Kastelholm Talks 2019: Democracy, Participation and the Role of Civil Society
When the Åland Islands Peace Institute organises Kastelholm talks on peace for the fifth time, the theme was “Democracy, Participation and the Role of Civil Society”. The Kastelholm talks are recurring discussions about peace, under the patronage of the former President of Finland, Tarja Halonen. The talks are always held in connection with Åland’s demilitarisation day, which is 30 March. The talks of 2019 were held on Thursday, 28 March. The Kastelholm talks began with a panel discussion in Kastelholm Castle where the patron of the talks President Tarja Halonen discussed with a panel consisting of Ms. Maud Olofsson, former Minister for Enterprise, former Member of Parliament and Deputy Prime Minister of the Swedish Government; Mr. Pär Stenbäck, former Minister of the Finnish Government, former Member of Parliament and Party Chairperson of the Swedish People’s Party; Ms. Li Bennich-Björkman, Johan Skytte Professor of Eloquence and Political Science, affiliated with the Institute for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Uppsala University and Mr. Göran Djupsund, Professor of Political Science, election commentator in Finnish-Swedish television and former Principal of Åbo Akademi University in Vaasa. The discussion was moderated by the Peace Institute’s Director, Associate Professor Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark. The theme – democracy, participation and the role of civil society – is important […]