West Nordic Council
The West Nordic Council ( Dan. : Vestnordisk Råd , everyone. : Útnorðurráðið , isl. : Vestnorræna ráðið , Kalaallisut : Nunat Avannarliit Killiit Siunnersuisoqatigiiffiat ) is an economic, political and cultural cooperation forum of the parliaments of Iceland , Greenland and the Faroe Islands . The organization was founded in 1985 as the West Nordic Council for Parliamentary Cooperation and received its current name in 1997.
aims
The founding charter of September 24, 1985 formulates the main goals of western Nordic cooperation:
- Promotion of western Nordic interests
- Preservation of natural resources and culture in the North Atlantic
- Support for government cooperation, particularly with regard to resource utilization and environmental problems
- Working together in the Nordic Council , promoting western Nordic interests in Nordic cooperation in general
- Mediation between the other organs of western Nordic cooperation
- Maintaining international parliamentary contacts, e.g. As the Arctic Parliamentary Conference ( Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region )
Members
| country | houses of Parliament | Board member |
|---|---|---|
 Faroe Islands
|
Løgting | Kári P. Højgaard , chairman |
 Greenland
|
Inatsisartut | Hans Enoksen , 1st Vice Chairman |
 Iceland
|
Althing | Guðjón S. Brjánsson , 2nd Vice Chairman |
organization
The parliaments of the three member states each send six representatives to the council meetings.
The work of the council is organized by a three-person presidium. The chairmanship changes annually between the member countries; since August 24, 2011 it has been with the Faroe Islands.
The day-to-day business is handled by the four-year general secretary, currently Thordur Thorarinsson in Parliament in Reykjavík . The three parliaments provide a secretary for their respective delegations.
The most important meeting of the West Nordic Council is the general assembly, which takes place every year in August. It is carried out as a thematic conference, i. H. with a main topic that has been prepared for a long time.
Children's and young people's book award
Since 2002, the West Nordic Council has awarded a children's and youth book award ( West Nordic Children's Literature Prize ) for Icelandic, Greenland and Faroese literature every two years . The prize is endowed with 60,000 DKK (a good 8,000 euros).
The previous winners are:
- 2002: "Sagan af bláa hnettinum" by Andri Snær Magnason ( Iceland )
- German: The story of the blue planet , translated by Andreas Blum, illustrated by Lisa S. Rackwitz, Leiv, Leipzig 2007, ISBN 978-3-89603-271-3 .
- 2004: "Engill í vesturbænum" ( The Angel in the West City ) by Kristín Steinsdóttir and Halla Sólveig Þorgeirsdóttir ( Iceland )
- 2006: "Ein hundur, ein ketta og ein mús" ( A dog, a cat, a mouse ) by Bárður Oskarsson ( Faroe Islands )
- 2008: "Draugaslóð" ( ghost trail ) by Kristín Helga Gunnarsdóttir ( Iceland )
- 2010: "Garðurinn bei mál og menning" by Gerður Kristný ( Iceland )
- German: The last night of the year, translated by Karl-Ludwig Wetzig, Bloomsbury, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-8270-5478-4 .
- 2012: "Kaassalimik oqaluttuaq" ( The story of Kaassali ) by Lars-Pele Berthelsen ( Greenland )
- 2014: "Tímakistan" ( Time Box ) by Andri Snær Magnason ( Iceland )
- 2016: "Hon, sum róði móti ælaboganum" ( You who rowed across the rainbow ) by Rakel Hemsdal ( Iceland )
background
The member countries share a common history as possessions of the Norwegian and Danish crowns. Economically, they share common interests, since they are highly dependent on the natural resources (especially fishing grounds and fossil mineral resources) of their territories.
The West Nordic Council exists independently of the Nordic Council , although all three member countries are also members there.
See also
- Nordatlantens Brygge , joint cultural center of the North Atlantic countries in Copenhagen
- Hoyvík Agreement , Free Trade Area
Web links
- West Nordic Council Official Website (English, Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Greenlandic)
- Nordatlantens Brygge Cultural Center of the North Atlantic Countries in Copenhagen (English, Danish)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Charter og Rekommandationer Website of the West Nordic Council, accessed on February 24, 2018 (Danish)
- ↑ The Vestnordiske Børne- og Ungdomslitteraturpris website of the West Nordic Council, accessed on February 24, 2018