UN Women Executive Director to visit Finland

Executive Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka will visit Finland on 4 February.

During her visit, the Executive Director will meet Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto to discuss, among other topics, 2020 as a crucial year for women’s rights and gender equality. It marks the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which is one the most important milestones for gender equality worldwide. It is also the 10th anniversary of the establishment UN Women.

In Finland, the Executive Director will attend a meeting of the main partner countries of UN Women. The meeting will be chaired by Under-Secretary of State Elina Kalkku, and it will discuss the global gender equality situation and the role of UN Women in promoting women’s rights.  

In 2020, UN Women will highlight women’s rights and gender equality with its Generation Equality campaign and two Generation Equality forums. These efforts are guided by the UN Secretary-General’s review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

UN Women is one of Finland’s main partners among the UN specialised agencies, and Finland is one of its biggest government contributors. Strengthening the rights and status of women and girls and promoting gender equality are emphasised in Finland’s foreign policy. Finland will chair the Executive Board of UN Women in 2020.

Inquiries: Tanja Leikas-Bottà, Counsellor, tel. +358 50 4087110 (visit), Eija Palosuo, Communications Officer, tel. +358 295 351 961 (interview requests)

The email addresses of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are in the format [email protected].