Finland organises a seminar on NATO Trust Funds

Press release 132/2009
13 May, 2009

In cooperation with NATO, Finland is organising an expert seminar on NATO Trust Funds that is being held in Helsinki on 13–15 May.

Trust fund operations in connection with NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) cooperation were started in 2000. The target countries of PfP trust funds are NATO’s Partnership for Peace countries and other cooperation areas. The trust funds provide support for projects linked with clearance of mines and explosives, destruction of weapons and munitions, improvement of stockpile security and structural reform of the defence sector by supporting, among others, retraining of military personnel.

In addition, trust funds linked with NATO crisis management missions have also been developed; their target countries are Afghanistan and Kosovo. For instance, support through trust funds is given for training the national army of Afghanistan and establishing a security force in Kosovo.

Last year, Finland supported the trust funds for Kosovo and Afghanistan. Finland also granted support to a trust fund that strives to reduce corruption in the defence forces of NATO partner countries and a trust fund for detecting unexploded ordnance and management of munitions stockpiles in Jordan.

Additional information: About Finland’s participation, Counsellor Kirsikka Lehto-Asikainen, Unit for Security Policy and Crisis Management, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5322; NATO Trust Funds(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window)