At its today’s sitting, the National Defence Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) discussed the impact of the illegal migration pressure originating from Belarus on Lithuania and Latvia, and found that Estonia should learn from the experience of its neighbours and increase its preparedness for preventing possible illegal immigration.
Chairman of the Committee Enn Eesmaa said that Estonia had helped Lithuania from the beginning of the migration pressure by sending both equipment and people. Estonia has contributed altogether more than 900,000 euro.
In the opinion of the Deputy Chairman of the Committee Leo Kunnas, Estonia had to make preparations so that the situation of Lithuania would not be repeated here. “The situation has changed a lot, and at present our existing plan, according to which the construction of the South-Eastern border had to be completed by 2026, is no longer appropriate,” Kunnas underlined. “Estonia has to change its current plan. It is also necessary to establish a crisis reserve, because we may need that one day.”
Minister of the Interior Kristian Jaani, who gave explanations at the sitting, assured the National Defence Committee that the works for fortifying the external border of Estonia were continued actively. Currently, active preparation and construction works are simultaneously conducted on a nearly 60 km long section of the external border. He added that if necessary, it was possible to build temporary obstacles in cooperation with the Defence Forces.
Jaani also remarked that in the current situation, not only the migration pressure from Belarus on Latvia and Lithuania was under discussion, but also Poland was facing increasing challenges. “Today, it is the duty of the Baltic states and Poland to fortify the Belarusian border and to return the people who have illegally entered these countries to their homeland,” Jaani said.
Undersecretary for Defence Readiness of the Ministry of Defence Meelis Oidsalu also replied to the questions of the members of the National Defence Committee.
NordenBladet — Today, on 13 September 2021, the United Nations is organising a High-level Ministerial Meeting on the Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan. The UN estimates that approximately half of the population of the country need humanitarian assistance. Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will represent Finland at the meeting. The UN estimates that about half of the Afghan population would currently require humanitarian assistance. Photo: OCHAAfghanistan suffered from a humanitarian crisis even before the Taliban’s takeover. Factors behind the emergency include a prolonged conflict, such effects of climate change as the drought that destroyed crop yields, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The fighting in recent months and the Taliban’s takeover have further heightened the need for humanitarian assistance. The UN estimates that about half of the Afghan population would currently require humanitarian assistance, and 14 million people are suffering from acute food shortages.A large number of Afghans have left their home region because of the crisis. This year, more than half a million people have been internally displaced. Of the 2.6 million Afghan refugees registered outside the country, 85 per cent are staying in Iran and Pakistan. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the number of Afghans who need humanitarian support has grown by at least two million from the conflict’s previous stage. Disabled women and children are particularly vulnerable.Urgent need for additional assistanceThe Afghanistan Flash Appeal by OCHA, which was launched early this year amounted to USD 413 million. So far, only 39 per cent of this humanitarian response plan has been funded.Now that the situation has worsened, OCHA has launched an updated flash appeal, requiring USD 193 million more funding than before. There is a critical shortage of food and medical supplies, among other things, and access to health services is restricted. It is assumed that the needs will increase further in the coming months, for example due to the country’s extremely weak economic situation.Finland promises additional support through the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCRThe aim of the UN High-level Ministerial Meeting, held virtually on 13 September, is to raise awareness of the crisis in Afghanistan, to appeal to various actors to ensure that emergency relief reaches those who need it, and to collect new pledges. Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will represent Finland at the meeting.“The Ministry for Foreign Affairs reacted very quickly and made a decision on a new allocation of EUR 3 million for Afghan refugees through UNHCR. The efforts to help those in distress will not end here. Finland is among those at the forefront in seeking solutions to alleviate the difficult situation in Afghanistan,” Minister Skinnari says. Humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan will continue to the extent possible. Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa / LehtikuvaThe High-level Meeting will focus on examining ways to make sure that the assistance reaches those in need and to safeguard distribution of deliveries. Until now, such UN agencies providing humanitarian assistance as UNHCR and the World Food Programme (WFP) as well as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement have been able to continue their work in the country. The WFP has succeeded in opening an air bridge from Islamabad to Kabul, through which food deliveries, for example, have reached the country.“The Taliban must respect the principles of international humanitarian law and humanitarian assistance. Otherwise, assistance cannot be delivered. It is also important that there are women workers among donors in the field, not only to see that they can participate but also because women and children find it easier to seek help when they are present,” minister Skinnari says.Humanitarian principles include humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence.Finland and many other countries have frozen their long-term development cooperation disbursements to Afghanistan, but humanitarian assistance will continue to the extent possible. So far, like Finland, the European Union, among others, has decided to increase its humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan.Milma KettunenThe author is a Communications Officer at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.Finland’s humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan
NordenBladet — Finland is coordinating the cooperation between the Nordic countries and Baltic states in the Nordic–Baltic Eight (NB8) format in 2021. The NB8 foreign ministers’ meeting will be held on 15 September at Vanajanlinna, Hämeenlinna. The NB8 countries and the Visegrád Group (V4) will have a joint meeting at foreign ministerial level on the previous day, 14 September. The V4 countries are Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.The Nordic, Baltic and Visegrád countries (NB8 + V4) will convene for the ninth time and for the first time in Finland. The meeting will be co-chaired by Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto and the current V4 Presidency, Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó. The meeting will discuss questions related to recovery , such as energy transition and climate diplomacy, as well as various topical international matters, including the Western Balkans, Belarus and Africa. Minister for Foreign Affairs Haavisto will chair the meeting in the NB8 format, where the themes of discussion will be, among other things, the situation in Afghanistan and topical UN and OSCE questions. The cross-cutting theme of the Finnish co-chair, which focuses on efforts to alleviate the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis in society, for example from the perspective of climate change, will also be examined. The annual NB8 foreign ministers’ meeting is a central part of the cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries. “I am pleased that we are now able to be physically present again. These cooperation arrangements provide an important forum for exchanging views and sharing experiences between the participating countries,” says Minister for Foreign Affairs Haavisto.
NordenBladet – The heading of this blog might as well be “Gardening collective work aka How to take the most out of life” or “A weekend full of work and celebrations” or anything else. I am writing about how my elder sister Marie and her husband Raido came to visit us and how we all did a lot of garden work and at the same time spent several days of quality time full of jokes and laughter, karaoke and tasty homemade meals.
Rule number #1 for a good mood – Nice homemade food that has been beautifully served! + do not underestimate flowers on the table! Little details are those that count!
In our family homemade meals are highly valued. I spend many hours in the kitchen to offer our family the daily tasty, healthy and delightful dishes. We also always welcome our guests with fine meals. For many years, when the children were still small and I was still building my businesses and media portals, I used to have a home assistant-cook, yet today I do everything by myself. I enjoy this and it is the ultimate luxury!!! The free time, or more precisely the time and lifestyle that you can plan on your own, is a great luxury that only few can enjoy. The time that has been spent with family and the people close to you, is always time well spent, since at the end of the day it is the impressions and common memories that count. Besides, I as a non-feminist believe that women could spend more time at home (this doesn’t mean that women shouldn’t-couldn’t-wouldn’t also choose career). Sometimes it seems to me that feminine, gentle and caring women have become as extinct today as a rough-masculine-strong smart man with hands of gold. At least… I found one!!! I can not be happier! 😛
So… let us begin with food! First of all, a really extra good recipe that will surely make your day and the same goes for your partner, children, and all your guests, leaving everyone chanting: Love is lit by good food! 🙂 Hahahaaaa…
Recipe: Asian spicy beef strips in hot dressing
You will need: 800g beef strips, bold handful of fresh green onion leaves, ca 10-14 garlic cloves, ca 60g grated ginger and 2 jars of Santa Maria “Teriyaki sauce” dressing.
Fry grated garlic and grated or chopped ginger in small amount of oil and butter on frying pan ca three minutes, then add beef strips to pan and again fry ca 3 minutes. Then pour to pan 2 jars of Teriyaki sauce (one jar is 300ml/360g) and fry another 3-5 minutes. When sauce is ready, add chopped green onion. Serve with rice, potatoes, or salad. You will get ca six portions from these ingredients.
Rule number #2 for a good mood – Good music! –and better make it loud! Hahaaa… I listen to all kinds of music, yet this summer’s favourites have definitely been different mixes. YouTube Search will provide – Psycho Trance (Psychedelic trance), Monstercat, “Best of EDM” (Electro House & Festival music), Ambient Chillout and “We love the 90s” and it is great to listen to those via the phone app from a large speaker. Also I like more and more Estonian music, since we also spend a lot of time with Marie and Raido, and Raido is simply the best karaoke singer in the country. Really!!! The way he can imitate Estonian bands is just super nice and awesome! It is a pity that this is his hobby and not his actual job. This however makes me even more happy that I am privileged to enjoy this free and often! In the summer we bought JBL Partybox 310 and a microphone, but believe me, soon you will realize that even this is not loud enough, and yet it takes just half of the volume to make your neighbour angry 😀 Thus… our thanks go to our peaceful neighbours who also enjoy life and who haven’t yet come knocking on our door, and yet, a new note to my to-do list: find an even more private plot where you need never worry what the neighbour thinks! My dream is to live somewhere where I own ca 10-20 ha land (there might be more land for the businesses but what I mean is for the home), where I have privacy such that the closest neighbour is far enough and night-time silence requirements don’t bother anybody. OMG! I love to dream! I so much love to dream and plan my future. Owning such a plot not only requires a lot of money but also a lot of time, freedom and passive income – when you have two children that need schooling and chauffeuring to several hobby groups, then it remains just a sweet dream! 🙂 I so much love children, but children eat up all your time and opportunities that it almost scares me.
CHILDREN ARE DEFINITELY AMONG THE GREATEST DELIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS IN OUR LIVES… BUT WITHOUT DOUBT ALSO THE GREATEST LUXURY AND EXPENSE WE CAN EVER AFFORD! WORD!
We offer to ourselves moments full of music, loud music, allowing us to dream and to forget and are only for us! Only for us! We, grown people, need this!
Rule number #3 for a good mood – time spent together – working together!
Do we let the spruce hedge grow out or do we trim it? I pondered for quite some time. Since our spruce hedge was not taken care of for years, I thought maybe we should let the trees grow out (let them grow tall), but still we decided that we trim them. Also we decided that we make our life easier and take out the plantation of buckthorn that has been growing well as weed, and also some old trees. We had ca 100+ full-grown buckthorn bushes, in a way that was a decent plantation, yet buckthorn spreads as well as the lilac… eventually any nearby spot of ground will be covered by it. We took out the entire buckthorn plantation + many big old trees. Right near the gate there were two old elm trees, both suffering from some kind of disease, these, too, were taken out. Thus, this year several trees were cut down and the roots were also taken out. Taking the roots out is a rather complicated issue. It is easier with the smaller trees, but we had quite a hard time with the bigger trees.. we even tried to get them out with a vehicle (see the video!).. hahaa. Finally a fire helped out…
Which tools should one use?? From ancient times we had a Metabo saw with cord, and also a Makita saw from recent times with a battery. It is definitely more convenient to use tools that have a battery. With the Makita saw the larger outstanding branches from the spruce hedge were cut off and Raido did the hedge walls and upper part of the hedge with the Metabo saw. The cord made the working process more difficult. It is comfortable to work with tools with no cord.
In the evening we burned the branches, played the darts and ate homemade pizza and my world’s best whipped cream cake! Life is amazing when you have such good friends! My sisters are super cool! And Allan, I love you so much! 🙂
NordenBladet — The Nordic Ministers for Cooperation will meet under the leadership of Minister Thomas Blomqvist in Mariehamn 13-14 September 2021. At the meeting, the ministers will prepare the Nordic Council of Ministers’ budget for 2022 and explore the state of the Nordic freedom of movement when they meet the Freedom of Movement Council. The fourth ministerial meeting during the Finnish Presidency will be held in close cooperation with the Åland Islands and will be part of the celebrations for its 100th anniversary as an autonomous region.At their meeting, the ministers will prepare the budget of the Nordic Council of Ministers for 2022 and discuss sustainable development objectives in cooperation. The vision for Nordic cooperation is to be the most sustainable and integrated region in the world.The meeting will be attended by the Freedom of Movement Council at the lead of its Chair Kimmo Sasi. The aim of discussions will be to lay the foundations for work related to freedom of movement in coming years and to tackle the current prospects of freedom of movement work, which are overshadowed by the restrictions introduced by the pandemic, which have hampered the everyday lives of citizens. The ministers will also receive an overview of Nordic cooperation during the pandemic, as a basis for further action and the development of crisis time cooperation models. Jan-Erik Enestam, who was appointed by the ministers for cooperation to carry out a study on strengthening cooperation in times of crisis, will be a guest at the meeting.The meeting will also include discussion on the more effective management of financial and project management by the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers.
NordenBladet — We now have an opportunity to create the conditions that encourage investment in a healthy population and planet, with adequately resourced, responsive and innovative health care, social care, environmental protection and related systems, the Pan-European Commission on Health and Sustainable Development appointed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) states in its final report.The role of the independent Commission has been to gather the best practices adopted by the health care systems in various countries in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and to make recommendations on the investments and reforms required by the health and social services in order to improve their sustainability. The Commission is chaired by Professor Mario Monti, former Prime Minister of Italy.The Commission’s message is that social and health care must be made a social and political priority whilst their critical role in sustainable development and social cohesion must be recognised.The report presents a number of reasons why future crisis management requires investment in health and sustainable development, introducing new approaches to health and the related determinants based on the lessons learned from the pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic has exerted an impact not only on health and well-being but also on economies, social cohesion and education. Moreover, these effects have fallen disproportionately on different groups.Finland has been represented in the Commission by President Tarja Halonen on the proposal of Krista Kiuru, Finland’s Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services. President Halonen, who chaired two different working groups, has, among other things, emphasised the position of vulnerable groups.‘The report’s comprehensive approach to the coronavirus pandemic forms a starting point for sustaining the carrying capacity of both individuals and society. Those who are in a vulnerable position to begin with will be worse hit by the coronavirus, which must be taken into account in planning. For humanitarian reasons, these people should be better supported. This also has a bearing on the overall capacity of the community. Addressing grievances in the aftermath of the pandemic would serve as an effective preventive action with the future in mind,’ says President Tarja Halonen.‘Investing in sustainable healthcare systems, social and health care and mental health is an investment in crisis-resistant societies,’ notes Krista Kiuru, Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services. WHO: Drawing light from the pandemic: A new strategy for health and sustainable development (2021)
NordenBladet — The webinar is a kickoff for creating a constructive dialogue about Nordic food culture and its different drivers for promoting sustainable lifestyle. It’s time to explore the New Nordic Kitchen Manifesto as a catalyst in creating a new tool for a constructive dialogue to match the different sustainability perspectives of just food systems in the Nordics.The Zoom- webinar is held 27th of September 2021 at 12.00-15:00 EEST, Helsinki. Registration (DL 24th of September) here. The Nordics are on a mission to transform their food systems. The countries want to further strengthen their role as pioneers. One step for reaching sustainable development goals is to share Nordic solutions, innovations and best practices. Here we need to listen to, network with, be inspired by and learn from the younger generation of professionals such as chefs and other key actors within the whole value chain of food.
NordenBladet — At the presidential session on Friday 10 September 2021, the President of the Republic appointed new non-resident ambassadors.The President of the Republic authorised Ambassador Antti Kaski, Head of the Embassy of Finland in Bogotá, to represent Finland also in Panama; Ambassador Pekka Kosonen, Head of the Embassy of Finland in Cairo, to represent Finland also in Sudan; and Ambassador Päivi Pohjanheimo, Head of the Embassy of Finland in Mexico City, to represent Finland also in El Salvador.
NordenBladet — The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will launch a crowdsourced information security testing for some of its public online services on 22 September 2021. The so-called bug bounty program will be implemented in cooperation with Hackrfi, a company specialising in bug bounty program management. In the program, security researchers and hackers examine and scan vulnerabilities in selected targets, working subject to a set of clear boundaries. Participating hackers will be paid rewards based on eligible vulnerability reports.The Ministry for Foreign Affairs piloted the program between December 2019 and May 2020. Hackers filed more than 100 vulnerability reports, of which 32 were rewarded. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has decided to make the program a permanent part of the implementation of its information security. The targets selected for the program will vary as the program develops.“The Foreign Ministry’s online services are examined, whether we want it or not. We are aware that outsiders are constantly showing interest in us, and all of them do not necessarily have good intentions. The program aims to bring to our knowledge and to rectify vulnerabilities that would otherwise remain unnoticed,” says Matti Parviainen, Director for Information Security at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.The primary targets of testing will be our online services, which are available to everyone directly on the internet. In our services, not only confidentiality but also the availability and integrity of information are emphasised. One of the targets of testing is the matkustusilmoitus.fi service, which is one of the most important tools for us to get information about and reach Finnish citizens in crisis areas.Successful crowdsourced testing of information security at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs – bug bounty program to permanent use (Press release 2.10.2020)
NordenBladet — On 6 October, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will open a new call for applications concerning funding to be targeted to research, innovation and development projects under the Catch the Carbon package of climate measures. About EUR 13 million in funding is available for the new projects. The calls for applications will be open until 4 November 2021.The projects will supplement the Catch the Carbon package launched in 2020 as part of the additional measures for the land use sector under the Government Programme. The aim is to achieve an annual emission reduction of at least three million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2035. The projects to be funded should promote carbon sequestration and storage in agriculture and forestry, reduce emissions from the land use sector and support adaptation to climate change and its impacts.New development projects to support local climate workThe development projects should be close to practice and they should focus especially on promoting local climate work. About EUR 8 million in funding is available for the development projects.The possible themes include promoting the introduction of climate resilient farming and forest management methods that support adaptation and a just transition. The projects may also concern ways to prevent forest loss and clearing of peaty soils, or developing and piloting new uses for lands released from peat production, wetland cultivation and catchment-level operating models for water economy. The aim in this call for applications concerning development projects is also to fund experiments in carbon markets and promote the development of sequestration factors for greenhouse gases using different cultivation methods and soil types.The call for applications is hoped to courage local and regional cooperation. Funding may be granted to different kinds of operators, including universities, municipalities, counties, Metsähallitus, advisory organisations, educational institutions, reindeer herding cooperatives, parishes, research organisations, government agencies, associations and private companies.“This is an exceptionally good opportunity to focus on practical climate measures in the regions. The aim is to strengthen the climate resilience of agriculture and forestry, which will also enhance the viability of regions and their opportunities to promote local expertise, and the dissemination of good practices,” says Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jari Leppä.“I hope that this call for applications will encourage a broad spectrum of actors to find practical solutions to questions that are now being discussed regarding agriculture and forestry.”Research and innovation programme focused on young researchersA supplementary call for applications under the Catch the Carbon research and innovation programme will also be opened in October. About EUR 5 million in funding is available for the research. The aim of the research and innovation programme is to produce new research information that anticipates changes in the operating environment and proposals for solutions that will promote climate action in the land use sector and the sustainable use of renewable natural resources. The projects should also take into account the impacts on biodiversity, waters and food security.“The aim of the research and innovation programme is to further strengthen research and renewal in the sector. This is why a particular focus is on supporting researchers who are in the early stages of their scientific career. What we can offer them is further education, especially on the impact of research, and opportunities for networking,” says Marjaana Suorsa, Programme Manager of the research and innovation programme.In connection with the calls for applications in October, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry aims to also open the first call for applications for projects promoting environmental sustainability and nature-based solutions as well as climate resilient measures in the land use sector related to the Sustainable Growth Programme for Finland (RRF). This call for applications is still under preparation, but the idea is to offer a total of EUR 7 million in funding for projects that will promote climate resilient forestry.The calls for applications under the research and development programme and concerning development projects will be presented in a webinar on 7 October at 9.00–10.30. The schedule for the call for applications under the RRF, the calls for applications and an invitation to the webinar will be published on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry during September.
The UN estimates that about half of the Afghan population would currently require humanitarian assistance. Photo: OCHA
Humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan will continue to the extent possible. Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva
