The Model and Background of National Dialogues

National Dialogues are a series of dialogues in which as many different people and communities as possible are invited to organise dialogues.

The National Dialogue model is not a political process and does not aim for unanimity or decision-making. Its purpose is to build understanding of societal issues through participants’ experiences.

Other Uses, Scaling, and International Perspective

The National Dialogue model can be freely applied and adapted. It can be targeted locally, within a specific sector, or expanded into an international dialogue series.

An example of an international dialogue series is the Borderland Dialogues, which take place in 2025-2026 in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.

If you wish to start a National Dialogue application, please contact us at kansallisetdialogit@gov.fi

Background and Resources of National Dialogues

Assignment

Minister Sirpa Paatero appointed a working group to prepare National Dialogues from 15 January 2022 to 31 May 2022.

The working group was tasked with creating a model for National Dialogues based on the practices developed in the Lockdown Dialogues, following OECD recommendations.

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