Minister Skinnari wants to promote green cooperation with the United States

Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will visit New York and Washington DC on 14–17 June 2022. The matters on the agenda of discussions during the visit will include questions relating to UN specialised agencies focusing on development, the security situation in Europe, and commercial cooperation between the two countries, especially in the forest sector.

In New York, Minister Skinnari will attend UN Security Council open debate and hold the Nordic countries’ speech on Women, Peace and Security. The Minister will have a meeting with UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed to discuss, for example questions concerning UN development organisations. The Minister will also meet representatives of the city management of New York.
 
The visit to Washington DC is aimed to promote cooperation between the two countries in the forest, bioeconomy and technology sectors. Minister Skinnari will attend an event with the US administration, which focuses on forests and climate change, and participate in a panel of experts on 6G technology. 
 
“Finland is one of the world’s leading countries in the field of sustainable forest management and innovations in the forest industry. The United States is already one of the most important export destinations for our forest industry. We have established excellent cooperation relationships in the green economy and technology sectors with some of the states in the USA, such as Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Washington State and Colorado,” Minister Skinnari says.  
 
In Washington DC, Minister Skinnari will also meet representatives of the US administration and US Congress and exchange views on the security situation in Europe. During a visit to the World Bank, the topics of discussion will include the financial situation in sustainable development and the mobilisation of private funding to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.  
 
The United States is one of Finland’s most important trading partners. Cooperation between our countries covers many sectors where Finnish companies can offer cutting-edge innovations to promote the green transition and bioeconomy, among other things. Cooperation with the states can be instrumental in providing Finnish companies and researchers with a stepping-stone to the United States and in opening channels to the Finnish market for our American partners.
 

Inquiries:

  • Juha Niemi, Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister, tel. +358 50 478 1387 
  • The Foreign Ministry’s email addresses are in the format [email protected].