NordenBladet — The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom has decided that the suspension of direct passenger flights from the UK, Ireland and South Africa to Finland be continued until 25 January 2021.

Due to the decision, many travellers find that returning to Finland is even more difficult than before or may be prevented altogether.Finnish missions abroad and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Helsinki are monitoring the situation closely. If required, they will assist travellers to find ways to return home.  Return to Finland from the UK, Ireland and South Africa is possible using connecting flights. Travellers looking for alternative routes should check the entry requirements and, transit requirements in particular, including the required COVID-19 test results, from the public authorities in the country of destination and their own airline. In practice, it is good to get tested before travelling to be able to present a certificate of a negative COVID-19 test result if required, because the restrictive measures may change rapidly. The Finnish Embassy in London is updating information on its website and social media channels. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation may deteriorate abruptly and unpredictably in any country or region. Sudden changes or cancellations of air connections may cause long delays. If it is essential for you to travel, be prepared for changes. Travellers are required to continue to be resilient and able to deal with uncertainty. The Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs has only limited capabilities to assist travellers in distress abroad during the pandemic. We recommend that you submit your travel plans and contact details at matkustusilmoitus.fi.

If you are returning to Finland from the UK, Ireland or South Africa, please note the guidelines of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare..For any possible expenses caused by cancellation or postponement of flights, contact your travel organiser, airline or insurance company.Traficom: Restrictions on Passenger Flights to Finland from the UK, Ireland and South Africa to Continue until 25 January

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The Ministry of the Environment invites views and opinions on how emissions can be reduced effectively and fairly through an online survey open to all. The survey is open from 19 January to 19 February. The responses will help to prepare a new medium-term climate change policy plan.

“Finland’s aim is to be carbon neutral by 2035. Achieving this goal requires action and change from every one of us. That’s why it’s important to hear what kind of emission reduction measures Finns consider to be effective and fair. It pays to complete the survey, this is a real opportunity to have an impact,” says Krista Mikkonen, Minister of the Environment and Climate.

The themes of the survey – transport, food and housing – affect the daily life of every Finn and also account for the majority of our carbon footprint. The survey presents various possible measures to reduce emissions and asks about their impact on the respondent’s activities and their acceptability. In addition, there are open-ended questions where respondents can express their own thoughts in more depth.

NordenBladet — Finland will grant EUR 5 million to the International Trade Centre (ITC) in 2021–2022 to support women’s and young people’s business activities in developing countries. The agreement was signed on 18 January 2021 in Geneva.

The agreement was signed by Executive Director of the International Trade Centre Pamela Coke-Hamilton and ambassador Kirsti Kauppi. Of the EUR 5 million granted by Finland, EUR 2 million will be in the form of core funding. EUR 3 million will be channelled to measures strengthening women’s and young people’s business activities and refugees’ opportunities to earn a livelihood, developing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and promoting circular economy.

Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari considers that Finland’s support to ITC is a considerable investment in both the development of business activities and the strengthening of women’s and girls’ rights in developing countries. ”Through Finland’s funding to ITC, developing countries will be able to reinforce the base of their economies during this challenging time. The funding will also create preconditions for reconstruction in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.  We need to stop managing poverty and start creating wealth. I encourage Finnish companies to engage in cooperation with ITC as a way to find new business opportunities,” the Minister says.

ITC is an organisation founded by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). It aims to strengthen the competitiveness of micro-, small-, and medium-sized companies based in developing countries. ITC is well known for its strong contribution to the development of women’s and young people’s business activities, for example through the SheTrades Initiative (www.shetrades.com).

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The ministers for European Affairs held an informal video meeting on 18 January 2021. The main topics on the agenda were EU coordination in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and preparations for the video meeting of European Council members on 21 January. Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen represented Finland at the meeting.

The ministers held an exchange of views on how to improve the efficiency of EU coordination in dealing with COVID-19 and, in particular, how to increase the availability of COVID-19 vaccines and ramp up their distribution. Finland supports the EU’s strong joint efforts to tackle COVID-19, including vaccine coordination. Any bottlenecks in the delivery of vaccines from the manufacturer to the Member States must be dealt with. Clear communication to citizens about the vaccination process and the timetable play an equally key role. The members of the European Council will discuss COVID-19 coordination and the situation with regard to vaccines in their video meeting on 21 January.

Minister Tuppurainen also pointed out the need to achieve global vaccination coverage in order to truly overcome the pandemic. With this goal in mind, the international COVAX Facility should be utilised effectively. The COVAX Facility aims to guarantee fair and speedy access to COVID-19 vaccines for every country in the world and to accelerate the development, manufacturing and delivery of the vaccines.

“The availability and efficient distribution of vaccines play a key role in thwarting COVID-19. The EU’s procurement cooperation got off to a good start, but we need to step up our efforts. It is also important to remember that no country is safe until the pandemic is under control around the world. We therefore need to show solidarity with regard to vaccines. This is also in line with our common European values,” says Minister Tuppurainen.

“In order to be able to monitor the vaccination situation in the best possible way, we need to have uniform statistics on vaccine coverage. We also need to establish a joint vaccine certificate, because our ultimate goal is to open up societies and secure the freedom of movement that is so important to us all.

”The Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which began on 1 January 2021, presented its priorities at the meeting. These are: promoting a recovery boosted by the climate and digital transitions; implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights as a key element for ensuring a fair and inclusive climate and digital transition; and strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy whilst remaining open to the world.

The Portuguese Presidency also reported on the state of the preparations for the Conference on the Future of Europe. Preparations for the conference have been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Council, the European Parliament and the Commission are to agree on the mandate of the Conference with a joint declaration.In the General Affairs Council (GAC), the EU Member States are primarily represented by their ministers for European affairs. The tasks of the Council include preparations for the European Council meetings. The GAC is also responsible for a number of cross-cutting policy areas, including negotiations on the multiannual financial framework and EU enlargement. Questions relating to the rule of law are also an established part of the Council’s agenda.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Experts preparing for the 2021 UN summits will meet youth to discuss the protection of biodiversity and climate action. The event is organised by the British Embassy, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and WWF Finland.

Sustainable food production is one of main solutions to help resolve the challenges facing nature and climate. Picture: Jürgen Freund / WWFThe panel discussion on Wednesday 20 January is targeted at educational institutions.  The panellists for the event are Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto, Secretary General and CEO at WWF Finland Liisa Rohweder, UK COP26 Special Envoy John Murton, Senior Ministerial Adviser at the Ministry of the Environment Marina von Weissenberg, and member of UK Youth Climate Coalition‏ Nelli Vanninen. The discussion is inspired by A Life On Our Planet, a documentary film by renowned natural historian Sir David Attenborough. In the film, produced by Netflix, Attenborough, now aged 94, depicts the biodiversity loss that has taken place during his lifetime and explores various scenarios of sustainable co-existence between humans and other species.

Important year for climate
The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in November. Biodiversity is one of the challenges to be discussed at this important summit.  WWF, which has been monitoring the state of ecosystems worldwide, published its Living Planet report in 2020 and pointed out that the population sizes of wild vertebrates have dropped by 68% on average since 1970.

Finland aims to be the world’s first climate neutral and fossil-free welfare society. Last year, Finland was one of the first countries to voluntarily sign the Leader’s Pledge for Nature. This initiative seeks to halt biodiversity loss by 2030 and to motivate the world to follow the path to sustainable development.Finland supports biodiversity through various international organisations, including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Funding is also allocated to the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and such Finnish civil society organisations as WWF Finland, Siemenpuu Foundation and the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation. Finland’s active contribution to the work done in the UN shows, for example, in the monitoring of the state of the world’s forests and their carbon stocks.Information on the event:Biodiversity Panel Event; Wednesday 20 January 2021 at 13.15–14.30 (Finnish time).

The language of the event will be English. The event will be live-streamed but the documentary on Netflix is not part of the event.The panel discussion can be followed online.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The majority of Finnish companies are generally committed to respecting human rights. However, only a quarter of companies systematically and publicly assess the impact of their business activities on the realisation of human rights. The result is in line with the international average.

These findings are revealed in a report published by the SIHTI project on 18 January. The SIHTI project examined how Finnish companies are fulfilling their human rights responsibilities in relation to expectations set out in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The research was carried out during 2020 by the Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration (Hanken), FIANT Consulting Oy, 3bility Consulting and the Human Rights Centre. The information produced in the project supports the objectives set in the Programme of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Government with regard to promoting responsible business.

Few Finnish companies report publicly on the fulfilment of their responsibilitiesThe report found that a general commitment to human rights led only a quarter of companies to implement and monitor their human rights responsibilities systematically. Finnish companies also publish little information on the actions they take to fulfil their responsibilities.

The debate on the corporate responsibility to respect human rights focuses strongly and justifiably on countries where there is a high risk of adverse human rights impacts. That said, the authors of the study feel it is important to highlight the risks that may arise in Finland and other “low-risk” countries.The findings from Finland can be compared with the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark, which examines the human rights performance of the world’s 200 largest listed companies.

“The situation clearly leaves room for improvement, but the state of implementation of the human rights responsibilities of Finnish companies is largely at the same level as was found in the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark’s global assessments. The results of the new study suggest that continuous monitoring has a significant impact on the realisation of responsibilities in practice. It is also important for companies to place greater emphasis on human rights issues at the level of strategy and management,” says Project Lead Nikodemus Solitander.

Assessment focused on 78 Finnish companiesThe assessment focused on 78 Finnish companies. Of these, 29 companies were assessed using the sector-specific Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB) methodology and 49 according to the indicators set in the UN Guiding Principles (UNGP).

The realisation of corporate responsibility for human rights was assessed based on publicly available information, which is in line with the CHRB methodology. The project also included interviews with 20 representatives of companies on the challenges involved in communicating information on corporate responsibility for human rights.

The SIHTI project was carried out as part of the implementation of the Government’s analysis, assessment and research activities for 2020.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality Thomas Blomqvist, Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen, Minister of Education Jussi Saramo and the heads of central labour market organisations will meet on Tuesday 19 January to discuss equal pay. The meeting will focus on how to implement the joint Equal Pay Programme adopted in late 2020. The aim is to reduce the average pay gap between women and men faster.

In addition to the Ministers, the meeting will be attended by Jarkko Eloranta, President of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), Sture Fjäder, President of the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland (Akava), Jyri Häkämies,  Director General of the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), Markku Jalonen, Director General of KT Local Government Employers, Sari Ojanen, Director of Collective Agreements at the Office for the Government as Employer, Antti Palola, Chairman of the Finnish Confederation of Professionals (STTK), and Anna Kaarina Piepponen, Labour Market Director  of the Commission for Church Employers.

Minister Thomas Blomqvist, who has convened the meeting, expects the meeting to set a common direction and make a shared commitment to achieving equal pay. “The same pay for the same work or work of equal value is at the core of gender equality in working life, although this will still require a lot of hard work. It is now  possible to move forward, because the Equal Pay Programme is supported jointly by the Government and the central labour market organisations and the Programme includes concrete measures to address disparities in pay between women and men.  During the previous programme period, the average gap in the level of the average pay gap between women and mend decreased from 17% to 16%. In their joint Programme, the Government and the central labour market organisations have committed to the objective of reducing this gap faster than before. At the meeting, the participants will discuss, for example, how to achieve this objective. The Equal Pay Programme 2020–2023 brings together the joint measures of the Government and the central labour market organisations to promote equality in pay. The Programme is part of the package designed to promote pay equality as outlined in the Programme of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Government. In addition to the Equal Pay Programme, the package includes legislative projects, a research project to increase pay equality in work of equal value, and a research project to assess the gender impact of collective agreements and their impact on equal pay.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi