WHAT IS THE HANAHOLMEN INITIATIVE?

The Hanaholmen initiative is a cross-sector bilateral crisis preparedness programme, which aims to strengthen civil defense in Sweden and Finland and promotes cooperation between the countries in preparedness for and handling of civil crises. The Hanaholmen initiative is carried out in collaboration with the Swedish Defence University and the Security Committee in Finland with the support from the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Foundation as well as the countries’ governments.​

The crisis preparedness programme started in 2021 to strengthen cross-sector bilateral cooperation within civil crisis preparedness and therefore involves all sectors of society in one and the same programme.

The programme builds on other existing sectoral collaborations such as the Haga collaboration in the rescue sector and the Svalbard collaboration in healthcare. The unique thing about the Hanaholmen initiative is that it is cross-sectorial and covers all parts of society, including civil society and the business world.

​HANAHOLMEN INITIATIVE EXECUTIVE EDUCATION PROGRAMME

The crisis preparedness programme is based on three pillars: knowledge, contact and coordination. ​

• Knowledge of the countries’ crisis preparedness systems, procedures and current issues. ​
• Personal contacts across sectors and borders. ​
• Identify opportunities for strengthened cooperation and coordination in the face of future crises. ​

During the course, a synthesis work is done which is presented at the high-level forum. The aim of the synthesis work is to identify development areas and advantages of effective bilateral cooperation. It is an advanced course aimed at key personnel from various sectors who are involved in strategic decision-making and who deal with civilian crisis management. The training consists of two modules (three days each), one of which takes place in Finland and one in Sweden. The course consists of 20–30 participants, evenly distributed between the countries and with different backgrounds.