Executive Director of United Nations Population Fund Natalia Kanem to visit Finland

NordenBladet — Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will meet Dr Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), on Friday 3 December.Executive Director of UNFPA Natalia Kanem will visit Finland on 2–3 December and have a meeting with Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari.  Skinnari and Kanem will discuss ways to achieve UNFPA’s objectives concerning ways of preventing unplanned pregnancies, ending maternal mortality and putting an end to gender-based violence and such harmful practices as female genital mutilation (FGM) and child, early  and forced marriages, by 2030.“Unfortunately, violence against women and girls has continued to increase all over the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. The position of women and girls can be improved through new technologies, and Finland has a lot to offer in this area to UNFPA’s gender equality work,” says Minister Skinnari.A key priority in Finland’s development policy and development cooperation is to strengthen the status and rights of women and girls, with an emphasis on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Of the UN specialised agencies supported by Finland, UNFPA is the largest recipient of core funding. In 2021, Finland’s core funding amounts to EUR 33 million. Additionally, funding is directed to certain country strategies, including in Myanmar, Somalia and Iraq, and to UNFPA’s humanitarian activities.  

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi