The Advisory Board for Organizations promotes cooperation
Helsinki has been developing city-wide cooperation with civil society organizations since 2023. That same year also saw the launch of the Advisory Board for Civil Society Organizations, which serves two-year terms. The Advisory Board comprises a diverse group of representatives from various organizations, elected officials, and city experts in civil society cooperation.
The Advisory Board’s mission is to promote organizations’ opportunities for participation and influence, to highlight the organizations’ perspectives through proposals, statements, and opinions, and to foster cooperation between the city and the organizations, as well as among the organizations themselves, in Helsinki.
Latest News from the Advisory Board on Organizations
The Advisory Board for Organizations has drawn up an action plan for 2025–2027. The key themes of the action plan are a safe Helsinki for everyone, collaborative structures, the role of organizations in preventing segregation and inequality, and volunteer work.
In the spring of 2026, the Advisory Board for Organizations reviewed, among other things, the current state of the city’s cooperation with immigrant organizations and religious communities, discussed the structures for cooperation with civil society organizations within the City Executive Office, and addressed the city’s preparedness and cooperation with civil society organizations. In addition, the Advisory Board for Organizations has actively participated in the spring HYTE negotiations(Link leads to external service), and the results of these negotiations have also been discussed by the Advisory Board. The Advisory Board for Organizations has also sought to hear from the police regarding urban safety and to discuss cooperation with the police.
Members of the Advisory Board have participated in the development of the city’s substance abuse strategy and the reform of the city’s model for participation and interaction and have networked with other advisory boards in the Uusimaa region.
Representatives of the organizations on the Advisory Board have spoken from the perspective of the groups they represent, including youth organizations, cultural organizations, senior citizens’ organizations, safety and preparedness organizations, immigrant organizations, and child and family organizations. These presentations will continue in the fall from the perspectives of various organizational groups. Topics to be addressed in the fall include the role of organizations in preventing segregation and inequality, as well as the situation of Swedish-speaking organizations in Helsinki. Government budget cuts affecting organizations are a cause for concern among Helsinki-based organizations, and the Advisory Board for Organizations is also monitoring the operating conditions of these organizations.
More information about the Advisory Board for Organizations
Organizations based in Helsinki can contact their organization representatives if they wish to collaborate with the Advisory Board for Organizations or learn more about its activities. You can easily find the contact information for the appropriate organization representative on the Advisory Board’s website(Link leads to external service). The website also contains the Advisory Board’s meeting materials, memos, and statements.
If you would like to receive up-to-date news about the Advisory Board for Civil Society Organizations and other developments in the city’s cooperation with civil society organizations via email, subscribe to the City Executive Office’s newsletter for civil society organizations: jarjestoyhteistyo-kaupunginkanslia.hel.fi(Link leads to external service)