Prime Minister Orpo’s roundtable selects measures to promote good relations between population groups

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo invited representatives from Finland’s six largest cities (Helsinki, Espoo, Tampere, Vantaa, Oulu and Turku), immigrant organisations, religious communities and public officials to explore ways to promote good relations between population groups in Finland. The event was organised in cooperation with the City of Vantaa on 11 March.

Participants in the roundtable discussion at Vantaa City Hall looked at the state of relations between different ethnic groups, exchanged experiences of measures to promote relations between population groups and assessed their effectiveness, and discussed how to continue policy work on good relations between population groups at different levels of administration.

The Finnish population has diversified rapidly over the past few decades. In 1993, Finland was home to 67,000 people with foreign backgrounds, whereas that figure last year was 571,000. In a more diverse society, relations between different ethnic groups may face difficulties without active work to identify underlying challenges and promote good relations.

Promoting relations between population groups a key goal of action plan for combating racism

Relations between population groups work well when different groups and their members respect one another, are able to interact smoothly and feel that society is safe and equal. Good relations between population groups create a sense of peace in society, prevent social exclusion and reduce polarisation. They also play an important role in preventing conflicts and reducing tensions in society.

In Finland, relations between different ethnic groups face challenges due to segregation in leisure time, limited interaction, hate speech and hate crimes against minorities that look different from the majority population, everyday conflicts in neighbourhoods, and differences in civic participation and media consumption.

“Good relations between population groups are essential for people’s everyday lives, livelihoods and wellbeing. Good relations mean that people are treated as individuals, not as representatives of a certain group. From Finland’s point of view, this is about what kind of country we want to build for the future. When we harness everyone’s competence and potential, we can achieve the growth we need. We also have to make sure that Finland is internally stable in an unstable world. Fostering trust in other people and in the authorities is especially important,” said Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. 

Promoting relations between different population groups is a key objective of the Government’s action plan for combating racism. The plan also supports the implementation of regional action plans drawn up as part of the project to promote good relations led by the Uusimaa Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment.

Integration and good relations are vital for Vantaa

At the event, the participants heard about the City of Vantaa’s practices for monitoring and promoting good relations between population groups.

In the City of Vantaa’s experience, building good relations between population groups requires interaction, encounters and doing things together. Organisations and schools play a very important role in making this a reality. 

Trust built between different population groups is also necessary for a society’s resilience to crises. This was especially apparent during COVID-19, when NGOs were critical in reaching and helping people.

The City of Vantaa highlighted the importance of schools in particular. Schools can foster good relations between population groups consistently and in many positive ways, as they bring together every age group, pupil and family, from the first grade to the end of basic education. Cooperation between schools, homes and neighbourhoods can help build trust and resolve conflicts.

“Vantaa is Finland’s most international city and is home to speakers of more than 120 languages. Nearly one in three people in Vantaa is an immigrant or a child of immigrants. Successful integration of immigrants and good relations between all population groups are vital for us. Our goal is to be a model city for integration in Finland and the Nordic countries,” said Mayor of Vantaa Pekka Timonen.

Further measures emphasise knowledge base, cooperation and role of schools

Based on the discussion led by the Prime Minister, at least the following measures to promote good relations will be taken up for further work:

• Investing in the regular monitoring and assessment of good relations between population groups and gathering data collected through different methods and by different actors.
• Promoting long-term cooperation and exchange of experiences between municipalities, wellbeing services counties and central government actors with the goal of fostering good relations between population groups.
• Raising awareness of the opportunities and roles of schools in promoting good relations between population groups. Schools also offer a venue for leisure activities and encounters between families of different backgrounds.

The Prime Minister’s roundtable discussion was held as part of the implementation of the Government’s action plan for combating racism. In line with the plan, roundtable discussions will be held each year.

Inquiries: Jouni Varanka, Head of Unit, Chair of the cross-administrative project group, tel. +358 295 160 177 and Katriina Nousiainen, Project Manager, Government project to promote equality, tel. +358 295 160 735, Prime Minister’s Office, [email protected]