Nordic UBI Declaration – Presentation
Global challenges
Humanity is living in dangerous times. We face pandemics, actions that endanger the climate and devastate nature, such as the destruction of micro-organisms. Further, neoliberal policies produce democratic deficits, inequality, poverty and severe socio-economic problems worldwide, such as social unrest and conflicts.
The current corona pandemic has severely affected people's means of subsistence. Hundreds of thousands of employees have been excluded from their work, small and solo contractors, as well as artists have seen their work opportunities vanish. They have not been met with genuine social services, but may have to share the stigma and experiences of hundreds of thousands of people who have experienced “social security services” for years with heavy control, social exclusion, feeling that their human rights have been trampled upon.
The Nordic welfare state has given the Nordic countries worldwide fame. A hallmark of the Nordic welfare states has initially been its universality.
The profound changes brought about by the neoliberal economic culture, globalisation and digitalisation have badly distorted the original nature of the Nordic welfare state leading to increasing injustices. Many persons have become innocent victims of this development. This is in violation of fundamental values guaranteed by the Nordic constitutions such as human integrity and dignity (an expression of personal autonomy), as well as general human rights.
An important means of meeting the challenges posed by today's societal changes is to restore universality in the form of a universal basic income. This will give leeway for self-organising processes that can respond to many challenges faced today and bring democracy closer to everyone.
Governments are increasingly called upon to act on societal problems we face today. To this end we have prepared a pamphlet where we, members of the Nordic networks of the Basic Income Earth Network, BIEN, request that the Nordic countries should live up to their former reputation by introducing a universal basic income and to also show a roadmap for a more just and sustainable world and a democratic economy.
Vivan Storlund
Jouko Hemmi
đź•‚Director Marketing (emeritus) within Iceland's Travel Industry in EgilsstaĂ°ir đź•‚Organizer in charge of the Nordic UBI Day preceding the BIEN Congress August 2018 đź•‚Co-founder and secretary of the Basic Income – Cornerstone of the Nordic Welfare State project
