Foreign Ministry's press releases

The turmoil of the Arab World, development policy, Nordic cooperation, Europe affairs, and travel safety – the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will bring various global themes to the SuomiAreena event in Pori on 13-15 July. The event will be attended by Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja and Minister for International Development Heidi Hautala.

Finns’ attitudes concerning development cooperation have become more positive than before. These figures are among the findings of a survey on Finns’ attitudes about development cooperation and development policy. Minister for International Development Heidi Hautala pointed out at a press conference on Tuesday that development policy is part of the broad spectrum of foreign and security policy.

Finland is tripling its support to UN Women, the United Nation’s organization for gender equality and the empowerment of women. During the current year, a total of three million euros in development cooperation funds will be directed to UN Women.

Finland and Afghanistan have launched cooperation aiming to improve the possibility of women to participate in peacebuilding, reconstruction and conflict prevention. The intention is to increase the possibilities of Afghanistan’s ministries and other authorities to promote women’s participation as equals and to strengthen cooperation with local organisations.

The UN General Assembly unanimously approved the peace mediation resolution presented by Finland and Turkey in New York on 22 June. This is the first resolution on peace mediation adopted by the United Nations.

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the League of Nations’ resolution in the Åland Islands dispute in favour of Finland. The resolution led to the signing of the Convention relating to the Non-fortification and Neutralization of the Åland Islands. The United Nations Office in Geneva, in cooperation with the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the National Archives of Finland and the Åland Government, have arranged an exhibition in the League of Nations Museum in Geneva.

On 20 June, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child published its concluding observations concerning Finland’s fourth periodic report on implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Committee reviewed the report in its 57th session and the oral hearing of Finland, held in the same context, in Geneva on 9 June 2011.

The United Nations Committee against Torture considered the periodic report of Finland in Geneva in May 2011.

On Friday, 17 June, the negotiators to form a new government reached agreement on the new Government Programme entitled An open, fair and confident Finland. The distribution of ministerial posts was also agreed on. The new government will include 19 ministers: National Coalition Party 6, the Social Democratic Party 6, the Left Alliance 2, the Swedish People’s Party in Finland 2, the Green League 2 and the Christian Democratic Party 1 ministers.

The EU Foreign Affairs Council will convene in Luxembourg on 20 June. The main topics of the meeting are the European Union Southern Neighbourhood, the European Neighbourhood Policy and Sudan.