Support from Finland to the Dar es Salaam Institute for Sustainable Development

Press release 244/2009
23 September 2009

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen has granted the sum of seven million euros for establishment of the Dar es Salaam Institute for Sustainable Development in Tanzania. The Cabinet Finance Committee approved the appropriation in its session on 23 September. The funding now granted will be disbursed during the years 2009–2012.

The Dar es Salaam Institute for Sustainable Development is one of the new openings for development cooperation in implementing the Government’s Development Policy Programme. The main task of the institute is to strengthen the capacity of African nations so that they can reach their sustainable development related goals more effectively and participate more forcefully, for example, in trade, environment and climate negotiations. The idea is that the institute’s operations will cover Eastern Africa, but its aim is to promote sustainable development more widely in the African region.

“In order for developing countries to be able to take part in international cooperation and central negotiation processes on a more equitable basis, it is essential to strengthen their own resources and participation possibilities. Establishment of this institute is one step forward in reaching this goal,” Minister Väyrynen stressed.

The primary function of the institute is to produce knowledge about issues relating to ecologically, socially and economically sustainable development and about their effects on Africa, to promote networking among regional actors and to educate key official and organisational stakeholders. The knowledge obtained can also be applied to influence the national development plans of countries so that they would comply with sustainable development principles better.

With support from the Governments of Tanzania and Finland, the Dar es Salaam Institute for Sustainable Development is being established as an independent institute in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. The purpose of Finnish support is to launch the institute’s operations and to secure its finances during the initial years. The institute will start operations in spring 2010.

Additional information: Helena Airaksinen, Head of the Unit for Eastern and Western Africa, tel. +358 9 1605 6260, and Päivi Nevala, Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, tel. +358 9 1605 6171