West Nordic Council

The West Nordic Council (Danish: Vestnordisk Råd, for 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 West Nordic Council of parliamentary cooperation and received its present name in 1997.

Objectives

The founding Charter 24 September 1985 formulated the main objectives of the West Nordic cooperation:

  • Promotion West Nordic interests
  • Conservation of natural resources and culture in the North Atlantic
  • Support of intergovernmental cooperation, in particular in terms of resource utilization and environmental problems
  • Joint action in the Nordic Council, promoting West Nordic interests in the Nordic cooperation in general
  • Mediate between the other organs West Nordic cooperation
  • Fostering international parliamentary contacts, eg for Arctic Parliamentary Conference (Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region)

Members

Organization

The parliaments of the three member countries each send six representatives to the Council meeting.

The Council's work is organized by a three-member committee. The chairmanship rotates on an annual basis between the member countries, since August 24, 2011 he is at the Faroe Islands.

The daily affairs of the concerned employees to four years Secretary, currently Thordur Thorarinsson in parliament in Reykjavik. The three parliaments make their delegations a secretary available.

The most important meeting of the West Nordic Council is the Annual General Meeting, which takes place every year in August. It is performed as a thematic conference, that is, with a prepared of longer hand main topic.

Child and Youth Book Prize

Since 2002, the West Nordic Council commends a biennial Child and Youth Book Prize ( West Nordic Children's Literature Prize ) for Icelandic, Greenlandic and Faroese literature. In August 2012, the prize will be awarded for the sixth time, he is valued at 60,000 DKK ( 8.000 Euro ). The nominees are Kaassalimik oqaluttuaq ( history of Kaassali ) written by Lars- Pele Berthelsen and illustrated by Pia Falck Pape; Skriva í sandin (written in the sand ) of Marjuna Syderbø Kjelnæs; Með heiminn í vasanum ( With the whole world in your pocket ) of Margrét Örnólfsdóttir.

Previous winners all come from Iceland:

  • 2002: "The history of the blue planet " by Andri Snær Magnason, German edition ISBN 978-3-89603-271-3
  • 2004: The Angel in the western city of Kristín Steinsdóttir and Halla Sólveig Þorgeirsdóttir
  • 2006: A dog, a cat, a mouse of Bárður Oskarsson
  • 2008: Ghosts track of Kristín Helga Gunnarsdóttir
  • 2010: The last night of the year of Gerður Kristný, German edition ISBN 978-3-82707-497-3

Background

The member countries share a common history as possessions of the Norwegian and the Danish crown. Economically, they share common interests, as they are highly dependent on natural resources (especially fisheries and fossil mineral resources ) of their dependent territories.

The West Nordic Council exists independently of the Nordic Council, although all three member countries are also members there.

North Atlantic House
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