Current affairs

The Finnish Foreign Service published its new UN strategy at SuomiAreena in Pori on 17 July. Speaking at the launch event, Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja stressed the importance of the new strategy to Finnish UN policy. The strategy will allow Finland to work more effectively and consistently to further its goals in the United Nations.

The Team Finland network began its operations abroad on 1 February. The Team Finland network consists of 72 teams around the world which bring together all Finnish authorities, publicly funded organisations and other key parties with ties to Finland. Each team has a work programme and a designated coordinator with information on the network's local activities and services.

Representatives of the focal points of the Group of Friends of Mediation gathered at the House of the Estates in Helsinki for a two-day meeting on 17 and 18 January. In all, 32 of the Group of Friends’ member countries and organisations arrived in Helsinki to share their experiences and discuss the Group’s future challenges.

On our Top 12 list of Finnish design that contributes to wellbeing: sauna, Moomins, Marimekko and a few surprises.

The national Ahtisaari Day will be celebrated on Thursday 8 November. This year, the main venue of the Ahtisaari Day will be Helsinki, and the programme will be divided into events intended for schools, the general public and experts.

The October 2012 Finnish local elections held a few surprises, but none of the drama of the 2011 parliamentary elections.

The UN General Assembly has voted on the member states to take up five non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council. The election took place in New York on 18 October. South Korea, Argentina, Rwanda, Australia and Luxembourg were elected. Finland was a candidate of the Western European and Others Group (WEOG).

Everyone talks about the weather, but Pacific islanders are now actually doing something about it. Storms, floods, droughts, heat waves, and other weather and climate hazards are responsible for huge numbers of fatalities and severe economic losses. If people are prepared, and warned in time, these losses can be considerably reduced.

Since 2010 the countries in the g7+ group have engaged in a dialogue between fragile states and donors on the very high risks in development and humanitarian aid activities in fragile states. As a result of the OECD sponsored International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding, the g7+ group made a commitment which led to a New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States. Finland became a supporter of the New Deal in 2012.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Finland’s national human rights situation was completed at Geneva during the 21st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on 19 September, when the plenary session of the Council adopted the UPR Working Group report on the review of the situation in Finland.