Finlande

The areas of emphasis in the FIIA's research are: Finnish foreign and security policy, EU foreign and security policy, The enlargement of the EU, Democracy and globalization: dialogue between the EU and Africa, The security of the Nordic-Baltic region, Russia and the EU, The Taiwan question, China’s transforming society. The Middle East project concentrates on Arab reforms and external influence on Middle East.

Projects: Red Card for Racism, Discrimination Free Zone, Mamanet Sports for Immigrant women, Sports for Sustainability, P.L.A.Y! Peer Education, Leadership, Action, Youth - Promoting grassroots sport for educational success and social inclusion

EDUFI promotes internationalisation in education and training, working life, cultural field and among young people through international cooperation and mobility programmes as well as with a range of other activities.

The underlying principle is to support activity and participation among refugees. Project beneficiaries are involved in project activities from the planning phase onwards, in order to ensure that they identify with them and feel like their needs are paid attention to. FRC’s work abroad concentrates on the realisation of fundamental rights of refugees during refuge and after the repatriation process is over. Activities enhance poverty reduction and empowerment through education. Peace and Building People who have run away from a crisis are in great need of education. Return to war torn areas is difficult and help is needed, not only in basic skills training and the reconstruction of infrastructure but also in restarting peaceful cohabitation amongst communities. Currently FRC focuses primarily on adult education. The syllabus includes topics on health, hygiene, environmental protection and civic rights in addition to reading, writing and arithmetic. The majority of participants are women because their level of education and their status in refugee settlements and returnee communities are inferior to those of men. Currently the FRC works with refugees and returnees in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Thailand. In Finland, the Refugee Council's social and educational work with immigrants and refugees started in the late 1990s. At the moment, the Finnish Refugee Council has offices in Finland in Helsinki, Tampere and Turku. Support for organizations, peer support, good living, courses that ease everyday problems, influence and information - this is all part of the work of the Finnish Refugee Council in Finland. The organization incubator is a project that offers information and support to immigrants for founding and running NGOs. The Kotilo-project develops tools for better living and helps solve conflicts between neighbors. Face to Face offers immigrants a possibility to handle personal questions in peer support groups. The VertaisKoto project develops a new model for refugee integration, coupling informative courses and peer support. The Finnish Refugee Council spreads information about refugee- and immigrant -related topics and publishes the magazine Pakolainen(Refugee). The Finnish Refugee Council partakes in discussion and policymaking on refugees and immigration. An essential basis for the work of the Refugee Council is broad cooperation with other NGOs and officials. The Finnish Refugee Council awards each year the title of Refugee Woman of the Year to a woman who has found an active place in Finnish society despite the burden of a refugee existance.

Main Projects/Activities The Great Volga River Route –project: this project was approved as an ICT cross-cutting project during the 32nd UNESCO General Conference and aims to address issues and provide solutions to the UN Millennium Development Goals; serve as a follow-up initiative to the Johannesburg World Summit for Sustainable Development in 2002 and to the final recommendations and documents of the World Heritage Youth Forum; serve as a concrete contribution to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014); explore further and develop the effective use of ICTS to improve quality education.

With the help of Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland we run a development project in Lebanon "Mental health fir groups with complex needs: A multidisciplinary model combining client centered and community approaches, North Lebanon. This project is based on the sponsorship program of FAFS, running since 1982. These activities we implement in close cooperation with Finnish Psychologists for Social Responsibility (FiPSR).

We publish our FAFS-journal twice a year in spring and in autumn. The autumn journal is made in cooperation with the Finnish Peace Committee. For reports we have Reports-serie (http://akys.kapsi.fi/wordpress/raportit/) We have web pages www.akys.fi and facebook account https://www.facebook.com/akystiedotus. We are active in politics, too.

We cooperate with other Finnish NGOs, which work for Palestine. We write petitions and we send letters to policy-makers. FAFS supports in Gaza the medical emergency work of Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS) and in WestBank, Betlehem, a psychosocial project together with Amjaad Community Development.

FOKUS has organized a CULTURE FORUM every other year. In 2006 Forum focused on Dialogue between cultures and religions, especially islam and christianity. 2008 topic was Identity and 2010 Migration and in 2012 Images of Virgin Mary in christianity and other religions. Forums are a meeting place for new ideas and different interest groups from artists to scientists. IMAM TRAINING -project 2012-2013: a survey conducted in co-operation with Finnish muslim umbrella organizations to find out the present demand for education among imams working in Finland. A follow-up project will search into the dimensions and composition of an educational programme for muslim spiritual workers in Finland – both male and female. UNAOC INTERFAITH HARMONY WEEK (2011-): facilitating and coordinating the planning and communications for the Finnish events. GLOBAL ETHIC -project: exhibition and teachers material 2009-2010. Together with the Global Ethic Foundation from Germany. Exhibition has been touring schools, congregations and ngo's during the past years. Publications: INTERFAITH DIALOGUE - tool kit for educators (published 2010) At the Center of the Sacred. Religions and Cultures – from Confrontation to Genuine Dialog. 2006 Culture Forum's material. (published 2007) EXHIBITIONS: Undocumented migrants in Europe: seminars and exhibition about immigrants coming outside Europe and living without papers in EU (2010 and 2011). Photo Exhibition by Katja Tähjä and Kaisa Viitanen. Architecture and The Sacred. Exhibition about Finnish Church architecture compared to European styles. 2000. Global Ethic. Since 2006 in co-operation with Stiftung Weltehtos.

Main activities include archeological projects (typically 2 to 3 going on every year), student courses, colloquiums, lectures, panel discussions, exhibitions, concerts, film screenings, book launches etc.

Regular Finnish Colloquiums of Middle East and North African Studies, visiting fellow programme, publication of the bilingual electronic article series Levant Letters, yearly courses for Finnish university students, concert tours in Lebanon of Finnish musicians.