Current affairs

The Nordic region is committed to achieving carbon neutrality and will become the world's most sustainable and integrated region by 2030. To make this vision a reality, actions for strengthening energy security, developing green transitions, and building a sustainable framework are called for, with the right resources, innovations, knowledge and skills.

The high-level meetings of the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 77) will start in New York on Monday 19 September. Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto and Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will attend ministerial events in New York and have bilateral meetings with their counterparts and with representatives of the UN. Minister Skinnari also has Team Finland programme.

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will hold its 51th regular session from 12 September to 7 October. This is the third session during Finland’s three-year membership in the Human Rights Council. Finland will continue its long-standing commitment to the promotion of universal human rights.

In the supplementary budget in July, the Government allocated additional funds to Ukraine amounting to EUR 70 million. Half of these funds has now been granted to improving food security and reproductive health services, ensuring the payment of teachers’ salaries, and to providing accommodation in Ukraine for those who have lost their homes.

The NATO member countries signed the Accession Protocols concerning Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO membership at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on 5 February, making Finland and Sweden invitees of the Alliance. The Accession Protocols must next be ratified in each member country for Finland and Sweden to become members.

Team Finland did an amazing performance in Nordic Green Run this year. From May 30 to June 5, the 237 members of the Strava team ran and walked an impressive 3,651 kilometers! The Finnish Embassy wanted to thank the participants of Nordic Green Run 2022 for their efforts for Team Finland and chose a few winners who received Finland-themed prizes as a thank you. We were also very happy to invite them to our office and have a chat with them.

Restrictions on entry at Finland’s external borders imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be lifted on 1 July 2022. Third-country travellers arriving in Finland will no longer be required to hold vaccination or COVID-19 test certificates, and COVID-19 tests will not be carried out at border crossing points.

After a friendly but fierce competition between the Nordic communities in Singapore, Norway could call themselves winners of the Nordic Green Run for the second year in a row. By sponsoring the different teams, Nordic companies operating in Singapore donated SGD 25,272 towards the ocean clean-up organisation Seven Clean Seas.

In line with the Government decision of 2 June, the restrictions on entry at Finland’s external borders will continue until 30 June 2022.

A new fast track service enables specialists, growth entrepreneurs and their family members to obtain a residence permit within 14 days. The service will be launched at the beginning of June. This service pledge is one of the Government's many measures to streamline the immigration of experts.