Finland and Turkey to present a proposal for a UN Resolution on peace mediation
Press Release 262/2010
14 September 2010
Finland and Turkey will present a proposal for a resolution on peace mediation to the UN General Assembly. The resolution would strengthen the mandate for peace mediation, would bring political recognition for this effort, and would facilitate the acquisition of financing for peace mediation, said Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb in the talk he gave at the Presidential Forum in Helsinki on 14 September.
“I think it is high time to consider how the role of the UN could be strengthened in peace mediation. The UN is the supreme actor both in maintaining peace and stability and in peace-keeping. In peace mediation, too, the UN could have a stronger mandate,” Minister Stubb said in his talk. According to him, the initiative also servers the national goal of raising Finland’s profile in peace mediation.
“Finland has both the skill and the will required for peace mediation. A country does not become a great power in peace mediation just by claiming to be one. For some time now, we have considered strengthening Finland’s role in peace mediation,” Minister Stubb stated. He anticipates that the importance of peace mediation will keep increasing and pointed out that Finland has a solid tradition for this type of work.
In his talk, Minister Stubb listed a number of goals for Finland in the coming years: strengthening of the country’s own peace mediation capacity; support for the EU’s peace mediation capacity; and promotion of peace mediation globally through the UN.
The resolution for the UN General Assembly will be proposed at a seminar to be hosted by Minister Stubb and Ahmet Davutoğlu, his Turkish counterpart, during the opening week of the UN General Assembly on 24 September. The seminar will be attended by ministers active in peace mediation issues and representatives of regional organizations.
Additional information: Päivi Pohjanheimo, Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5332, mobile tel. +358 40 511 3786, and Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, Press Attaché to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5012, mobile tel. +358 40 732 8340.