“It’s very positive to see the huge interest in co-operation between Nordic and Russian partners on important topics such as social sustainability, environment, and climate,” says Paula Lehtomäki, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers. “The Nordic Council of Ministers’ support for NGO co-operation throughout the Baltic Sea region helps to mutually increase awareness of ongoing public debates and common challenges in our countries and provides inspiration for continued development in the region. The many promising Nordic-Russian projects emphasise the importance of maintaining contacts and supporting civil society co-operation across borders - even in times when political relations are challenging,” adds Lehtomäki. “I am pleased that people-to-people co-operation is still thriving.” The purpose of the funding is to strengthen civil society and cross-border co-operation, and thus contribute to the development of the region. The focus of the projects that are set to receive funding are social services and healthcare, children and young people, education, culture, gender equality, the environment, civil society, democracy, and human rights.
A total of 22 projects to receive Nordic funding
Twenty-two projects in Russia and the Baltic Sea region are set to receive Nordic funding. Project partners in the Nordic Region and the co-operating countries include NGOs, universities, and local authorities. Partners outside the Nordic Region come from the Baltic Sea region, which includes Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Northwest Russia, and Belarus. The Nordic Council of Ministers received a total of 82 applications from various partnership projects in the Nordic countries and Northwest Russia.