Foreign Minister Soini and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Toivakka to the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly and the UN Sustainable Development Summit
Press release 211/2015
21 September 2015
Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Lenita Toivakka will participate in the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York. Foreign Minister Soini will attend the session from 28 September to 4 October and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Toivakka from 24 to 29 September. Finland's delegation will be led by the President of the Republic, Sauli Niinistö, who will stay in New York from 24 to 29 September. President Niinistö will hold Finland's address in the general debate on Tuesday 29 September.
Minister Toivakka will participate in the UN Sustainable Development Summit, which is held prior to the General Assembly from 25 to 27 September. The Summit will adopt the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and agenda, which will guide the promotion of sustainable development from 2015 to 2030 across the world. Finland's national address at the Summit will be held by President Niinistö.
Foreign Minister Soini will host the ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends of Mediation together with the Turkish Foreign Minister. The meeting will discuss ways to strengthen the UN's response to conflict prevention and mediation. In addition, Soini together with the Foreign Ministers of Uruguay, Indonesia and Rwanda will host a ministerial dinner, during which the ministers will seek ways to develop the UN's peacekeeping activities. Foreign Minister Soini will hold a speech in an event dealing with the role of religions in conflicts, organized by Finland in cooperation with the U.S., Spain and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OIC, Soini will also take part in discussion about, among other things, the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine.
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Toivakka will be one of the panellists in a high-level breakfast session on the prevention of inequality and discrimination, organized by Finland together with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Women, Mexico and South Africa. In addition, Toivakka will take part in a roundtable discussion dealing with the role of the rule of law in connection with a seminar on the implementation of the SDGs, organized by the UN Private Sector Forum 2015. Toivakka will also speak in an event organized by Finland and AmCham, which presents Finnish companies' activities to promote sustainable development and Finland's Commitment to Sustainable Development. The Minister will further take part in discussions on topical humanitarian crises, such as those in Syria and Somalia.
Both Ministers will also have several bilateral meetings with representatives of the UN and other countries.
Inquiries about the Foreign Minister's programme: Katri Viinikka, Director, Unit for UN and General Global Affairs, tel. +358 40 753 2730, Raili Lahnalampi, Chief of Cabinet, Office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 50 550 7546 and Riikka Taivassalo, Press Attaché, tel. +358 46 923 4581
Inquiries about the programme of the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development: Johanna Karanko, Director, Unit for UN Development Affairs, tel. +358 50 439 4758 and Heli Mikkola, Desk Officer, tel. +358 50 304 8156, Unit for UN Development Affairs; Marja Koskela, Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister, tel. +358 40 352 0463 and Emma Hannonen, Special Adviser to the Minister, tel. +358 50 574 0736