Minister Hautala calls for common coordinated action to reduce poverty
Press release 14/2012
18 January, 2012
Decisions taken in various policy sectors in Finland have wide ranging implications for developing countries. At the Government’s evening session today, Minister for International Development Heidi Hautala outlined ways in which Finland could improve development coordination and consistency among different policy sectors. This objective has already received attention in Finland and it is now being pushed within the EU. Minister Hautala is urging ministerial colleagues and ministries to work more closely in an area where Finland could play a trailblazing role.
A common and consistent line among different policy sectors would benefit both developing countries and Finland. In practice it would help to ensure that inputs into and results from development cooperation are not undermined or rendered ineffective by actions in other sectors. At the same time development objectives could also be furthered by means other than those in the toolbox of development cooperation. In addition this would help to increase awareness of the impacts of our decision-making.
A common and consistent approach to supporting development is one of the key principles of the Government Programme. The same requirement is found in the Lisbon Treaty, which says that it is the EU’s objective to “foster the sustainable economic, social and environmental development of developing countries, with the primary aim of eradicating poverty.”
As it is, developing countries suffer in various ways from the lack of consistency and coordination between different policy sectors. For instance, EU fishing agreements incorporate the principle that partner countries shall support sustainable fisheries, but in practice local companies do not have the resources to compete, and therefore EU-subsidized fishing fleets are responsible for most of the catch. Furthermore the large-scale drain of capital from developing countries to tax havens and other countries significantly exceeds the total volume of investment in development cooperation.
Further information: Director General Jorma Julin, tel. +358 9 1605 6490, Counsellor Hanna Rinkineva, tel. +358 9 1605 6230, and Milma Kettunen, Press Attaché to the Minister, tel. +358 40 522 9869