I never wanted to give up and become cynical. It is better to work together with other people and believe in the future. Much healthier.

Barbro Sundback has believed in politics and peace for all of her working life, and she has seen politics and democracy as the only possible way to achieve justice and peace. A founding member of several peace groups on the Åland Islands she has also represented Åland internationally, and is not only a well-respected and popular member of Parliament, but also its speaker. She is chairperson of the Board of the Åland Islands Peace Institute, founded in 1992 by the Åland Islands Peace Association. She is also a member of the Peace Association-Emmaus.

Barbro Sundback (born 1945) has been a member of Parliament since 1979. She has also been deeply involved in peace education and peace building activities. She is chairperson of the Board of the Åland Islands Peace Institute, founded in 1992 by the Åland Islands Peace Association. The institute does both practical and theoretical work on security policy, minority groups, and issues relating to the Baltic Sea region. Barbro is also a member of the Peace Association-Emmaus which carries out actions to help prevent and resolve conflicts, including demonstrations and campaigns. Barbro says: "Getting involved in peace work was a long process for me. Politics came first. Then, I found the threat of a nuclear holocaust so frightening and so hopeless. I got involved in the peace marches through Europe in the 1980s and met so many different people who wanted to act for peace instead of shrugging their shoulders and doing nothing. I did not want to become cynical. It is healthier to have hope. With time I have come to think that the most important thing is the process of working together. The main obstacle to peace is the conception that war is somehow inevitable. That concept is built into the patriarchal structures of our society, and the people who uphold it are probably the ones who are themselves ready to use violence to achieve their goals. If you believe violence is a solution, it becomes one.”

Ålands fredsinstitut (Åland Islands Peace Institute) Emmaus Åland (Peace Association-Emmaus) Finnish Music Information Center (Fimic)