Current affairs
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5.3.2024
Opening speech by the Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen at the LDC Future Forum in Helsinki
Distinguished Ministers, Under-Secretary General, Permanent Representatives, Excellencies, dear Guests,
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4.3.2024
Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General.
55th Session of the UN Human Rights Council: General Debate, ITEM 2 Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General. Statement by Finland, 4 March 2024
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29.2.2024
Item 2: Interactive dialogue on the report of the High Commissioner on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice
55th session of the Human Rights Council: Item 2: Interactive dialogue on the report of the High Commissioner on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice. Statement by Nordic and Baltic States, 29 February 2024
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26.2.2024
Statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen at the High-Level Segment of the United Nations Human Rights Council's 55th session
Statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen at the High-Level Segment of the United Nations Human Rights Council's 55th session on 26 February 2024.
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26.2.2024
Foreign Minister Valtonen consults civil society organisations as Finland prepares for UN Human Rights Council session
In accordance with established practice, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs invited civil society organisations (CSOs) to comment on Finland’s activities at the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council on 12 February. Representatives of more than 40 CSOs participated in a discussion with Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen. The discussion focused on the rights of children and the safety of civilians in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan as well as on increasingly narrow civic space in countries such as Belarus, Iran, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
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26.2.2024
Foreign Minister Valtonen to attend UN Human Rights Council session and Conference on Disarmament in Geneva
Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit Geneva, Switzerland, on 26 February. She will deliver Finland’s address to a High-Level Segment of the 55th session of the Human Rights Council.
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9.2.2024
In the second round of presidential election, 62,294 people vote at advance polling stations abroad
In the second round of the presidential election, a total of 62,294 people cast their vote in advance at Finland’s missions abroad. Altogether 220 crew members voted on board Finnish vessels.
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29.1.2024
Advance voting abroad in Switzerland at the presidential elections in 2024
The election day for a second election (second round) will be 11 February 2024 at the presidential elections of Finland, and advance voting abroad will be possible from 31 January to 3 February 2024.
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25.1.2024
58,757 votes cast at advance polling stations abroad
A total of 58,757 persons cast their vote in advance in the presidential election at Finland’s missions abroad. The number of crew members who voted on board Finnish vessels was 223.
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19.1.2024
Travel doesn’t always go smoothly – the Ministry for Foreign Affairs helps travellers around the world
In 2023, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the missions abroad provided consular services to approximately 244,000 customers. The demand for advisory services remained high. Over the course of the year, the Ministry’s 24/7 service was contacted around 8,000 times in total.