Nordic Youth Council (UNR) / Ungdomens Nordiska Råd (UNR)

Country: Denmark, Finland, Fareoe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Åland (All of the Nordics) 

Duration: Elected board has a one-year mandate, no limit on mandate periods. 

Procedure for involvement: Elected by the UNR annual session. 

Specific Criteria:  

• Members of and nominated by member organizations. 
• Each umbrella organization in the UNR has one position on the board, to ensure political balance in the executive. Member organizations are political youth organizations in all the Nordic countries with representation in the national parliament or the equivalent. 
• Age limit based on each national organization’s own statues, board members mainly 18-29. 

Description: 

The Nordic Youth Council (UNR) is a politically independent organization that brings together young politicians and civil society activists from across the Nordic countries. Its main goal is to discuss and promote shared ideas and policies to Nordic policymakers. 

The UNR’s members are political youth organizations from the Nordic countries. These are the political youth organizations of parties represented in national parliaments or equivalent bodies in the Nordic countries. This ensures that the UNR represents the entire political spectrum, with voting power mirroring that of the Nordic Council. 

The UNR also includes politically independent youth organizations as observers. These observers have speaking rights and can propose initiatives. Observers are youth organizations that operate within the Nordic sphere. 

The UNR holds an annual session once a year. During this session, members discuss and decide on issues to push for in the coming year. They also elect a president and a board of young people from all Nordic countries. During the session representatives of the member organizations vote on policies and in elections, and only policies that pass wide political acceptance across the political spectrum are adopted. 

The UNR board meets live in connection with the Nordic Council committee meetings, usually the weekend before, and then attends those committee meetings. Beyond these in-person gatherings, the board holds monthly online meetings. 

The UNR is an official partner and observer of the Nordic Council. This means that UNR board members participate in the Nordic Council’s sessions and committees, where they have speaking rights. They use this platform to present initiatives from the UNR’s annual session, encouraging Nordic parliamentarians to adopt youth-friendly policies. 

The UNR has been instrumental in advocating for various initiatives that have become Nordic policy. Some notable examples include 

• A Nordic Youth Climate Fund, which was implemented through the Nordic Youth Pool for Climate and Biodiversity. 

• Free mobility within the Nordics. 

• Transferability of student benefits. 

• Nordic IDs. 

• Initiatives related to recycling and fast fashion. 

• A Nordic Interrail program. 

• Improved mental health services. 

Many of these ideas have been adopted by parliamentarians and transformed into official Nordic policy, demonstrating the UNR’s significant influence. 

Source:  https://unginorden.org/