Foreningen Norden (Norwegian and Danish), Föreningen Norden (Swedish), Norræna félagið (Icelandic), Norrøna Felagið (Faroese), Peqatigiiffik Nunat Avannarliit (Greenlandic) and Pohjola-Norden (Finnish), ''The Norden Associations'', sometimes referred to as ''The Nordic Associations'' are
non-governmental organisations in the
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...
promoting civil cooperation between the Nordic countries. Established since 1919, there are Norden Associations in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
,
Norway,
Denmark (including
Southern Schleswig),
Finland,
Iceland,
Greenland, the
Faroe Islands and
Ã…land. Since 1965 these national branches are grouped in an umbrella organisation Foreningene Nordens Forbund (FNF), ''The Confederation of Norden Associations''. The co-operation between the Nordic countries include projects such as
Nordjobb, Nordic Library Week and Norden at the Cinema.
History and mission
The first three Norden Associations were established in Denmark, Norway and Sweden in 1919, soon followed by Iceland (1922) and Finland (1924). Associations were later set up also in autonomous areas of the Faroe Islands (1951), Ã…land (1979) and Greenland (1991).
All Norden Associations have a common aim at promoting Nordic co-operation. This includes nurturing the sense of cultural affinity and, especially in the past, lobbying for open borders in the region. Typical activities are related to awareness raising about language, culture and social conditions in the Nordic countries. The sections publish quarterly magazines ''Magasinet Norden'' in Norway, ''Nordens Tidning'' in Sweden, ''Norden Nu'' in Denmark and ''Pohjola-Norden'' in Finland.
Associations are responsible for a range of cultural events including the annual literary festival Nordisk bibliotekuke which was organised in conjunction with the PR-Foreningen for Nordiske Biblioteker up to 2009.
The festival was accompanied by an annual teddy bear event for children with a bear provided by
Bukowski Design of
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
.
The Confederation of the Norden Associations
The Confederation of the Norden Associations is an umbrella organisation for the national Norden associations and the Youth League of the Norden Associations (FNU). It also co-operates with Eesti Põhjala Ühing (the Norden Association in Estonia), Biedrība Norden Latvija (the Norden Association in Latvia) and the Norden Association in Petrozavodsk. The Confederation coordinates the joint interests of the national associations, aiming at disseminating knowledge of language, culture, history and society between the Nordic countries.
Fields of cooperation include the job exchange program
Nordjobb and
town twinning between Nordic countries.
The Norden Association was a proponent for the establishment of the
Nordic Council
The Nordic Council is the official body for formal inter-parliamentary Nordic cooperation among the Nordic countries. Formed in 1952, it has 87 representatives from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden as well as from the autonomou ...
, a political cooperation organisation.
Regional Nordic Associations
References
External links
*
The Norden Association and the Confederation of Norden Associations at ''norden.org''Foreningerne Nordens ForbundYouth League of the Norden Associations (FNUF)Foreningen Norden in DenmarkNorræna félagið in IcelandFöreningen Norden in SwedenPohjola-Norden in Finland
{{Authority control
Organizations established in 1919
Nordic organizations