Finland held the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2016. The main common themes of the year were Water-Nature-People. The cultural programme of the Ministry of Education and Culture was constructed around the theme of People. 
 

The starting point for the cultural programme for the year were the five holistic themes of the cultural cooperation strategy for 2013-2020 the Sustainable Nordic Region, the Creative Nordic Region, the Inter-cultural Nordic Region, the Young Nordic Region and the Digital Nordic Region. During the period of the Presidency emphasis was placed on the project packages that were live during the period of the Presidency, and some of these projects were continuations of projects begun during previous Presidencies. On the cultural sector, particular emphasis was placed on the Digital Nordic Region - an Open Nordic Region theme and that all residents of the Nordic countries, including those recently arrived, should feel themselves at home in the Nordic countries and should also experience the Nordic culture as their own.

During the year of Finland’s Presidency, two meetings of the Nordic Council of Ministers for Culture, and four meetings of the Nordic Committee of Senior Officials for Culture were held. In addition, within the framework of the Presidential year’s programme, eight conferences or other events were organised on topics such as the impact of digitalisation on collections management in the museum sector, cultural freedom of expression, architecture as a Nordic cultural resource, the interest of children and young people in artistic and cultural activities, ways of preventing on-line hate speech and diversity and sustainable development as part of Nordic cultural policy.

http://www.minedu.fi/OPM/Julkaisut/2017/puheenjohtajuusvuosi_kulttuuri.html?lang=en