Foreign Ministry reforms to take effect from 1 May
The Foreign Ministry is continuing to press ahead with a series of internal reforms of its management, working methods and organisational development. The move has been underway following the submission of a report by Parliament in summer 2001 concerning the new challenges facing the Foreign Service. The Ministry’s work received strong political backing, but with the stipulation that it improves its internal running. This challenge has been met.
Changes to the Foreign Ministry’s working methods and organisation will take effect from1 May, at the same time that the new government starts work. The new structure of the Ministry will improve the requirements for guiding the political leadership.
Less hierarchy
The reforms will reduce the Ministry’s hierarchical levels by ending the divisional structure within the political, external economic relations and development policy departments. In future the basic organisational structure will be made up of departments and their subordinate units, the responsibilities of which will increase in scope. The present regional divisions and the Division for Global Affairs will be changed to departments, so that their role and responsibilities will become clearer. At the same time, the guidance provided by the departments to the missions abroad will be made more effective. These changes will help prepare the way for the work of Finland’s next EU Presidency term.
New departments responsible for the consistency of country-specific foreign relations
The work of the new departments will highlight responsibility for Finland’s foreign relations as a whole, as well as the consistency of the political sectors within different regions and international organisations. At the same time, it will make an input in the areas of country-specific knowledge, guidance of foreign missions and expertise on multilateral activities – especially the UN organisation. In addition to their own areas of responsibility, the departments will also be a central cooperative link in international issues with different areas of government administration and with other partners.
The political, external economic relations and development policy departments will be responsible for the compatibility of their own political sector and their tasks concerning security, external economic relations and development policy fields.
New operational culture
The new organisation also presupposes the streamlining of working methods. There will be special emphasis on the cooperation, information exchange, networking, teamwork and flexible division of labour between different actors in the Ministry. The new structure will highlight the responsibilities and the roles of the departments and units and their officials. The management of the Ministry will take an active part in these reforms.
Department for Development Policy
The change in name of the Department for International Development Cooperation to the Department for Development Policy reflects the change in working methods and role of traditional policy departments. The new department will be responsible for the overall planning and follow up of development work and the incorporation of development policy lines within the work of the Ministry.
Streamlined administration
The management of the Foreign Ministry have started a programme to look into the administrative activities and working methods of the Ministry. The aim is to streamline the work of the Ministry and its foreign missions, and, over time, to enable the transfer of resources from supportive to core activities.
Further information: Secretary of State Secretary a.i. Arto Mansala, tel. [+358-9] 160 55020; Head of Unit Ari Rouhe, tel. [+358-9] 160 55677; and Adviser Pekka Puustinen, tel. [+358-9] 160 55029.