Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund to visit Finland

Press release 55/2012
14 March 2012

Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin of Nigeria, the Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, will visit Finland on March 15 and will meet Tarja Halonen, the former president of Finland. Later on the same day Dr Osotimehin will continue to Copenhagen to attend the 50th anniversary celebration of the Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA), where he will meet with Heidi Hautala, the Minister for International Development of Finland.

The discussions between PresidentHalonen and Dr. Osotimehin will focus on advancing population questions on the international development agenda and President Halonen’s participation on the High Level Task Force to Promote Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. The Task Force will promote issues related to sexual and reproductive health and rights globally on a political level.

The meeting between Minister Hautala and Dr. Osotimehin will cover the long-standing collaboration between Finland and UNFPA on population and development issues, particularly concerning sexual and reproductive health and rights. The new development policy programme of Finland and future directions for development cooperation may also be discussed.

The Executive Director will also meet with the representatives of The Finnish All-Party Parliamentary Group on Population and Development. This is the second visit to Finland by Dr. Osotimehin since January 2011, when he assumed his position as Executive Director of UNFPA.

For more information: First Secretary Petra Paasilinna, tel. (09) 160 56469, mobile tel. +358 40 132 1873