Current affairs

International development aid has increased 6,5% between 2009 and 2010, according to a report released by the OECD in the beginning of April. Finnish development aid increased 8,8% between 2009 and 2010, reaching over a EUR 1 billion, which equals to 0,55% of the gross national income (GNI).

The National Coalition Party became the biggest party in the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election. The National Coalition gained 44 seats, the Social Democrats 42 seats and the True Finns 39 seats of the total of 200 seats in the Finnish Parliament.

Martti Ahtisaari, 2008 Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Finnish president, celebrates the tenth anniversary of Crisis Management Initiative, an organisation he founded, at a seminar packed with high-profile speakers on April 19, 2011. It’s also the first Ahtisaari Day.

Finland has a strong tradition of well-functioning democracy. But today the EU – and Finland – must adapt to radical social changes resulting from rapid globalisation.

How is peace built at the highest political level? Or, how does a victim of cruel human rights violations end up building a career as a hip hop artist – and a peace activist? Crisis Management Initiative, the organisation established by President Martti Ahtisaari, celebrates its 10th anniversary with a seminar to be held in Helsinki on 19 April. The seminar invitees include experts of peace mediation, from Kofi Annan and Stephen Heintz to Emmanuel Jal.

Finland's Community Development Fund model makes a difference in Ethiopia. Both UNICEF and the regional government of Amhara have adopted the model. The Rural Water Supply and Environment Programme co-financed by the governments of Ethiopia and Finland, has helped more than one million people gain access to a regular water supply and sanitation.

Namibia. Ireland. Kosovo. Aceh. The Finnish peace-mediators have been involved in solving serious conflicts around the world. The most renowned of them all, President Martti Ahtisaari has stated: "Peace is a matter of will. All conflicts can be settled, and there are no excuses for allowing them to become eternal.” Ahtisaari’s organisation, Crisis Management Initiative, will organise a 10th anniversary seminar in 19 April. Among the participants is the former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

The 30 young people who will participate in the 2011 Millennium Youth Camp (MY Camp) to be held in Helsinki in June have now been selected. One hundred 16-19-year-olds were selected for the second round from a total of 1443 applications, and the final participants were chosen using a challenging selection process.

Finnish literature is going further than ever. Join our tour of prose, poetry and publishing (and Finland-Swedish books).

A year after the Baltic Sea Action Summit, a follow-up event tracks the action taken to save the sea from pollution.