The Nordic Council of Ministers will integrate the cross-cutting perspectives of environment and climate, gender equality and children and young people. This will be achieved by mainstreaming the three perspectives into project and programme activities, and taking them into account in project design, implementation, and evaluation where relevant.
When writing the Nordic Council of Ministers’ project and programme description in connection with the design of projects and programmes, the cross-cutting perspectives should be reflected on and explored by asking yourself a set of questions. The questions include asking yourself whether your work has an impact on the environment and climate, gender equality, or children’s rights and young people, and whether adjustments can be made in planning and implementing your project or programme in order to mitigate any negative impact and promote any positive effects.
Understanding and exploring whether there is a relevant link between your project or programme and the cross-cutting perspectives may require some specialist knowledge in the three areas. For example, it is not obvious that there may be important links between projects or programmes aimed at improving gender equality in the Nordic Region and environmental impact. It is therefore a good idea to research reports on the topic or discuss with an expert colleague.
Once you have formed an initial idea and if the situation allows, you can go on to conduct a simple analysis. The analysis should be designed with a focus on feasibility. This can be based on your own knowledge and judgement, the questions presented in this guide (see below), or the more comprehensive analysis tool (in Danish) developed for the Nordic Council of Ministers.