BREAKING NEWS: NORDIC SAFE CITIES ARE OPENING AN OFFICE IN OSLO
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Udgivet: 09 Oct - 2024
The main focus of the new office will be to strengthen the work of the organisation’s many Norwegian member cities.
Increasing polarization and various forms of extremism have created a greater need for safety in Norway, both on a national level, but also especially locally.
The news about the opening of the new office are therefore being received very positively by Julianne Ferskaug (Liberal Party), Vice Mayor for Social Services in Oslo Municipality.
– Oslo municipality’s membership in Nordic Safe Cities is important. Through the network, we gain access to new knowledge and a community with 20 other Nordic cities. We hope that Nordic Safe Cities’ new office in Oslo will help to further strengthen Norwegian municipalities’ work in preventing radicalisation, extremism and hatred, she says.
Strengthening the cities and building bridges
The new office’s main focus is precisely on strengthening the cities’ work with democracy and the prevention of local extremism and polarization both online and in physical spaces.
The office will be managed by Ingvild Endestad, our Head of Tech and Democracy, with support from Kine Aure Nilsen, Program Lead.
– The democratic challenges we face are complex. If we are to prevent extremism and alienation, we must build bridges between people and authorities, between minority and majority and cooperate across both sectors and national borders, says Ingvild Endestad, and continues.
– Since its inception in 2020, Nordic Safe Cities has connected cities across the Nordic region, exchanged knowledge and created more than 50 initiatives and events. With an office in Norway, we hope to be able to gather even more.
Increasing polarization calls for extraordinary measures
Nordic Safe Cities work in Norway began 2020 in collaboration with Gjensidigestiftelsen. Since then, Sparebankstiftelsen has also joined the collaboration, and today 11 Norwegian cities are part of the alliance.
– We have collaborated on more than 15 initiatives that develop democratic engagement in cities across Norway. Nordic Safe Cities’ network, knowledge and tools to increase social cohesion and secure democracy have had a significant influence in Norwegian local communities, and we look forward to an expanded collaboration, says Ingrid Tollånes, Director of Philanthropy at Gjensidigestiftelsen.
This week, Nordic Safe Cities brings together cities, researchers and civil society actors in the LGBT+ field in the Nordics for a large workshop aimed at
– We see the need to meet some of the challenges we face together. Therefore, we are gathering the most important actors to create a joint plan for safer local communities for the queer population, Endestad says.
The opening of the new office will be celebrated at a reception at Oslo Town Hall on Thursday the 10th of October at 5.30 pm.