Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund to visit Finland

Press release 38/2011
9 February 2011

Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin of Nigeria, the new Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, will visit Finland on 10–12 February at the invitation of Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen. This is Dr. Osotimehin’s first visit to Finland. He assumed his position as Executive Director of UNFPA in January 2011. Dr. Osotimehin previously served, for instance, as the Minister of Health of Nigeria and as the Director-General of the Nigerian National Agency for the Control of AIDS.

Dr. Osotimehin will have bilateral talks with Minister Väyrynen. They will discuss the significance of population growth in development policy and Finland’s support for UNFPA. The issue is topical as this year the world’s population will probably exceed 7 billion people.

The Executive Director will also meet with President of the Republic Tarja Halonen, Pertti Salolainen, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Finnish Parliament, the Finnish Parliament’s population and development group and with representatives of civil society organizations.

Additional information: Katri Kulmuni, Press Attaché to the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, mobile tel. +358 400 739 824, and First Secretary Petra Paasilinna, mobile tel. +358 40 132 1873