Final Report of the Helsinki Process on Globalisation and Democracy launched during the opening week of UN General Assembly session
Press release 354/2008
25 September, 2008
The Final Report of the Helsinki Process on Globalisation and Democracy, an initiative launched jointly by Finland and Tanzania in 2003, was launched in New York during the Ministerial Week of the 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly when the Presidents of Finland and Tanzania presented the Final Report to Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in their meetings with him.
The Helsinki Process has sought ways for improving global governance and global problem-solving through dialogue and cooperation between different stakeholders - governments, civil society, the private sector and international organisations.
The key conclusion of the Helsinki Process is that some of the challenges posed by globalisation can only be solved through multi-stakeholder cooperation and that new practices should be developed to facilitate such cooperation in international politics. The report argues that by bringing to bear a new kind of political dynamism and setting good practices for others to follow, such cooperation could find a way forward in situations where official negotiations at the multilateral level are in a deadlock or where consensus-based decision-making is unable to generate progress.
The report notes that the United Nations could stand to benefit from multi-stakeholder cooperation and calls on the organisation and its Member States to consider how to make more effective use of it. The United Nations and the office of the Secretary General could also play an important role in ensuring a balanced representation of different actors in multi-stakeholder initiatives as well as in providing a bridge between informal consultations and formal negotiations. The report also recommends areas where multi-stakeholder cooperation could be particularly fruitful and principles for successfully organising such cooperation.
Representatives of the Helsinki Process Secretariat met with representatives of e.g. the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the UN and the Global Compact to discuss in more detail the outcomes of the process. A Senior Officials Meeting of the Friends of the Helsinki Process governments was also held on 24 September.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Folke Sundman, Team Leader of the Finnish Helsinki Process Secretariat, Co-Chair of the Helsinki Process Steering Group, mobile +358 40 569 6630, email [email protected]
Mr. Ilari Rantakari, Ambassador for Helsinki Process, mobile +358 40 709 4245, email [email protected]
Mr. James Bwana, Tanzanian Helsinki Process Secretariat, mobile +255 773 888 248, email [email protected]
To receive a copy of the Final Report of the Helsinki Process, pleace contact the Helsinki Process Secretariat ([email protected]) or download the report from www.helsinkiprocess.fi(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window) (available from 3 October).