A unique event in the art history of Latvia – an art work by the world-famous Norwegian artist Edvard Munch has been exhibited at the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre
Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre is offering a temporary display in Latvia of the original work “Portrait of advocate Ludvig Meyer” by the outstanding Norwegian artist E.Munch. This is the first time that an art work by the E.Munch is displayed in Latvia.
E.Munch is a famed Norwegian artist whose works are highly valued. Munch is one of the most renowned masters of the 19th century Symbolism and the 20th century German Expressionism.
Munch’s work “Portrait of advocate Ludvig Meyer” (1909) from the collection of Trondheim Art Museum will be exhibited at the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre from 21 April until 19 September 2017. It will be displayed next to the hall of Rothko’s works, thus providing for a symbolic meeting of two geniuses of art – Munch and Rothko.
This event is continuation of cooperation between Trondheim Art Museum and Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre implementing the Letter of Intent on cooperation between both institutions signed in 2016 within the Norway Grants programme „Capacity-Building and Institutional Cooperation between Latvian and Norwegian Public Institutions, Local and Regional Authorities”.
Munch’s work “Portrait of advocate Ludvig Meyer” (1909)
Experience Exchange Event in Norway on Institutional Cooperation Issues
On 2 – 5 April 2017 Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments in cooperation with Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities organised an experience exchange event in Norway on matters related to institutional cooperation with a focus on inter-municipal cooperation in providing public services.
During the event participants visited Hordaland County where they got introduced to current matters in the County as well as to its administrative structure and current entrepreneurship and cooperation projects.
Participants also visited other institutions – waste management company BIR, University of Bergen, as well as organisations Innovation Norway and Invest in Bergen.
The discussions, meetings and presentations during the visit provided diverse information about current challenges and possibilities in Norway.
The gained knowledge and experience about institutional cooperation was especially valuable because in Norway a very wind range of institutions is involved in cooperation – public structures, entrepreneurs, universities, professional schools and others.
Participants visiting the Hordaland County
Experience Exchange Event in Norway with representatives of Science Centres “ZINOO” in Latvia and Trondheim Science Centre in Norway
On 6 – 10 March 2017 Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments organised an experience exchange event in Norway with the aim of exchanging experiences and derive ideas for a new educational program.
During the event participants from Latvia were introduced to organisational side, methods and experiments at the Trondheim Science Centre. Representatives of both Science Centres also developed a description for a new educational program for children “Believe in Wonder!” to be implemented in Daugavpils Science Centre “ZINOO”.
As the participants from Latvia admitted, especially valuable was the gained experience participating in the practical activities together with visitors and experience exchange with the guides of the Trondheim Science Centre.
On 22 – 24 September 2016 an experience exchange visit to Norway took place with participation of representatives of Pļaviņas municipality, Zemgale planning region, NGO "Pļaviņas Entrepreneurship Association" and Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development.
The objective of the event was to provide an opportunity for representatives from Latvia to meet with representatives of Gjesdal and Times municipalities in Norway in order to promote mutual strategic cooperation.
The issues discussed during the visit were mainly related to role of municipalities in promoting entrepreneurship, including municipal support opportunities for social entrepreneurship, promoting lifelong learning and improving quality of professional education, providing work opportunities to risk groups of the population, municipal services for entrepreneurs, municipal infrastructure for promotion of entrepreneurship and local marketing activities.
The participants appreciated the exchange of experiences and opportunity to strengthen contacts with Norwegian partners and shared some ideas:
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Norway puts a great emphasis on achieving mutual balance among various economic sectors, as well as support for scientific development. These aspects are mutually dependant and an important contribution to the implementation of them is provided by politicians, business sector and NGOs.
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During the event a business start-up centre in Sandnes was visited. This centre offers free office space for half a year for the new entrepreneurs and provides a variety of support in any area in which the new entrepreneur needs by attracting competent experts and successful businessmen. It is an experience to be followed and implemented in Latvia!
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Rogaland region, which we visited during the event, has developed a strategic entrepreneurship support plan. This is a valuable experience which would be a great benefit for each of regions in Latvia as well.
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Norway has developed a concept for social entrepreneurship which includes into the labor market also the risk groups of the population, while the majority of the Latvian population is not yet aware of such type of business. To raise public awareness and promote social inclusion issues, it is necessary to take over the experience of countries where social entrepreneurship is a solution that has been operating successfully in a long term, for example, Norway.
- Latvian delegation during the meeting with Mayor and experts of Gjesdal municipality
The main benefit from the exchange of experiences for both parties was the strengthening of contacts and identification of possible joint future project scope among Latvian and Norwegian municipalities and NGOs.
Experience Exchange Visit to Norway on Issues Related to Public Water Management
On 17 – 19 October 2016 representatives of 6 Latvian local municipalities, Vidzeme planning region and Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development visited Norway in order to strengthen institutional and human–resources capacity in public water management and protection issues.
During the visit, information about the institutional responsibility for water management and the division of competences in Norway was obtained. In the meeting with the Norwegian Environment Agency information on the regulatory framework for water management, including experience in developing river basin management plans was provided, which are based on the OECD principles developed for public water management.
Latvian delegation met also with the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate and during the meeting issues of licensing procedures for water use in the production of electricity and measures to prevent the risk of flooding were discussed. During the visit Norwegian municipalities Spydeberg and Askim were also visited, exploring local current events and projects directly related to the public water management and protection with an emphasis on supplying inhabitants with water and sewerage services, aligning it with environmental protection. Participants from Norway and Latvia discussed numerous other issues relevant in both countries as well.
Local municipalities from Latvia and Norway participating in the experience exchange event were the ones who on 29 March 2016 in Riga signed a declaration confirming their intention to cooperate in the future in various fields, including also youth inclusion, promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation, tourism.
Experience Exchange Event on Issues of Asylum Seeker Resettlement, Reception and Socio-economic Inclusion Solutions
On 10 – 13 May 2016 representatives of Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments together with representatives of Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Latvia, Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs and representatives of Ropaži municipality visited Norway in order to explore practical aspects of Norwegian asylum seekers’ reception system, settlement and integration with a special focus on municipal responsibilities.
In the framework of the visit participants gained knowledge and diverse experience meeting Norwegian Ministry of Justice, Integration Directorate, NGO association Frivillighet, Education Quality Assurance Agency and Norwegian association of Local and Regional Governments, as well as visiting Gjevik municipality.
In Gjevik Latvian delegation met specialists of Norwegian Employment and Welfare Administration as well as participated in a site visit to juvenile refugee centre and asylum seekers reception centre in order to gain experience on practical aspects of the Norwegian asylum seekers’ management system.
Seminar on Mutual Complementarities of the Projects and Experience of Norway
On 29 April 2016 in order to ensure transfer of knowledge and best practise examples Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development in cooperation with Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities organised a seminar for project promoters of Norway Grants programme „Capacity-Building and Institutional Cooperation between Latvian and Norwegian Public Institutions, Local and Regional Authorities” (hereinafter – programme) and their partners.
Seminar was attended by state, regional and local level institutions, as well as experts in the field of regional development from Latvia and Norway. Participants shared experiences on similar and different regional development challenges in both countries and discussed possible ways of overcoming them. Discussions on public services provision and entrepreneurship promotion took place within two working groups.
Please see presentations of the seminar here
Visit of representatives of Latvian local governments to Norway
On 24 – 26 November 2015 political-level representatives of 7 Latvian municipalities visited Norway in order to enhance future strategic cooperation.
Visit of Latvian municipal leaders’ delegation began with visit to the Latvian Embassy in the Kingdom of Norway, during which a meeting with the Latvian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway Mr Indulis Ābols and head of the Latvian Investment and Development Agency Representation in Norway Mr Gatis Ginters took place.
The visit was continued in Østfold county, where delegates visited entrepreneurship support centre, as well as discussed number of issues significant for municipal cooperation: capacity of municipalities and development planning policy – opportunities, responsibility and support for development of entrepreneurship, youth entrepreneurship and initiatives support policy, as well as discussed other current issues related to municipal development (including expected administrative-territorial reform in Norway).
The event was held with support of the Fund for Bilateral Cooperation of the Norway Grants programme „Capacity-Building and Institutional Cooperation between Latvian and Norwegian Public Institutions, Local and Regional Authorities”.
Event for experience exchange and sharing practical examples of nature conservation in Norway
On 8 – 10 June 2015 representatives of Nature Conservation Agency as the Project Promoter of pre-defined project „Integration of specially protected nature territories of Latvia in spatial plans” together with colleagues from Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development participated in an experience exchange event in Norway.
Norway was represented by members of Oppland and More og Romsdal Regional councils, Norwegian Environment Agency, Norwegian Nature Inspectorate and Runde Environmental Centre.
During the event representatives of the Norwegian Environment Agency introduced with the principals of the Norwegian legislation for nature preservation and the Norwegian way of managing nature preservation. Participants were also introduced to practical examples of the development of Norwegian green infrastructure – technological solutions, construction, management and maintenance and collaboration with private investors on carrying out nature research projects.
The event was held with support of the Fund for Bilateral Cooperation of the Norway Grants programme „Capacity-Building and Institutional Cooperation between Latvian and Norwegian Public Institutions, Local and Regional Authorities”.
Latvian and Norwegian local strategic partnership (matchmaking) event and experience exchange seminar for strategic partnership promotion in Daugavpils
03.06.2015.
On 27 – 28 May 2015 in Mark Rothko Art Centre in Daugavpils (Latvia) an experience exchange event for promotion of cooperation between Latvian and Norwegian municipalities and establishment of strategic partnerships took place. The event was organized by Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development of the Republic of Latvia and Latvian and Norwegian associations of local and regional authorities.
The aim of the event – to provide an opportunity for Latvian and Norwegian political and administrative level representatives to meet in order to establish closer contacts and learn about mutual cooperation opportunities, particularly in the context of regional development, as well as to discuss revival of existing and establishment of new possible strategic partnerships. Representatives of 27 institutions from Latvian side and 14 institutions from Norwegian side took part in the event and shared their experiences, as well as future cooperation ideas.
More information about the event is available in the Facebook page of Norwegian Association of local and regional authorities.
The event was held with support of the Fund for Bilateral Cooperation of the Norway Grants programme „Capacity-Building and Institutional Cooperation between Latvian and Norwegian Public Institutions, Local and Regional Authorities”.
Seminar for the pre-defined Project Promoters and their Partners of the Programme „Capacity-Building and Institutional Cooperation between Latvian and Norwegian Public Institutions, Local and Regional Authorities”
02.10.2014.
On 30 September, 2014 in Rezekne, a seminar Progress of the Implementation and Synergy of the pre-defined projects within the Norway Grants Programme „Capacity-Building and Institutional Cooperation between Latvian and Norwegian Public Institutions, Local and Regional Authorities” was held.
The aim of the seminar: to inform institutions involved in the implementation of the Programme on progress of the pre-defined project implementation and discuss possible synergy of the activities carried out within the pre-defined projects.
Representatives of Programme Operator and Programme Donor Partner institution, pre-defined Project Promoters, as well as pre-defined Project Partners’ insitutions from Latvia and Norway took part in the seminar. Two experts from Oppland county in Norway were invited to share their experience and point of view – Deputy County Mayor Mr Ivar Odnes and International Advisor of the County Ms Turid Knutsen-Løvik.
Seminar was financed from the Fund for Bilateral Relations of the Programme.
Conference Innovations in Public Sector: From Ideas to Action
On 29 September, 2014 in Rezekne a conference Innovations in Public Sector: From Ideas to Action took place. The conference was organized by Royal Norwegian Embassy in Latvia and Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities – Donor Programme Partner of the Norway Grants programme LV07 “Capacity-Building and Institutional Cooperation between Latvian and Norwegian Public Institutions, Local and Regional Authorities” (hereinafter – programme LV07) in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development of the Republic of Latvia as the Programme Operator and Latvian Association of Local and Regional Authorities.
The conference addressed innovation practices in the public sector in Latvia and Norway, discussing challenges, experiences and opportunities from both perspectives.
The conference was co-financed from the Bilateral Relations Fund of the programmme LV07.
Image: pre-defined Project Promoters of the programme LV07, representatives of Lillehammer University and Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities discuss the role issues related to innovations in public sector.
Participation of experts in a conference Role of marketing activities for entrepreneurship promotion and investment attraction in local municipalities
15.04.2014.
On 11 April, 2014 Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development as a Project Promoter of pre-defined projects Implementation of regional policy actions in Latvia and elaboration of regional development measures and Increasing territorial development planning capacities of planning regions and local governments of Latvia and elaboration of development planning documents organized a conference about regional and local development planning and role of marketing activities for entrepreneurship promotion and investment attraction in regions and local municipalities.
Two experts from organization Innovangsjon (Norway) took part in the conference and shared their point of view and experience on issues related to promotion of development and innovative solutions for attraction of newcomers to their municipality Vang (Norway).
Conference was attended by development planning and entrepreneurship promotion specialists of local municipalities, representatives of planning regions, non-governmental organizations, experts and entrepreneurs.
Participation of the experts was ensured with support of the Bilateral Relation Fund of the Norway Grants programme LV07 „Capacity-Building and Institutional Cooperation between Latvian and Norwegian Public Institutions, Local and Regional Authorities”.
Image: pre-defined Project Promoters of the programme LV07, representatives of Lillehammer University and Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities discuss the role issues related to innovations in public sector.