Equality and gender equality – international co-operation for empowerment
In its practical work, the Åland Peace Institute primarily focuses on questions of prevention of violence and empowerment of individuals and groups. The aims are to counteract tendencies to use violence as a strategy and to offer alternative strategies and approaches that can promote peaceful conflict resolution and active participation in society. Equality is one of the vantage points for the work of the ÅIPI, since all individuals should have the same possibilities and rights to own their own life and to participate in and influence the development of society. Gender equality can be viewed as one aspect of equality, while gender inequality can be percieved to legitimate the use of power and violence as a strategy. Empowerment work with a focus on gender issues is carried out in cooperation with local partner organisations on Åland and with partner organisations in Latvia, Lithuania, Russia (Kaliningrad and Karelia) and in South Caucasus.
Åland example
The ÅIPI and the Åland Example The Åland Islands Peace Institute is active in imparting knowledge about Åland’s status as an autonomous, demilitarised and neutralised territory. We offer up-to-date information and analysis of debates related to Åland, including the development of Ålandic autonomy and minority rights as well as conflict management. Moreover, we try to engage the broad public, on Åland and beyond, in debates concerning public international law, human rights, gender equality and the peaceful solution of conflict. The Åland example attracts many visitors who come to study the Ålandic autonomy as well as the demilitarisation and neutralisation of the archipelago in more depth. The so-called Contact Group, which consists of representatives of the Åland government and the Finnish Foreign Ministry, works to promote the application of the Åland example in international contexts. The Åland government as well as the Åland Islands Peace Institute frequently host visitors from all over the world, among them journalists, civil servants, students, youth groups and representatives of civil society organisations. Many of these visitors live in regions suffering from conflicts whose solution could have autonomy implications. The Peace Institute multiplies information about its activities and imparts knowledge about the special status of Åland […]