disputes. The mediation is statutory and the State Administration of Åland purchases the mediation service from the Peace Institute. The mediation sessions are led by volontary, trained and impartial mediators.
Manifestation against Trafficking
On Sunday 28th of October there will be a minifestation against Trafficking at the Square of Mariehamn on the Åland Islands. The manifestation has been initiated by Gun-Mari Lindholm, second deputy speaker of the Åland Parliament, who is also a member of the Steering Group of the project Challenging Gender Roles for Prevention of Trafficking, lead by the Åland Islands Peace Institute (ÅIPI).
The manifestation will start at 7 p.m.
The Åland Islands Peace Institute has long been engaged in the activities for trafficking prevention in Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus and the Kaliningrad region. Cooperation with Azerbaijan will start in autumn 2011.
Open seminar on Peacebuilding
Two international networks, Nonviolent Peace force and European Network for Civilian Peace Services are going to have their annual meetings at Åland Islands in the beginning of June 2011. In this context a public discussion on how to build peace by negotiations and how to support state building from below will be organized. How can civilian peace "forces" and non-armed intervention work as tools in supporting peace mediation, conflict resolution to defend human rights defenders and humanitarian aid workers.
The open seminar Peacebuilding - can civilians do what the military can not? will be held Friday 3.6 2011 at the Åland Parliament; Strandvägen: Åland, Finland.
This seminar is open for all those interested in these issues.
Thel programme can be downoladed in pdf here.Discussion: Is there racism on Åland?
welcome to join a discussion on racism in the City Library of Mariehamn on the anti-racism day 21st of March at 6.30 p.m.The Åland Multicultural Association and the ÅIPI are arranging the event.
The Åland Islands Peace Institute contributed to seminar on Nordic peace cooperation
On March 9th 2011 the ÅIPI contributed to a seminar concerning enhanced cooperation between nordic actors in international peace work, arranged by the Nordic Council, in Copenhagen. Issues such as what role the Nordic region can play as a peacemaker and resolver of conflicts in the world and how to create more dialogue between politicians and those who work with peace.The information Officer of the ÅIPI, Ms susann Simolin contributed with a speech about "Peace work based on the Åland example". She described how Åland provides a meeting place and a resource for knowledge to foreign visitors that want to study the Ålandic self-government, security and minority solutions, and related this to Nordic experiences.
Concerning enhanced Nordic cooperation around peace issues, the ÅIPI mainly highlighted the importance of working with the civil society, to work continously and preventively and to work cross boundaries also when it comes to different scientific disciplines.
Read more about the seminar here.
Outcomes from the Parliamentary Conference
The 19th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) took place in Mariehamn, Åland Islands, 29-31 August 2010. Dr Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark, director of the Åland Islands Peace Institute held a presentation under the title 'Convergence or Divergence in Baltic Security?' This and other conference documents can be found on BSPC website. It can also be downloaded here.
Photo: Johannes Jansson/norden.org
World Aids day, 1 December
1 December people commemorate the international World AIDS day all over the world, on Åland too. Many events for this day are held in various countries.Some Alandic organisations, such as the Åland Islands Peace Institute, Red Cross, ABF-Åland and the union Mångkulturella, gather for the commemoration.
Where: Indigo
When: 1/12 7-9 p.m.
The programme includes some information about the HIV/Aids situation and knowledge about the illness by means of talking, watching a film and participating in a quiz. The activities will be accomponied with Lindyhop dance by Sofia Enros and Daniel Johansson, music and songs by Simone Gällroos and Emil Yohan, etc.
Everyone is welcome!
Manifestation on the international day for the elimination of violence against women, 25th of November
In Finland, every year around 20 women are murdered by their partners. In 2007, 76 aggressions with a woman as a victim were reported to the Ålandic police. Of these, in 45 cases the woman had been attacked in her home.
To acknowledge the problem of violence against women, the Peace Institute organizes this 25th of November, the International day for the elimination of violence against women, a manifestation in the square in Mariehamn. During the manifestation, candles will be lit in honor of victims and survivors of gender violence, and shoes will be placed on the square to symbolize the killed women that can't be with us.
The manifestation will take place from 17.30 to 19.00h
ÅIPI hosts interdisciplinary doctoral course
Ten young researchers and five professors and senior researchers are coming to Åland 22-24 September to discuss the border between external and internal politics in political theory, law and conceptual history. The course is arranged by the Finnish Centre of Excellence in Political Thought and Conceptual Change of Jyväskylä University in co-operation with several other academic institutions, under the leadership of professor Kari Palonen. Contributing to the course are among others prof. Johannes Pollak from Austria, who will lecture about the political representation within the EU, prof. José Maria Rosales from Spain, who will speak about the rhetorics of cosmopolitanism and dr. Frank Möller from Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI), who will discuss images as knowledge in the field of international relations. The director of the ÅIPI, senior lecturer Sia Spiliopoulou-Åkermark, will address the political aspects of international law today.More information can be found at the homepage of Tampere University.
Kyrgyz culture arrives to Åland
Café Bönan receives Kyrgyzstan as a guest country in its multicultural café. Last Friday 27 th of August people could know a little more about that country, where it is located, their political situation, their traditions and their food.
Do you know Åland? Åland in the spotlight at the Finland-Institute in Berlin!
During the Long Night of Science in Berlin on 5 June 2010 the Institute for Northern European Studies at the Humboldt-University Berlin open its doors between 5pm and 1am for all culture lovers in Germany's capital. In co-operation with the Finland-Institute in Berlin, the Nordic countries will be presented in many different ways - learn a Nordic language in just 30 minutes or enjoy a reading of Ålandic literature for children! The Åland Islands Peace Institute's researcher and project manager Sarah Stephan will present a German view on the Åland Islands and provide a firsthand insight on life in the archipelago.
NIPÅ - The Nordic Institute on Åland will present the exhibition "EVERY?DAY - children from different cultures" (VAR?DAG - barn I många kulturer) in the foyer of the Finland-Institute between 27 May and 7 June.
If you are interested in learning yet more about Ålands special status, don't miss the seminar "European Integration vs. Regional Diversity" at the Finland-Institute on 7 June 2010 at 6pm where Sarah Stephan will present her research on the Åland's strategic options in the European Union.
Download the flyer in German here.
The Nordic Forum for Security policy 2010
The nations around the Baltic Sea are increasingly using the same language when discussing security policy, but there are still differences in what threats are percieved and confidence between countries still needs to be strenghtened. Those where some of the conclusions from this year's Nordic Forum for Security Policy, which was organized in St Petersburg, Russia in the end of april.The Nordic Forum for Security gathered in 2010 under the heading Freedom, Security and Justice - Common interests in the Baltic Sea Region.
The information Officer of the Åland Islands Peace Institute participated, and has written a short article about the content of the forum.
You can download it in pdf here.
Report from NATO New Strategic Concept Seminar
On the 4th of March 2010 a NATO New Strategic Concept Seminar was organized in Helsinki by the Foreign Ministries of Finland and Sweden. The NATOStrategic Concept is a document that guides the Alliance as it pursues its agenda of safeguarding the common security interests of its members. The
topic of the seminar was the integration of civilian and military actors in crisis management.
Heidi Öst, researcher at the Åland Islands Peace Institute, participated and has written a report from the event.
The report can be downloaded here.
Conference on youth, gender, norms and politics
On 1-2 December Andrea Bolos participated in the national conference of the Swedish National Board for Youth Affairs in Stockholm. She has now written a short report on the four seminars in which she participated. The seminars concerned men and equality, European youth politics, female entrepreneurship, and youth that sell sex.
The report is available in Swedish for download here.
Study visit "youth work realities in Azerbaijan"
In October 2009 the Åland Islands Peace Institute's project manager and researcher Sarah Stephan participated in a study visit to Azerbaijan, organised by Salto Eastern Europea and Caucasus Resource Centre and the Minsitry of Youth and Sport of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Swedish Youth Council Conference 2009
On December 1-2 Andreea Bolos participated in the Swedish Youth Council's 2009 conference in Folkets hus in Stockholm as one of 800 participants. The Swedish Youth Council is a public authority established in 1959 to increase the wellbeing and participation of youth in society.
Det närpesiska receptet för god integration
År 1988 blev Närpes den första svenskspråkiga kommun i Finland som tog emot flyktingar. Det handlade då om vietnamesiska flyktingar, som var startskottet för en stor invandring till den relativt lilla landsbygdskommunen i Österbotten. Under över 20 år har nu invandringen av främst vietnameser och bosnier fortsatt. Både av lokalbefolkning och inflyttade ses detta som något positivt. Man går t.o.m. så långt att säga att invandringen har varit en lösning för Närpes.
I maj 2009 besökte Petra Granholm, som under våren 2009, arbetade som forskare och projektledare vid Ålands fredsinstitut Närpes för att lära sig mer om hur man i Närpes hanterar integrationsfrågor. I juli 2009 publicerades hennes rapport Översikt av lagstiftning och policy gällande integrationen av inflyttade i Finland och på Åland, i rapportserien Rapport från Ålands fredsinstitut.
En artikel om det närpesiska receptet för god integration hittar du här.
Rapporten Översikt av lagstiftning och policy gällande integrationen av inflyttade i Finland och på Åland kan laddas ner i pdf här.
Knowledge on mediation gathered in Washington
Between 9th and 13th march 2009 the United States Institute of Peace organized the course “Mediating Violent Conflict” in Washington D.C. as part of its conflict management training programme. The course aimed at providing an overview of mediation in contemporary international and intrastate conflict, situating mediation in a larger peacemaking or international affairs context and at building competences for practicing mediation. Conflict management education and research into peace and conflict are among the core activities of the Åland Islands Peace Institute and hence the Institute’s participant Sarah Stephan did not miss this chance to learn more about mediation in sensitive inter- and intrastate conflict settings.Sarahs reflections on the course content are found here.
Reflections on borders and concilitation in Western Balkans
From the 24th of February to the 2nd of March, Wille Valve, Head of the Åland Mediation Office, participated in the EU-sponsored seminar ”Youth breaks the barriers! Mediation & reconciliation tools in European youth work activities” in Kljuc, Bosnia-Herzegovina. This is a mediator’s perspective on a volatile region, where borders matter more than ever.
Sarah Stephan took part in "Brussels Democracy" seminar
The Åland Islands Peace Institute's research assistant Sarah Stephan partcipated in the seminar "The Brussels Democracy - Citizen Participation and Multi-Level Governance in Europe" in Brussels between 13 and 18 February. The seminar aimed at exploring which stakeholders are involved in European governance and how citizens can make their concerns heard in Brussels. Read about Sarah's impressions from the seminar here .
150 deltog i ljusmanifestation för fred
About 150 people participated in the candel light manifestation for peace held in St Görnas church in Mariehamn Sunday 11th January. Some 50 people also joined the torchlight procession from the city library to the church.Arranging organisations, The Åland Island Peace Institute, the Åland Peace Association, the parish of Mariehamn and Amnesty Åland are going to send the following appeal to the Israeli goventment, the Hemas and the EU.
Appeal on the war in Gaza
We, the undersigned inhabitants of the Åland Islands (Finland), are extremely concerned with the situation in Gaza and southern Israel and direct our call to the Israeli authorities, the leadership of Hamas and the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
We call on Israel to end all unlawful attacks, both those directed at civilians and those which are indiscriminate or disproportionate.
We call on Hamas to immediately stop firing indiscriminate rockets against towns and villages in southern Israel, thereby endangering the civilian population.
We call on both sides to declare a truce so that humanitarian assistance can reach those in need and so that those who want to leave can be evacuated. Furthermore, we urge both sides to respect international humanitarian law.
We call on the Presidency of the Council of the European Union to work resolutely with the UN Security Council to enable the adoption of a resolution demanding that all parties respect their obligations under international law and
that a cease fire agreement is monitored by international observers.
Focus on minorities at Hanaholmen
The Åland Islands Peace Institute's former trainee Gustav Blomberg participated in a minority conference at 21 November at the Hanaholmen Cultural Centre for Sweden and Finland. Among others the particpants discussed the position of the Finnish minority in Sweden, the revival of the Estonian-Swedish culture and the link between language and identity. At the conference the Ålandic member of the Finnish Parliament Elisabeth Nauclér adressed the Åland example and the Ålandic cultural autonomy. Gustav's report about the conference in Swedish can be read here.
International Seminar on disarmament, terrorism and poverty
The Åland Islands Peace Institute's university trainee Gustav Blomberg participated in the International Peace Bureau's seminar on terrorism, disarmament and poverty in Copenhagen on 14-15 November.Read Gustav's article on the conference in Swedish here.
World AIDS Day Music Caf
Each year, on 1 December the World AIDS Day calls for more awareness and action with regard to the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. This year a group of voluntary organisers, among them the Peace Institute’s researchers Petra Granholm and Sarah Stephan, has seized the opportunity to put HIV/AIDS on the agenda and invited the public to a World AIDS Day Music Café at Röda korsgården.The idea behind the event was to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and provide a forum for the Ålanders to ask and discuss questions about the disease. At the same time the Music Café was a fund-raising event for the women’s group and nursery school “Kanyala Little Stars” on Rusinga Island in Kenya, an area that suffers immensely under the effects of HIV/AIDS.The evening was opened with a short seminar, held by chief medical officer Birger Sandell, on the infection, treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS. The initiator of the event Heidi Öst informed about her experiences as a volunteer at Kanyala Little Stars and her wish to support the project from the Åland Islands. The performances of the Ålandic folkmusic group “Kvinnfolk”, ”Hmpf...” and Ann Ahlström and Christopher Isaksson completed the successful evening.The Café was a great success as it triggered fruitful discussions in a relaxed atmosphere. The selling of coffee and home-baked cake as well as the selling of red-ribbons and bracelets has raised more than 400 € for Kanyala Little Stars.The Peace Institute at the Nordic Forum for Human Rights
This year’s “Human Rights days” took place in Luleå 13-14 November. Focus was on the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples. Almost 4000 people attended the forum that mainly took place in the “House of Culture” in a beautiful snowy Luleå in the North of Sweden. The Peace Institute was represented with three people. Director Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark was a speaker in several seminars, such as “Minority Representation in the Majority Society”, “Roleplay about the Duty and the Possibilities of the Authorities to Consult” and “Global Impact of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”. Guest researcher Rhodri Williams held a lecture on how the Guiding Principles for protection of internally displaced people can be used with regards to the exceptional vulnerability of indigenous people and minorities. Also researcher Petra Granholm participated, to gather information and make contacts during the days. Here you can read Petra’s personal reflection from this year’s “MR-dagar”.
Report from conference on protection of minorities
The director of the Peace Institute, Sia Spiliopulou Åkermark, participated on the 9th and 10th October in an international conference arranged by the Council of Europe. The aim of the conference was to assess the protection of national minorities ten years after the entry into force of the first binding international treaty on this subject: the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. The conference was held under the theme “Enhancing the impact of the Framework Convention: past experience, present achievements and future challenges”The report The impact of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National
Minorities in selected countries of Western Europe after two monitoring cycles presented by Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark at the conference can be downloaded here.
More information on the conference can be found here.