Agreements have just been signed with the beneficiaries of the Nordic-Baltic NGO Programme. A total of sixteen applications have been received, and six projects have been approved. The total amount of support is EUR 68 000. In addition, five more projects are about to be supported from another support fund.
Beneficiaries of the support: Latvian Centre for Human Rights, Latvian IT Cluster, “Valodu māja”, Institute for Environment, Sustainability and Security, Women for Security, youth organisation YATA Latvia / LATO.
The aim of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights project “Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Refugees – One Step Forward to Human Rights and Sustainability” is to strengthen cooperation between Baltic and Nordic NGOs in the field of human rights and protection of the rights of asylum seekers in order to assist asylum seekers, beneficiaries of international protection and their family members. Several activities are planned with legal aid providers and advocates from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, Finland, and Norway and sharing their experiences and jointly drawing up guidelines to improve the procedure for reunion of refugee families, reduce the risks of unjustified detention and reduce the risks of child detention.
Partner countries: Denmark, Finland, Norway and all Baltic States.
The project “Imagine ITS Baltic Sea Region” by the Latvian IT Cluster, which promotes the export of Latvian IT services, aims to strengthen cooperation among Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) clusters in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR), specifically ITS Latvia, ITS Finland and ITS Norway. Through supported networking, experience sharing, and knowledge transfer, the project seeks to enhance cluster capacity and foster innovation within the region's ITS ecosystem. Various activities are planned, including participation in events in the Nordic countries, expansion of the network of partners, and exchange of experience with partners in Finland and Norway.
“The House of Languages”, which studies, promotes and teaches languages in a broad, interdisciplinary sense, recognising the political, psychological and aesthetic importance of language, will implement the project “Cooperation and Experience Exchange in Organising Language Festivals”. The project is based on cooperation with international partners in Finland and Norway which have experience in organising such festivals. The idea behind the project is to establish the tradition of organising language festivals in Latvia.
The aim of the project “Promoting Biodiversity in Urban Backyards” by the Institute for Environment, Sustainability and Security is to use Nordic experience and apply the best practice to engage Latvian communities in biodiversity conservation and promote biodiversity and soil health in urban areas, focusing on backyards, private gardens and lawns. The project will include a networking meeting, workshops and field visits with partners from Denmark, Sweden and Latvia. It is also planned to develop backyard biodiversity guidelines for Latvia and to implement communication and awareness-raising activities.
Partner countries: Denmark and Sweden.
The project “Promoting Women, Peace and Security Agenda”, submitted by Women for Security, part of the International Women in Security network, aims to raise the profile of gender, peacekeeping and security issues, to mainstream them into national policy documents and to foster cooperation between government agencies, other non-governmental organisations and universities. This strategic initiative will be implemented through the development of a programme report for the three partner countries, specialised training for the responsible authorities and an information campaign to inform the public about the results of the project and to raise awareness on the issue. Current challenges will be identified and strategic recommendations will be made for the effective integration of the project principles. The report is intended as a key resource for policy makers, citizens, organisations and international partners to improve future initiatives to promote gender equality. Training will also be provided to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to mainstream gender equality into their work. Training topics will include: gender-sensitive decision-making, conflict prevention and raising awareness of these issues.
Partner countries: Estonia and Finland.
YATA Latvia, the youth organisation, is the Latvian branch of the Atlantic Treaty Association Youth Network and is represented in the Atlantic Treaty Association by the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation. The aim of the submitted project “The Importance of International Conventions in Ensuring Human Rights and International Security” is to begin a discussion amongst Latvian youth about human rights and inclusivity. The project aims to provide educational activities for young people on how their decisions and actions affect other people, on how to have effective conversations and find common ground. The project is expected to reinforce the democratic values and explain the role of the democratic governance in making European countries secure and ensuring peace in the region. Partner countries: Finland, Norway, Sweden.
Additional support has been granted to the youth organisation “Club the House” (partner countries: Denmark and Sweden), the Latvian Scouts and Guides Central Organisation (partner countries: Estonia, Lithuania, Norway), the Riga Hanza Rotary Club (partner countries: Lithuania and Sweden), the Centre MARTA (partner countries: Norway and Finland), organisation “Gribu palīdzēt bēgļiem” (partner countries: Estonia and Sweden).
The Nordic-Baltic NGO programme aims to promote cooperation between Nordic and Baltic NGOs, thereby strengthening civil society and supporting new sustainable initiatives. The funding can be used to initiate a new project, to expand an existing project, establish a high-quality contact network in the Nordic countries, and facilitate the exchange of experience and knowledge.
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