Minister Lehtomäki stresses developing countries’ own responsibility in alleviating poverty
Press Release 145/2004
16 June 2004
Paula Lehtomäki, the Finnish Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, took part in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) held in São Paulo, Brazil. She stresses each country’s own responsibility for its development and well-being. “Development aid can achieve the desired results only when developing countries themselves shoulder responsibility,” she states.
“Trade alone is not enough to raise developing countries from poverty. Also needed are wide political measures so that the trade of a developing country supports growth and increases well-being throughout the country,” Minister Lehtomäki continues. In Finland’s general address, the Minister especially emphasised the importance of a more even distribution of income, good governance and respect for human rights in reducing poverty.
Minister Lehtomäki also raised the perspective of equality with regard to development, pointing out that: “One of the keys to Finland’s success has been the equal opportunity available to men and women of all social backgrounds.”
Each country’s room to manoeuvre and to make national decisions has been one of UNCTAD’s central topics of discussion. “The right of all nations to work out solutions supporting their own development should be respected,” the Minister stresses. “This, however, cannot be done at the expense of jointly agreed commitments. It must also be remembered that solutions which are painful in the short term may be the ones which in the long term support growth,” she states.
The UNCTAD conference proceeded, according to Lehtomäki, in a reasonably positive spirit. Throughout the conference Finland has emphasised concentrating on the implementation of commitments that have already been made. “A conference of this type plays an important role in building confidence between developing and developed nations,” she claims.
Also important aspects of the conference are the many bilateral meetings, during which, for instance, the WTO negotiations have been discussed. In conjunction with the UNCTAD conference, Minister Lehtomäki has had meetings, among others, with the trade ministers of India, Morocco and Brazil. She will return to Finland in the early evening on Thursday, 17 June.
Further information: Press Attaché Anna Tonttila, tel. +358 40 5131 669