Foreign Ministry's press releases

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has granted a total of 36 million euros to NGOs and municipalities for development cooperation projects and programmes in support for communications and global education. In this application cycle, project support was granted to 43 organisations and one muncipality, communications and global education support to 19 organisations and programme support to eight organisations.

In January 2017 Finland will adopt a new financing instrument to facilitate public sector investments in developing countries.

Finland is supporting investigations into Kosovo war crimes and the fate of persons who went missing during the Kosovo war. The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) and the Serbian authorities have spent a number of years investigating war crimes committed during the Kosovo war.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini will attend the Nordic foreign ministers' meeting in Oslo on 20 December 2016.

On 15 December 2016, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) handed down a judgment of a violation of freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

IDA18, the donor meetings for replenishing the resources of the International Development Association IDA (a part of the World Bank) were completed on 15 December in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The IDA lends money on concessional terms as well as providing aid to the poorest developing countries.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen will lead a Team Finland trade mission to Germany on 12–14 December.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will participate in the campaign 100 Acts for Gender Equality organised by the National Council of Women of Finland and the Council for Gender Equality as part of the celebrations and official programme of the centenary of Finland’s independence.

The United Nations’ Committee against Torture (CAT) has considered the seventh periodic report of Finland on the implementation of the provisions of the Convention against Torture.

Foreign Minister Timo Soini will attend the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 12 December.