The UN High Commissioner for Refugees to visit Finland

Press release 374/2005
2 December, 2005


The new UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres will arrive on a one-day visit to Finland on Thursday 8 December. Guterres entered his new position as UN High Commissioner for Refugees in June 2005. The visit is part of the High Commissioner’s introductory visit to the Nordic Countries. During his visit, the High Commissioner will discuss with Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, for instance, about the global refugee situation, the future challenges of the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, the Finnish refugee policy, as well as Finland’s EU presidency. During his stay, the High Commissioner will also meet President of the Republic Tarja Halonen, Speaker of Parliament Paavo Lipponen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Mari Kiviniemi and Minister of the Interior Kari Rajamäki. Furthermore, he will participate as guest speaker in a seminar organised in honour of the 40th anniversary of the Finnish Refugee Council.

High Commissioner Guterres has emphasised the core mission of the UNHCR as an organisation focusing on protection. In accordance with its mandate, the UNHCR protects and provides for the needs of refugees and other groups of people forced to leave their homes in different areas of crisis. Guterres has raised as special challenges in Africa and other refugee areas the question of how to ensure the continuity between humanitarian assistance and development aid, as well as the many-layered flows of refugees, in which the difference between refugees and immigrants is hard to distinguish. The High Commissioner has also expressed his deep concern for the growing intolerance towards asylum seekers. He has also committed himself to advancing particularly the position of female refugees.

Additional information: Counsellor Ilkka Rentola, Unit for Human Rights Affairs, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5641