The outbreak of Covid-19 has created a range of social and economic consequences for citizens and societies around the world affecting our everyday lives. Governments have adopted very strict measures to handle these challenges. Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers Paula Lehtomäki is impressed by how the societies have responded.
“As a collective reaction, we see an impressive call for action from the civil society, businesses, schools and public bodies finding new solutions to address both local and global challenges caused by Covid-19” says Lehtomäki.
New challenges
A vast amount of new challenges rises in different sectors/parts of society:
- Covid-19 has caused strain on the capacity of our health and care system.
- Older and other high-risk people have been asked to isolate at home and stay away from other people making it hard to maintain their physical and mental health.
- It has forced the closure of schools and universities across the Nordic region, shifting education online.
- A large proportion of the workforce has shifted to working remotely finding new ways of cooperating and communicating.
- Companies need to find new ways of conducting business and generating revenue
- Many employees have lost their jobs and find themselves in a very insecure and vulnerable situation.
Co-operate to solve problems
Initiatives utilizing digital technologies are highly effective instruments to address these challenges across the Nordic and Baltic region. They offer solutions that not only brings the region closer together, but also facilitates stronger partnerships and interaction between the public and private sector.
By launching the website NordicBaltic.tech the Nordic Council of Ministers in partnership with GovTech venture company PUBLIC offers a highly interactive platform for engaging and connecting the innovation environments across the region:
- New free-to-access website will showcase innovative digital solutions from across the Nordic and Baltic region.
- Focus on knowledge-sharing and collaboration between public and private sector innovators.
- Clear, accessible content aimed at officials, innovators and citizens to be added to the site regularly.
The platform identifies and showcase emerging tech initiatives to address challenges created by Covid-19 and facilitate stakeholder engagement both within and across countries.
“We welcome all to share their initiatives and find relevant partners to combat Covid-19 regionally and globally. Let’s innovate the crisis together!” says Lehtomäki.
Article originally published on norden.org.