The Third Sector and the State in Finland

1
The Third Sector and the State in Finland

• Embassy of Finland

2
The Promised Land of Associations

• 127 000 registered associations
• 3000 new NGOs ever year
• average Finn does volunteer work 18 hours a month
• new challenges

3
Background

• history of free peasant
• principles of the national awakening in the 19th
  century
• Nordic society equality, education, democracy,
  participation...
• consensus and cooperation

4
Basic Principles

• active citizenship arises from people - it can
  not be created
• but the government can act in many different ways
• relation between citizens and decision making is
  a key issue
• openness and dialogue in public administration

5
Legislation and Administration

• Constitution of Finland - freedom of association
• Association Act
• Administrative Procedure Act, Local Government
  Act, Sports Act, Youth Work Act, Land Use Act,
  Building Act, etc.
• Ministry of Justice Democracy Unit all other
  ministries

6
The State and the Third Sector

• Citizen Participation Programme 2003-2007
• decision making legislation - regular
  consultation
• internet based online citizen consultation forum
  www.otakantaa.fi
• all ministries recommended to make separate NGO
  strategies

7
Advisory Board of the Civil Society Policy

• established 2007
• 9 representatives from the ministries, 2 from the
  business world, 6 from NGOs and 1 from academia
• aim to create a joint civil society-government
  forum with a shared set of concepts and language
• address problematic issues for civil
  society-government interaction and relations

8
The Main Activities of the Third Sector

• services social and health care, sports,
  culture, recreation
• mostly financed by other than public sector
  Finlands Slot Machine Association, and Finnish
  National Lottery
• EU financing projects
• globally active organisations Green Peace,
  Global fair trade movement, etc.

9
CASE MFA

• development policy development projects
• foreign trade policy
• Youth Forum of the Foreign Policy
• blogging Foreign Minister (www.alexstubb.com)
• embassies

10
The Youth and the Children

• challenges
• vital role of the school and education
• teachers education
• real participation of the youth and the children
  - not only participation games