To ensure sustainable development, autonomous regions must “think for themselves” and provide inspiring, inclusive and dynamic environments for developing new ideas, as well as attract young people to stay or to return to the region. Strategies, cooperation, digitalization and investments on infrastructure are perquisites for knowledge development and research. What are the key development areas of Åland, and what is happening in other regions?

On 22 October 10:00 EEST, the KUT-network (Network for sustainable knowledge development on Åland) organizes a conference on the subject “Knowledge and Research as Engines for Regional Development and Innovation”. Is there a need to strengthen the structures for knowledge development and research on Åland, and what experiences do other regions have? 

The conference will be sent live on the youtube channel of the Åland Islands Peace Institute.

As of this month, the Journal of Autonomy and Security Studies, JASS, is included in the Directory of Open Access Journals, www.doaj.org. DOAJ is an independent database which includes over 15,000 open access journals covering all areas of science, technology, medicine, social science and humanities.
- This is an important step for a small journal – to be seen and have access to a wider audicence and potential contributors. It is also an important stance for the world of open access – all articles in JASS can be accessed openly and free of charge, says Kjell-Åke Nordquist, Editor-in-Chief of JASS.

The corona pandemic has affected also the publication of the first issue of JASS this year, but we are proud to announce that JASS 1-2020 is now out! This issue features two articles analysing parliamentary debates about Åland – one on Finnish foreign and defence policy stances with regards to Åland demilitarisation, and one historical analysis of the Ålandic politicians´ relationship to the League of Nations decision during the three decades following 1921. In addition to this, we enjoy reading a research note on the politicisation of travelling, very topical in times of climate change and pandemic. Authors are Saila Heinikoski, Ida Jansson and Kari Palonen respectively. 

You will find the latest issue of JASS here.

Are you interested in conflict resolution, multilevel governance and diversity questions? Do you want to know how the autonomy of the Åland Islands works and how the “Åland Example” and other cases are used as possible tool for conflict resolution? Apply for the Åland Islands Peace Institute’s digital course “Territorial Autonomy as a Tool for Diversity Management – Lessons from the Åland Example”, that will be offered in cooperation with the Open University on Åland. The application deadline is 25 September.

The Åland Islands Peace Institute together with the Open University on Åland offers since 2015 a university-level e-course on territorial autonomy, with the Åland Example as a main case study.

The course has been renewed and updated, and a new round of the course will be given autumn 2020 (19.10.2020-08.01.2021) with application deadline 25th September.

My name is Saana Majander and I am a research intern at the Åland Islands Peace Institute from August to October 2020. I study law at the University of Helsinki and will write my bachelor’s thesis in the upcoming spring. At the Peace Institute, I assist with a research project that focuses on the impact that the EU-membership has had on the Åland Islands, especially with questions concerning the law-making on the Åland Islands. The internship gives me a fascinating opportunity to learn more about topics that interest me in my law studies, especially how the effectiveness of laws can be improved. At the Peace Institute, I get the chance to examine the legislative process in the unique context of the territorial autonomy of the Åland Islands. During the internship, I will also work with the e-course ”Territorial Autonomy as a Tool for Diversity Management: Lessons from the Åland Example”

Contents

• We are recruiting
• Register for e-course on territorial autonomy
• Education for volontary mediators
• New report on the international use of the Åland example
• And more ...

Innehåll

• Fredsinstitutet söker vikarierande informatör
• Anmäl dig till e-kurs om territoriell autonomi
• Vill du bli medlare? Grundkurs ges i höst.
• Ny rapport om Ålandsexemplets användning
• Med mera ...

Read the newsletter here.

Läs nyhetsbrevet här.

In the report “The Åland Example in Use 1990-2019: Where, When, How, Why and by Whom?” Susann Simolin, Head of Information and Researcher at the Åland Islands Peace Institute, as well as Doctoral Student at Åbo Akademi University Vasa, maps 25 conflicts in which the Åland example has been used and analyses eight of them in more depth. It discusses the questions of where, when, how, who, and why the Åland example has been used in conflict resolution efforts around the world as well as what has been of interest.

The report can be downloaded in pdf here.

On June 11 2020, the Swedish Government appointed seven members to a Truth and Reconciliation Commission for finno-ugric speaking minorities in the North of Sweden. One of the members of the Commission will be the Director of the Peace Institute Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark.

According to a press release from the Government, the commission's task is to investigate the assimilation policy carried out by the Swedish state during the 19th and 20th centuries, and work to make the historical experiences of minorities visible. The work of the commission shall also contribute to promoting reconciliation and preventing similar policies from reccuring.

You can find the Government's press release in Swedish here.

How does the COVID-19 affect minorities around the world? On 27 May Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark, Director of the Åland Islands Peace Institute discussed this topic in the webinar: Minorities, territorial governance and inter-state relations in pandemic times. The other speakers were Francesco Palermo, the Institute for Comparative Federalism, and Sergiu Constantin, the Institute for Minority Rights, both at Eurac Research. You can watch the webinar on YouTube.The webinar is part three in Eurac Research's five legged webinar-series in which the topic is discussed from various perspectives by prominent experts. Read more about the webinar series here.

At the seminar the Director discussed war rhetoric and centralization trends in the ongoing pandemic, which inspired her to write a Op-Ed on the comeback of the state for local newspaper Tidningen Åland. It was published on 29.5 and can be found as manuscript, in Swedish, in pdf here.