| Visits |
 The Åland Peace Institute wants to share its research results, expertise and experiences from practical peace work in order to increased the knowledge about Åland and the Åland example and to promote better opportunities for peaceful conflict resolution. The Peace Institute also wants to work as a meeting point. Åland and the Åland Peace Institute regularly received visitors from all the corners of the world. Decision-makers, researchers and journalists from other autonomous regions, the South Caucasus, former Yugoslavia, Japan, China, the Middle East, Iran and Central-America has in recent years visited to learn about the auonomy, which is anchored both in the Finnish constitution and in international law, and about the content of the demilitarisation and the neutralisation and their practical meaning. For the international public, the Åland Peace Institute works foremost with satisfying the need for information about and analysis of Åland and the Åland example, especially in connection to questions of minorities and forms of autonomies. The competence within this area is used for advice, tutoring and other participation in international conflict management. This is done inter alia in cooperation with the government of Åland and the Foreign Ministry of Finland. The demand for the services of the Institute is increasing. This is evident from all the requests about visits and conference arrangements and about participation in international conferences, meetings and courses. Information about travel to and from Åland can be found here. Information about travel, hotels, events, sights etc can be found at www.visitaland.com and www.aland.com. Information about previous visits to the ÅIPI can be found below. |
Afgan journalists visiting Åland
20-21 August 2011, a group of Afghan female journalists accompanied by their Finnish colleagues visited the Åland Islands. The journalists are participating in the ”Learning together”-project in cooperation with Female Journalists in Finland. On Saturday, the group visited the Åland Islands Peace Institute. Information Officer Susann Simolin introduced the activities of the ÅIPI, and project manager Jenny Jonstoij presented the gender work and especially the Girl- och Boy Group Method. Member of Parliament Elisabeth Nauclér also participated in the meeting, and discussed the Åland Example with the guest. On Sunday, the group visited the Åland Parliament, and met with female journalists on Åland. The Afghan journalists shared their experiences from working in Afghanistan, and the media situation on Åland was discussed.
ÅIPI meeting with Baltic Sea Parliamentarians
On 29th to 31st of August a Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) was held on Åland. Representatives for the Working Group on Civil Security with special focus on human trafficking visited the Åland Islands Peace Institute for information on the project Challenging Gender Roles for Prevention of Trafficking.
The Peace Institute Director, Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark, gave a speech in the plenary session, under the heading 'The Baltic Sea Region as an Area of Peace and Security'. The speech in pdf can be downloaded here.
Visit from the South Caucasus
The Åland Islands Peace Institute was hosting a South Caucasian visit in early June. Twenty two Armenian and Azerbiajani civil societies' representatives visited Åland to enhance their understanding of self-government and demilitarization issues. The visit was organized in collaboration between the Åland Islands Peace Institute, the Armenian Committee of Helsinki Citizens' Assembly, and the Azerbaijan Committee of Helsinki Citizens' Assembly with its Karabakh Committee and Nagorno Karabakh Committee of Helsinki Initiative-92. The project was implemented with the support from the Ministry for foreigh Affairs of Finland. Some of the participants conducted interviews with Ålanders on the street in order to deepen their insights during the visit.
Visit from Swedish authors Herman and Birgitta Lindqvist
The Åland Islands Peace Institute has the pelasuere of hosting Swedish authors Herman and Birgitta Lindqvist dureing their four days stay on Åland in May 2009. Herman Lindqvist is the opening speaker at the opening of the Exhibition Outpost, land in between, bridge at the Åland museum/Åland Art Museum 28th May 2009.Wednesday 27th the guests visited the Peace Institute for informal discussions with the staff and for a meeting with local media.
Nepalese biker on world tour for peace
Furtemba Sherpa from Nepal started his bicycle world tour for peace and the environment in December 2003. He has so far visited 40 countries and last week passed by Åland. He made a spontaneous visit at the Åland Islands Peace Institute and told us about his experiences so far.- Most people are kind and generous, but on the border between Thailand and Cambodia I got robbed, Furtemba sais.
Furtemba speaks 10 Asian languages, but excuses himself for his English.
- Most of the time I find Nepalese people who can help me translate, but I haven't found anyone on Åland.
Furtmeba has had sponsors on his trip, but right now he is in search for new ones.
From Åland he continues his journey to mainland Finland and will then proceed to the Baltic countries.
The Åland Islands Peace Institute wishes Furtemba the best of luck on the remains of his trip.
Furtembas home page can be checked out here.
Visit from Lithuania, Kaliningrad and Belarus
partners from Visit from Lithuania, Kaliningrad and Belarus have been visiting Åland and the Åland Islands Peace Institute from 9 to 12 of june. the aim of the visit was for the partners to hold a network meeting, share experiences, do study visits, learn more on the Åland Islands and on the peace institute and - maybe the most important thing - to meet Mia Hanström, author of the book on the girl group method.All of the visitors are acquainted with the girl group method and most of them are managing their own girl groups. The visitors found the study sessions with Mia Hanström very inspiring and also took advantage from learning on each others successes and setbacks.
Azeri/Armenian film on Åland
Åland is visited by a team of journalists from Yerevan in Armenia and Baku in Azerbadjan. The team is working with a series of documentaries about various ethno-territorial conflicts worldwide. The films are dealing with Northern Ireland, the Basque region in Spain, Cyprus, Bosnia, South Tyrol in Italy and Åland and will be simultaneously broadcast in both countries to present to the Armenian and Azerbaijani audiences diverse examples of conflict prevention and self-government in Europe.Princess of Sweden interested in alandic status
Thursday 15 of May Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark, the director of the Åland Islands Peace Institute, held a speech for the Swedish Crown Princess Victoria, who is visiting the Aland Islands. Spiliopoulou Åkermark talked about the Aland Islands as a living example of an autonomous region under constant development. The authonomy is constantly renewed through different forms of cooperation and renegotiations between the Islands and the finnish state. There is also a dialogue between the Åland Islands and the states that have guaranteed their status, not least with Sweden.
The Crown Princess, who has taken peace- and conflict studies at the University of Uppsala in Sweden, at the coffee break mentioned to the director of the Åland Islands Peace Institute that she is acquainted with the status of the Aland Island from her studies. She also took the opportunity to ask more about the Åland Islands example in international conflict resolution.
Read the full presentation here (in Swedish).