First national anti-racism forum promotes dialogue and networking between civil society organisations

The Prime Minister's Office organised the first national anti-racism forum for civil society organisations on Friday 13 December at Paasitorni in Helsinki. The event, which is part of the Government’s action plan for combating racism and promoting equality, brought together some 170 professionals from across Finland who are working to combat racism.

The aim of the forum was to promote dialogue on racism and anti-racism work in Finland. The event gave organisations an opportunity to learn about the progress of the action plan, to present their views on its implementation, and to network and build new cooperation with other actors working towards similar goals. The event also included discussions on how to develop existing cooperation.

Participants in the forum discussed a wide range of different aspects of anti-racism work and its development in Finland. The event began with an opening dialogue facilitated by Secretary General of the Advisory Board on Romani Affairs Janette Grönfors and Secretary General of the Advisory Board on Ethnic Relations Peter Kariuki, which explored the development of anti-racism work in Finland.

Based on comments received from the audience via Mentimeter, anti-racism work should focus on promoting good relations between population groups and examining racism as a broad-based phenomenon. People of different backgrounds should be brought together in order to increase mutual understanding. For anti-racism work to succeed, it must be ongoing, inclusive and planned carefully together with a variety of actors in society. Minority groups should be given space in organisations, and attention should be paid to the long-term aspects of the work and to monitoring its impacts.

Organisations play a key role in implementing the action plan

Executive Director of Moniheli Julie Breton and Chief Specialist Katriina Nousiainen from the Prime Minister’s Office discussed the government action plan for combating racism, with a particular focus on the role of organisations in implementing the plan.

Organisations can contribute to implementing the plan in a variety of ways. They can support the implementation of its measures and share their experiences with the authorities. Organisations can also organise training sessions, workshops, peer support groups and advisory services, along with visits and other events. It is important that communication on the action plan is open and timely. Cooperation between different actors and an inclusive approach play a key role, as does supporting organisations’ anti-racism work and recognising its value.

‘Actions, not only words’ campaign as a driver for change

Federico Ferrara, Mona Eid and Ilari Äijälä, members of the expert panel for the Government’s ‘Actions, not only words’ campaign, shared their views on how anti-racism work can serve as a driving force for change and assessed the impacts and future prospects of the campaign.

Dozens of organisations are already on board, including cities, labour market organisations, associations, research institutes and businesses. Organisations working to combat racism can also contribute to the campaign in different ways. By taking part in the campaign, organisations can also encourage and challenge others to get involved. Organisations can offer training and info packages on combating racism and can use their networks to create new opportunities for cooperation.

Messages to the Government from thematic groups

After lunch, the Forum participants broke up into smaller thematic groups to discuss several key themes: fostering an anti-racist approach to work in Finnish society, the role of organisations in recognising and eradicating racism through education and training, and creating an equal and anti-racist future for young people. They also discussed effective ways to combat racism and prejudice now and in the future, and explored the role of civil society organisations in building a knowledge base on racism and discrimination and promoting good relations
between population groups.

Katriina Nousiainen, who heads up the government project to promote equality, said the discussions in thematic groups also lay a good foundation for implementing the government action plan for combating racism and promoting equality.

“I am very pleased that civil society organisations want to be involved in supporting the Government’s work to combat racism. The forum’s discussions marked the start of important cooperation, which will certainly continue in various forms throughout the government term.”