Demo Finland’s Strategy 2021–2025 describes the context and priorities of our work as well as the main objectives set for the strategy period.
Mission
The mission of Demo Finland is to be a co-operative organisation of the Finnish parliamentary parties that promotes the development of pluralist democracy, by supporting the competence of parties, their operating environment, and cross-party cooperation. Demo Finland is an expert of democracy support in Finland and internationally.
Vision
Demo Finland envisions a world where everyone has the opportunity to equally participate in democratic decision-making.
Objectives
Political parties are more programmatic, inclusive, and democratic
Demo Finland strengthens parties in terms of strategic thinking, political programming, ensuring inclusivity, and good command of the principles of democracy. Parties are provided with training for programmatic strategy work as well as supported to reinforce their internal democracy and their dialogue with civil society. This allows parties to better respond to the interests of their voters, draw up better policies, and to be accountable towards citizens.
Parties must promote access to decision-making for disadvantaged groups on various levels and ensure the political inclusion of women, young people, persons with disabilities, and minorities. Demo Finland encourages parties to develop strategies for the inclusion of underrepresented groups and provides support for the skills development of politicians belonging to such groups. Inclusivity improves the quality of decision-making and enhances the democratic nature of parties.
In Finland, Demo Finland promotes these objectives by strengthening parties’ youth and women’s organisations, providing its expertise to the parties, and creating opportunities for peer learning, both amongst the parties themselves and with parties in Demo Finland’s partner countries.
Political parties perform strengthened multi-party dialogue
Demo Finland strengthens the dialogue between parties to promote open political interaction. Successful dialogue leads to mutual respect and listening, as well as creates space for policies that take different views into account. Constructive political dialogue increases citizens’ confidence in representative democracy. Demo Finland supports its partners in facilitating dialogue and creates safe spaces for an ongoing dialogue between parties.
In Finland, Demo Finland reinforces the dialogue between parties particularly in terms of international cooperation and democracy support. Demo Finland trains Finnish politicians to become leaders of multi-party dialogue to allow them to provide their experience and competence for resolving political deadlocks in the partner countries of Finland. Multi-party dialogue is a means for building sustainable peace.
Finnish parliamentary parties’ commitment to democracy support
translates into policies
The spread and reinforcement of democracy around the world requires advocates and international cooperation. Finland and the European Union have made a commitment to support democracy internationally, but a value-based commitment may not be sufficiently translated into implemented policies. Demo Finland advances the democracy support policies of Finland and the European Union by offering its expertise to different authorities and decision-makers. Demo Finland brings added value to international cooperation by participating in the activities of different networks and highlighting the expertise of Finnish politicians. This added value provided by Demo Finland is particularly based on enhancing the inclusivity of the parties and their expertise on civil and political rights.
The reputation of Demo Finland as an expert on multi-party democracy will grow over the strategic period. Demo Finland’s expertise on democracy will be utilised more and its communication will reach a wider target audience. Demo Finland will be increasingly profiled as a foreign and security policy actor in Finland.
Download Strategy 2021–2025 here.
