Vice-Governor,
Members of the Duma,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Norway chairs the co-operation between the five Nordic countries in 2002. The co-operation include both parliamentarian and governmental co-operation, and our co-operation programme is titled "The Nordic region of the future". In this programme, we have decided to focus on three main areas:

• Children and youth
• Food safety
• Sustainable development

In putting children and youth at the top of our list of priorities, we underline the importance of this policy area. Quite simply, children and youth constitute our future, and creating good living conditions for them, will benefit our countries in the years to come. In our Nordic context, creating opportunities for children and youth to participate in culture, in society and to increase their knowledge of our common Nordic heritage are important objectives. We would also like to use Nordic co-operation to share and develop our experiences with living condtions for children and youth, especially those who have special needs. The framework for our efforts in this area is made up of a relatively similar legislative status for children in our countries, as well as the principles laid down by the United Nations in the Convention for the Rights of the Child.

With this in mind, we plan several activities during our chairmanship this year:

• Firstly, a conference where we have invited all government ministers whose field of work include children and youth. That include ministers of health, social affairs, family affairs, education, culture, legislation and Nordic co-operation. The conference will emphasise responsibilities and discussions on priorities. We would like to see this conference as a strong signal of political interest at high level, and an ackowledgement of the importance of the subject. The conference will take place on 14. August this year.
• Secondly, a Nordic initiative to combat racism and discrimination, by starting the project "Nordic youth – community and diversity". As our societies are more and more ethnically diverse, challenges as well as opportunities arise. We would like to build on the possibilities using cultural co-operation as a tool to achieve understanding between children and youth in our societies. Also, on a more sinister background, a seminar on Nordic co-operation to combat neo-nazism, xenophobia and racism will be arranged. The common approach is to use different experiences and understanding in each country to create common goals and strategies.
• Thirdly, a follow up on a series of reports published recently on the living conditions of children and youth in the Nordic countries. They focused on:
• • Children and youth with an immigrant background
  • Marginalised children and youth, and
  • Indicators on living conditions for children and youth

All the reports were well received when they were published in 1999, creating an updated base of knowledge for further research and application of results. The follow up in this area will consist of a special discussion among the ministers of health and social affairs on poverty at their annual meeting in June, and the aspects of destitute children. Furthermore, a network of researchers will be established to concentrate on the creation of a common set of indicators for living conditions for children and youth, emphasising a wish to monitor developments and identifying critical elements to combat poverty.

In our efforts, solidarity in the broadest sense is an underlying element. This implies that the difficulties experienced in living conditions for the people of Norhtwestern Russia is identified as a major goal for our co-operation in this region. The Nordic Council of Ministers has been present in the regions of St.Petersburg, the Republic of Karelia and the oblasts of Arkhangelsk and Murmansk since the middle of the 1990’s. Traditions of communication between Russia and the Nordic countries has taken place for centuries through an active exchange of goods, culture, language and people. Nowadays, the co-operation of the Nordic Council of Minister with Northwestern Russia is regulated by a strategy for co-operation with the so called "adjacent areas", consisting of the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and the parts of Northwestern Russia just mentioned. As the three Baltic states draw closer to EU membership, Nordic co-operation with Russia grows in importance. I expect that in the next few years we will see an increasing number of common projects.

Nordic co-operation with Northwestern Russia is already extensive. The main objectives are:

• Transferring knowledge of the Nordic welfare states
• Developing democracy and a well-functioning market economy
• Promote sustainable development, and
• Cultural exchange

Several projects have been started on this basis. They range from comprehensive programs of civil servants exchange and the combatting of infectious diseases to participation in the 300 years anniversary of St.Petersburg. Concern for marginalised groups like children and youth in distress, as well as attention to the principles of gender mainstreaming, underlie much of our activity.

In this context, I would like to attract your attention to all our programmes specifically concerned with children and youth. They are mainly found in the sectors of culture, education, health and social affairs. Their contents are based on transfer of competence, professional co-operation and the creation of networks, supporting the development of democratic institutions and an active and constructive group of NGO’s, as well as the exchange of books, TV-programs and persons through civil servants and youth exchange programs.

In the area of culture, programmes which activate children and youth both as recipients and participants are emphasised. Support is given to cultural organisations, and a dialogue between Nordic and Russian youth is encouraged. New networks are created, among them the Valhalla network which among other things supports an international childrens’ Film festival in St.Petersburg this spring.

In the area of education, the basis of co-operation are the concents of lifelong learning, democracy, values, visibility and quality. In the Russian context, special emphasis is put on children and youth at risk, creating projects on organisational developments and reform work.

In the health sector, activities the last few years have focused on combatting infectious diseases, primarily tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. A network of state scientist in Russia, the Baltic states and the Nordic countries has been established, and a newsletter is distributed regularly, both on paper and on the internet. Special attention is given to children and youth through special vaccination campaigns. Nordic co-operation also participates in the Public Health education which takes place at MAPS in St.Petersburg.

In the sector of social affairs, Nordic co-operation in the adjacent areas has concentrated on projects in the Baltic states. This will change over the next few years, with projects especially aimed at professionals in social work being planned. Creation of networks, competence transfer and exchange programmes will constitute the Nordic/Russian co-operation in this field.

However, I only mention these sectors as examples of our important co-operation in the field of children and youth. A new program, established in 1999, signals a new approach to our mutual efforts to improve living conditions for this group. Based on a parliamentary initiative, an Action Plan for Children and Youth in the Adjacent areas was created, and since the year 2000 a large number of projects, small and large, have been launched. The Action Plan and its background will be presented later in today’s program, but let me shortly outline why we consider the plan to be a useful example for further co-operation programs.

First of all, the plan has a cross-sectoral approach. This implies that since the lives of children and youth, or for that matter the lives for all of us, are not divided into sectors, and the measures we should use to improve conditions should reflect this diversity. By joining the sectors of culture, education, health and social affairs into one single programme, we feel it is possible to encompass a much larger part of the daily lives of children and youth. In order to qualify for support from this programme, a project application has to cover at least two of the sectors mentioned, thereby securing a wider approach than what has normally been the case.

Furthermore, this approach promotes professional co-operation across traditional sectorial borders in providing good services for children.

Finally, we put great emphasis on local participation, giving national reference groups the power not only to endorse, but also to decide what kind of projects that will be supported. This implies that the projects supported by the program will be in accordance with local priorities, thereby increasing the possibility of active local participation.

As I mentioned, the plan will be presented in more detail later today, but I would like to underline that this program already has supported no less than 71 projects in the regions covered by Nordic co-operation in Northwest Russia in the years 2000 and 2001.

The Norwegian chairmanship of Nordic co-operation is aware that life for children and youth in Northwestern Russia is challenging and hard, and that many children experience living conditions that lessen their quality of life, as well as their potential for development and welfare. Therefore, bearing in mind our priority for children and youth, we strongly support the development of the Action Plan.

Specifically, during our chairmanship we will support two projects in addition to the Action Plan. Firstly, a project combatting drug abuse among children and youth in Northwestern Russia and in Kaliningrad will be initiated, highlighting work concerning attitudes in schools and the training of staff for prevention and treatment.

Secondly, we will support a development towards a more locally and family-based care of children who can not live with their parents. Traditionally, such children are placed in large institutions where the possiblity of development based on the children’s own ressources are limited. As an alternative, we would like to develop competence and possibilities for children to grow up in smaller and safer environments, such as family-based foster care, or community-based villages. Two such projects, one of them with a special emphasis on handicapped children, are established in the Arkhangelsk region.

The emphasis of the Norwegian chairmanship on children and youth is not a one-year Nordic priority. With the support of the Nordic parliamentarians, the Nordic governments will contuinue to focus on children and youth. Special priority will be given to children and youth in need, but the general aim is to create better living conditions for the future – for all. The implication of our priority is perhaps best illustrated by the poster behind me – a group of eight young, smiling faces, each painted with the flag of her or his Nordic country or self-governed area, and the text: "Nordic Power – co-operation that creates the possibilities of the future".

Thank you for your attention.