The number of people born in the Nordic countries to parents with migrant backgrounds is growing, shaping a generation whose experiences differ from those of their parents. Raised in Nordic societies while influenced by their families’ migration histories, children of parents with migrant backgrounds are becoming an increasingly important part of the region’s democracies and welfare systems.

 This report summarises key discussions from the Annual Nordic Conference on Integration held in Helsinki in 2025, focusing on the well-being, participation, and opportunities of this growing group. Through political perspectives, research findings, expert insights, and examples of promising practices, the conference explored education, labour market participation, belonging, and the intergenerational effects of integration policies.

This policy brief argues that the digital transformation of marine spatial planning is primarily a governance challenge rather than a technical one. Whether digital tools and data support or undermine the inclusion of Indigenous and local communities in planning processes depends not on the tools themselves but on the intentions, assumptions and decisions that guide their use.

Drawing on findings from the "Local Knowledge in Marine Spatial Planning, Green Transition and Digital Transformation" project, this brief identifies seven key messages aimed at promoting the more just and equitable integration of Indigenous and local knowledge into increasingly digital marine spatial planning processes: (1) Implement MSP as a continuous, purpose-driven process; (2) Enhance capacity and reflexivity among planning authorities; (3) Establish clear institutional guidelines and roles; (4) Balance local and national interests through multi-level dialogue; (5) Design adaptive processes for engaging evolving communities; (6) Strengthen local collaboration through peer learning and data accessibility; (7) Facilitate regular exchanges between countries across the North Atlantic region.

This working paper explores psychological (or mental) resilience, the ability of individuals and communities to adapt to, withstand, and recover from shocks.

Drawing on Nordic research and policy, the paper takes an exploratory approach for understanding this relatively new policy term. It presents the concept and its links to preparedness and total security thinking. It also shows how serious gaming can be used as a tool for understanding the concept in action.

The paper shares insights from the Building Resilience game, a scenario-based exercise played at Nordregio Forum 2025, where policymakers and regional practitioners explored crisis decision-making in realistic community settings.

The publication includes a game handbook with five different scenarios and facilitation notes. Test the exercise yourself and reflect on resilience in your own context.

Honour-based violence and oppression constitute a violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms. This violence is based on patriarchal and heteronormative ideas and undermines both gender equality and the rights of LGBTI people. The purpose of this publication is to provide an overview of the work being done to combat honour-based violence and oppression in the Nordic region. The publication describes the strategic work being done in this area, focusing on how honour-based violence and oppression are defined, the problems and challenges that have been identified, and how the work to address these is organised. Furthermore, the publication contains an overview and analysis of national policy documents and other relevant material dealing with the vulnerability of LGBTI persons to violence, as well as a review and analysis of national criminal law legislation related to honour-related violence and oppression.

Hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck utgör en kränkning av grundläggande mänskliga fri- och rättigheter. Våldet bygger på patriarkala och heteronormativa föreställningar och motverkar både jämställdhet mellan kvinnor och män och lgbti-personers rättigheter.

 Syftet med denna publikation är att ge en samlad bild av arbetet mot hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck i Norden. Publikationen beskriver det strategiska arbetet på området, med fokus på hur hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck definieras, vilka problem och utmaningar som identifieras samt hur arbetet för att möta dessa är organiserat. Vidare innehåller publikationen en översikt och analys av nationella styrdokument och annat relevant material som behandlar lgbti-personers utsatthet för våld, samt en genomgång och analys av nationell straffrättslig lagstiftning kopplad till hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck.

The Nordic countries face growing linguistic diversity, and students with non-nordic language backgrounds show lower educational outcomes, making strong Nordic language skills essential for inclusion. Based on a research review and expert insights, this report highlights that language leaning requires a inclusive and safe environment for the students. Experts stress that inclusion requires tailored support, skilled teachers, and valuing plurilingualism, while both separate and joint classroom models can work depending on context. A coherent Nordic strategy, better data, and individualised plans are still needed to strengthen second-language learning for newly arrived students.

Att främja utveckling och goda livsvillkor i alla delar av landet är centrala delar i den svenska regional- och landsbygdspolitiken, men hur bör politiken bäst utformas för att möta många av de framtidsutmaningar som regioner och landsbygder står inför och vad kan vi lära av hur andra nordiska länder utformat sin regional- och landsbygdspolitik? Det övergripande syftet i denna rapport är att systematiskt kartlägga och belysa hur man valt att organisera arbetet med regional- och landsbygdspolitik i Danmark, Finland, Island, Norge och Sverige.

This report offers a comprehensive strategic analysis of the Nordic mining and minerals sector. It focuses on the unique strengths of the region, the current challenges it faces, and the opportunities that can be leveraged for future growth. By drawing on global market trends and conducting a holistic assessment of the value chain, the study demonstrates how enhanced Nordic collaboration and focused interventions can help ensure a sustainable supply of critical minerals for Europe.

The Gigabit infrastructure Act (GIA) is central to the European Union’s strategy for universal high-speed digital connectivity, as disparities in access – especially between urban and rural areas – persist. In the sparsely populated Nordic-Baltic region, the GIA holds particular promise: it can help close long-standing digital divides in rural, remote and cross-border communities, thereby unlocking regional development, economic revitalisation and digital inclusion.

While the GIA removes barriers and accelerates deployment, it does not require Member States to directly invest in broadband infrastructure. Instead, it obliges authorities to create a streamlined, transparent and coordinated regulatory environment that enables more efficient private-sector rollout. However, in a time of heightened geopolitical sensitivities and insecurities, the GIA’s ambitions for transparency, accelerated rollout and market-driven expansion must be reconciled with (cyber)security imperatives, such as those set out in the NIS2 Directive.

This brief explores how the countries of the Nordic-Baltic region can balance these objectives to deliver secure, future-proof and regionally inclusive connectivity.

The market for news media and journalism is undergoing rapid and far-reaching change. Digitalisation and globalisation have fundamentally altered the conditions for producing, distributing, and consuming news. At the same time, news media operate in societies marked by increasing political polarisation, economic uncertainty, more heterogeneous populations, and heightened geopolitical tensions. Together, these developments pose significant challenges for professional journalism and for the democratic functions it is expected to fulfil.  

Nordic news media are not insulated from these global structural shifts.

The purpose of this report is to describe and compare the markets for news media and their framework conditions in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden in 2025. Drawing on an extensive body of independent, publicly available, and quality-assured data, it offers a current, comprehensive, and empirically grounded overview of the Nordic news media sector.  

Nordic News Media Landscapes 2025 has been compiled and written by a project team at Nordicom and builds on Nordicom’s long-standing experience of documenting, analysing, and communicating developments in the Nordic media systems. We hope that the report will be of interest to scholars, journalists, students, industry representatives, and public officials engaged in media policy.  Nordicom is a centre for Nordic media research at the University of Gothenburg and a strategic partner to the Nordic Council of Ministers.

The Nordic region is frequently highlighted as an international role model for high living conditions, comprehensive universal welfare systems, and strong ideals of equality. This reputation can lead to the assumption that the risks associated with child poverty primarily concern other countries and welfare societies. However, recent developments have shown that a significant proportion of children in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden grow up in families with persistently low income, and that this risk is unevenly distributed.

This policy brief presents perspectives from Nordic local and regional sustainability experts and youth representatives on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, examining what is working, where gaps remain and actions needed to accelerate progress. It also outlines their priorities and expectations for the global sustainability framework beyond 2030. The aim is to ensure that their knowledge and experiences are reflected in future global development work, enabling more effective support for those driving sustainability on the ground.

The insights are drawn from focus group discussions and interviews, conducted as part of the “Sustainable Nordic Municipalities and Regions" project, implemented by Nordregio in collaboration with the Nordic local and regional government associations (LRGAs).

2025 was a year of change for Nordic Innovation and it was a year where our role as catalyst for new innovation projects was emphasized. It was the first year under the Nordic Co-operation Programme for Sustainable Growth 2025-2030, and the new innovation programs for 2025-2027. 

At the same time, the global landscape is shifting rapidly. Breakthroughs in technology are opening up new innovation opportunities, while changes in the geopolitical landscape are reshaping the need for new solutions and collaborations.   

This annual report highlights how these developments have reflected Nordic Innovation in 2025. From designing new innovation programs to initiating projects and innovation themes, the report shows how the organization continues to evolve and respond proactively to the changes happening both internally and around us.    

Enjoy reading it! 

The report summarizes the main discussion topics and conclusions of the European Indigenous Tourism Conference EITC 2025. It analyses good practices, new approaches, opportunities and challenges for Indigenous tourism in the European Arctic through four interconnected pillars central to fostering and strengthening Indigenous tourism: the relation of Indigenous tourism to place and land; storytelling as a vital part of decolonization; certifications and trademarks as tools for self-determination and business development; and collaboration and community inclusion as necessary steps to move forward. Moreover, the potential to connect tourism with crafts, art and design is discussed. The report supports destination management organizations and entrepreneurs in developing sustainable business solutions and assists policymakers in enabling Indigenous tourism futures to flourish in the Arctic.