The Helsinki Conference starting today assembles together over 600 participants from 73 countries
Press release 266/2005
7 September, 2005
The Helsinki Process on Globalisation and Democracy jointly launched by Finland and Tanzania is culminating in the Helsinki Conference held at Finlandia Hall on 7–9 September. The Conference will address the issues of the political will and the new coalition modes needed to bring about inclusive and equitable globalisation. The Conference will explore a new partnership model encompassing governments, international organisations, the corporate world and civil society as an approach to solving global problems .
More than 600 participants from 73 countries have registered for the Conference. The most Conference delegates come from Finland, Tanzania and the United States. Roughly half of the participants are representatives of governments and international organisations. More than one third of the participants represent civil society organisations, and representatives of the corporate world account for less one-third of the participants.
Under one-third of the participants are from Finland. Other European countries are represented by 142 participants coming from 25 countries; of these, the largest delegations are from Switzerland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and France. In all, 124 participants representing 18 countries are expected from Africa; 60 of these African participants come from Tanzania. Also well represented among the African nations are South Africa and Egypt. From the Americas, eleven countries send 73 participants. A large share of these participants are from Brazil and the United States, with 30 participants. There are 75 participants from Asia and Oceania, with 18 countries represented. The largest delegations come from India, Malaysia and Jordan.
Thematic Seminars, Key Dialogues and Roundtables
On the first day of the Conference programme, there are five Thematic Seminars organised together with civil society partners. The topics of these Thematic Seminars are: women; child labour; health and peace; education; and the global policy of the EU. The second Conference day starts with the official opening ceremony and a Plenary Session, with speeches by Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland, Benjamin Mkapa, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, and José Antonio Ocampo, Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations.
Erkki Tuomioja, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, and Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, will explain the goals and outcome of the Helsinki Process. The four Key Dialogues held on the second Conference day will deal with: the global role of parliamentarians; giving voice, within decision-making process, to the marginalised; the significance of health to security and the economy; and new means for development finance. The topics of discussion at the five Roundtables are: poverty and development; human rights; the environment; peace and security; and good governance. The results of these Roundtable discussions will be reported on Friday morning.
The Ministerial Meeting of the governments of the “Friends of the Helsinki Process” will be held on Friday morning. This group, assembled by Finland and Tanzania, includes Algeria, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Hungary, India, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Thailand and the United Kingdom. The Helsinki Conference will close with a Plenary Session, with addresses given by Matti Vanhanen, Prime Minister of Finland, Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja and Abdulkader Shareef, Deputy Foreign Minister of Tanzania.
Additional information: on the Helsinki Process: Ambassador Ilari Rantakari, tel. + 358 9 1605 6192, mobile tel. + 358 40 709 4245, [email protected]; Omary Mjenga, National Secretary of the Tanzanian team, mobile tel. + 358 44 9117861; and Juha Mustonen, Helsinki Conference Programme Secretariat, tel. + 358 9 1605 6170, [email protected]
Website of the Helsinki Conference(Link to another website.)
Ministry for Foreign Affairs Development cooperation(Link to another website.)