The anti-racism campaign recognises that racism exists in Finland and that it can and must be eliminated.
Racism is a social structure and attitude. Dismantling racism and creating more equal structures requires action and broad participation. People who want change cannot stand by and wait for it to happen.
With this in mind, the campaign encourages people and organisations to take concrete steps to dismantle racism in our society.
RACISM WILL BE ELIMINATED WITH ACTIONS – NOT DECLARATIONS
Racism is a systemic problem that can be rejected or reinforced through actions or omissions of varying degrees: by accepting or avoiding certain uses of language and being mindful of representation, when making recruitment decisions, and through various ways of working. Solemn declarations do not erase problems; dismantling racist structures requires deliberate action.
Racism means defining individuals or groups of people as inferior based on ethnic origin, skin colour, nationality, culture, native language or religion. Racism may be expressed in society in the form of discriminatory norms or practices, for example at work. It may appear as discriminatory behaviour between individuals and groups. Prejudice between individuals and groups and fear of the unfamiliar may provide a breeding ground for racism. Racism creates inequality, harming not only its targets but society as a whole.
The aim of the campaign is to provide genuine tools for confronting and dismantling racism in society.
GUIDED BY A COMMON COMMITMENT
The campaign challenges future allies to take concrete steps for bringing about change.
Campaign participants make commitments and select measures that are suitable for their organisations on the Sustainable Development Commission’s Sitoumus2050 online platform.
The Government invites everyone to join this campaign to build an equitable Finland. The campaign is part of the equality statement implementation project.
More information on the project is available on the Government website.
How to participate
The campaign is based on an umbrella commitment made by the Government in the Sitoumus2050 online service.
Campaign participants can add their commitments under the campaign’s umbrella commitment in the Sitoumus2050 service. Operators can use the service to choose measures they find suitable for their organisation, as well as add their own measures. The service also includes a reporting function for tracking the realisation of commitment measures.
An organization can make its own commitment on the Sitoumus2050 platform in Finnish, Swedish or English by joining the Finnish umbrella commitment. This way, the organization’s commitment will also be visible on the toimirasismiavastaan.fi website.
HOW TO GET STARTED WITH YOUR COMMITMENT
1. Start preparing your commitment
Read the content and learn the measures of the umbrella commitment. What could be suitable, concrete measures for your organisation to implement and track? Prepare a draft before you start using the Sitoumus2050 service.
2. Register as a user on the Sitoumus2050.fi website
Use your email address to register an account on the Sitoumus2050.fi website. You may also use your existing account. If your organisation has already been registered in the service but you have lost your username or password, please contact sitoumus2050@motiva.fi.
3. Join the campaign’s umbrella commitment
The umbrella commitment of the Government’s Anti-Racism Campaign is published in the Sitoumus2050 service. Organisations have the option to add their commitment and chosen measures to the umbrella commitment. An organization can make its own commitment on the Sitoumus2050 platform in Finnish, Swedish or English by joining the Finnish umbrella commitment. This way, the organization’s commitment will also be visible on the toimirasismiavastaan.fi website.
4. See the provided instructions on how to prepare your commitment
Below is a PDF file in Finnish with step-by-step instructions for joining the umbrella commitment, choosing your measures, configuring your metrics, and publishing your organisation’s commitment.
Contact details
The Prime Minister’s Office is responsible for planning and arranging the campaign. You can contact its team by emailing stro.vnk@gov.fi.
The campaign is coordinated by the state-owned sustainable development company Motiva Ltd. You can contact the Motiva team by emailing kampanjat@motiva.fi.
The hashtag #toimirasismiavastaan refers to the campaign on social media. Social media posts can tag the Finnish Government, the Prime Minister’s Office or Motiva.
The campaign supports the following UN Agenda2030 Sustainable Development Goals:
