NordenBladet — The YouTuber’s second video on sustainable development compares the thoughts of young people from near and far, and tells how Finland promotes the goals of the 2030 Agenda abroad.
Followers of Miisa’s social media channels discussed inequality and climate change, in particular.The video’s release on 20 November coincides with Children’s Rights Day, one of the well-known milestones of UN cooperation. The Sustainable Development Goals are also a historic achievement for the world organisation: in 2015 a plan, encompassing all countries, on what kind of future we aim to achieve by the year 2030 was drawn up.
In cooperation with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, YouTuber Mmiisas — alias Miisa Rotola-Pukkila — asked the followers of her social media channels in September what their wishes for the world’s future would be. In her video released today, she talks about the answers she received. Wishes for the future presented by young people from Nepal, Ethiopia and Tanzania are also heard.Similar wishes in Finland and around the worldOf the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, emphasis was placed on reducing inequalities, climate actions and other environmental goals, and on gender equality.
“It was interesting that young people who live on the other side of the world raised very many of the same themes as my own followers in Finland,” Miisa says.
“Admittedly, the scale is different. In Finland, global warming can be seen as mild winters, while a young Nepali man wrote that they are experiencing more natural disasters, such as floods or landslides.”
Finland promotes the 2030 Agenda goals through development cooperation
The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals aim to eradicate poverty and safeguard wellbeing in an environmentally sustainable manner. It concerns all of the world’s countries and obligates them to promote sustainable development both nationally and globally. Finland promotes the UN goals abroad especially through development cooperation.
NordenBladet — EU development ministers will gather to discuss debt sustainability and debt relief in partner countries on 23 November 2020. Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will represent Finland in the informal video conference.
The COVID-19 pandemic has weakened the economic situation and deepened the debt crisis in many developing countries. As a result, debt sustainability in developing countries has attracted international attention once again. ”
Finland emphasises that ensuring debt sustainability in developing countries is a joint mission for all EU Member States. We must take the role of China and the private sector into consideration and encourage them to take part in the mission”, says Minister for Development and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari.
At their meeting, EU development ministers will also discuss gender equality and promoting the empowerment of women in all external relations. The EU’s new action plan for promoting gender equality in external relations, Gender Action Plan, will be published on 24 November. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, aimed at strengthening women’s human rights, and the 20th anniversary of the adoption of UN Resolution 1325 ‘Women, Peace and Security’.
“All women and girls have the right to have control over their own bodies, sexuality and reproduction. Including sexual and reproductive health and rights in the action plan will promote its implementation. It is important that the action plan cover all external relations. In accordance with UN Resolution 1325 ‘Women, Peace and Security’, Finland will continue its efforts to strengthen the role of women in peace processes”, Minister Skinnari says.
NordenBladet — Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen has authorised the Defence Forces Logistics Command to sign a strategic Partnership Agreement with Nammo Lapua Oy and Nammo Vihtavuori Oy, both of which are part of a Nordic ammunition group.
The Partnership Agreement between the Defence Forces and Nammo Lapua Oy and Nammo Vihtavuori Oy will create a comprehensive solution, which applies to all readiness conditions and manufacturing of ammunition and explosives, securing the foundation of domestic security of supply.
The Agreement will also consolidate the cooperation between the Defence Forces and the Finnish companies in the Nammo Group Partnership dates back to 2014 when the defence administration concluded a security of supply and partnership agreement with the entire Nammo Group.
The strategic Partnership Agreement will be in force until further notice. The procurements made on the basis of it are evaluated at about EUR 20 million per annum. This does not include value added tax.
NordenBladet — We welcome our new Ambassador Ms. Anne Lammila in South Africa. She started her work in Pretoria and today 19 November 2020 presented her credentials to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Ambassador Anne LammilaAmbassador Lammila looks forward her time in South Africa. For her, working in this fascinating and multifaceted country is a dream come true. Finland views South Africa as one of the most promising partners in the African continent and is preparing at the moment its strategy on Africa. This strategy is based on partnership with the countries of the continent and its focus will be in reinforcing our political and commercial ties with them, including South Africa.
Ambassador Lammila comes from Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation, where she worked as the Consul-General of Finland. Saint Petersburg Consulate General is the biggest bilateral representation that Finland has in the world. Previous ambassadorial posts in Ms. Lammila’s career include Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues and Gender Equality (2015-2017) and Ambassador to Mexico accredited to Cuba, Haiti and Central America (2011-2015). Previously, she was the Deputy Head of Mission of the Finnish Embassy in Washington (2007-2011) and held various directorship positions in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, including in the Americas and Asia department. She was also the Deputy Permanent Delegate in Finland’s Permanent Mission to UNESCO, in Paris (1995-2000). Earlier in her career, Ms. Lammila served in the Finnish Embassies in Madrid and Brasilia.
She holds a Master of Science Degree in Economics and Business Administration from the Turku School of Economics and Business Administration. Aside from Finnish, Ms. Lammila speaks Swedish, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian. She is married to Mr. Markku Saksa, journalist and writer, and the couple has three adult children.
NordenBladet — The 2020 Afghanistan Conference, co-organised by Finland, the United Nations and the Afghan Government, will be held on Monday and Tuesday, 23–24 November. The conference will take place in the middle of a historic peace process. Continuing support from the international community is needed to have a sustainable foundation for the peace process and to achieve peace. Finland’s representatives at the conference will be Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto and Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the ministerial conference will be held virtually with Geneva as the hub of logistics.
“Organising the conference under these circumstances is a remarkable achievement for Finland. It is important that we support Afghanistan now — significant results have already been achieved through support provided by the international community, including Finland. In fact, international support and long-term commitment to Afghanistan is now more important than ever before,” says Janne Taalas, Finland’s Special Envoy to the 2020 Afghanistan Conference.
Finland supports, significant results achieved
Finland supports Afghanistan through development cooperation and humanitarian aid, as well as by participating in military and civilian crisis management. Finland exerts influence in the country as a Member State of the European Union and as part of the international community. Finland is a strong promoter of the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
To date, the support provided by the international community and Finland has led to significant results in Afghanistan, for example when it comes to access to education and health services. The number of children going to school has grown almost tenfold, 40% of schoolchildren are girls, people’s general life expectancy has risen to nearly 60 years, and 80% of the citizens have access to health services.The 2020 Afghanistan Conference to be held on 23 and 24 November can be followed live on the UN website. Interpretation into the six official languages of the UN will be provided.
NordenBladet — The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, and Finland are collaborating to create international policy guidance for the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) that affects children.
The new guidance will help governments, municipalities and companies to make sure that the AI solutions used by them will work for the best interest of the child.In global terms, a third of internet users are children aged under 18. AI plays a big role in children’s lives: it is an integral part of interactive toys, video games and various mobile phone solutions, for example.
The rapid development AI involves huge potential in such areas affecting children as learning, health and security. Other relevant questions are related to violations of privacy, inequality when it comes to digital skills, and the impact of the accumulated data for the future of the child. While it is difficult for adults to understand the traces they leave in the virtual world, for children it is particularly difficult — and they should not have the responsibility for such matters.
”What often happens as a result of rapid technological development is that it is challenging to keep up with the change and to ensure that AI serves us in a human-centric manner,” says Ambassador for Innovations Jarmo Sareva.
“People have the right to childhood as a special stage in life. If AI offers solutions that weaken the preconditions for human agency by commercialising childhood, we are not going in the right direction. Children are also more vulnerable than adults, which is why this sort of guidance is needed.
”The international policy guidance that is now being prepared is the first of its kind. It aims to help both governments, municipalities, companies and others using and developing AI to take the needs and rights of children into account. In the course of the process, children and youth have been consulted extensively.
Finns take part in testingFinland’s expertise and experience in the area make it a natural partner for UNICEF. Finland is among the first countries to have published their own national artificial intelligence strategy and it has supported UNICEF’s Office of Innovation and its Innovation Fund.
Finnish users are taking part in the development and testing of the AI guidance. Their experiences will be helpful when the draft policy guidance will be finalised.
“Stakeholders were selected from among actors with diverse backgrounds and operating environments from around the world. For example, the Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) is already using virtual applications that are suitable for piloting the guidance,” Sareva says.
The Psychiatry Department of the Helsinki University Hospital has developed two chatbots, Milli and Chillaa. Milli helps children to assess the severity of their symptoms and guides them to suitable services. Another chatbot is Chillaa, which offers exercises, tips and peer guidance for dealing with stress and social anxiety.
The Eksote joint municipal authority for health and social services in South Karelia and Fujitsu Finland are also among the piloting organisations. They have developed an AI solution, called Nuora, which helps to identify and prevent the risk social exclusion among young people. SomeBuddy (formerly Someturva) has created an online application for victims of cyberbullying and online harassment.The guidance is being tested not only in Finland but also, among others, in Sweden, the UK, Japan, Malta, Chile, the United States, Rwanda, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Based on the user experiences, the guidance will be finalised and published at an international conference to be held in Helsinki at the end of 2021.
NordenBladet — At their informal videoconference on 19 November, the members of the European Council discussed COVID-19 testing, vaccination and measures to prevent a new wave of the disease during the holiday season at the turn of the year. Finland emphasised the need for a common strategy.
At the beginning of the meeting, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, which currently holds the EU Council Presidency, reported on the state of play regarding the EU’s multiannual financial framework and the recovery fund, but there was no further debate on the matter. The major recovery package aims to support EU economies in recovering from the setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In Finland’s view, it is important for the work to proceed in line with what the EU leaders agreed in July. “Finland considers it important to remain closely in line with the conclusions of the July European Council and to ensure that the key elements of the recovery instrument are not separated from one another. Creating a rule of law mechanism that functions as effectively as possible is an essential part of the recovery package,” said Prime Minister Sanna Marin. During the video meeting, Finland expressed support for the European Commission’s 18 November recommendation on the use of rapid antigen tests to diagnose the disease and for the mutual recognition of test results among the Member States.
The EU leaders were briefed on the current situation with regard to the procurement and distribution of vaccines. The meeting highlighted the increasing need for Member States to share information with one another in order to support research and development. The EU leaders have also focused on efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in their previous meetings. Joint EU actions were widely discussed at the European Council on 15 October in Brussels and in the videoconference on 29 October.
NordenBladet — The EU ministers responsible for gender equality will hold an informal videoconference on 20 November to discuss the combating of violence against women. The ministers will also present best practices on how to protect women from violence and support victims. Finland will be represented at the conference by Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality Thomas Blomqvist.
Studies show that intimate partner violence and especially violence against women have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, the availability and continuity of different support services are more important than ever. An example of best practices in Finland is Nollalinja, a nationwide helpline for those who have experienced intimate partner violence and violence against women or a threat of violence. This free-of-charge helpline is open around the clock, and it can be called anonymously.“Intimate partner violence has increased alarmingly during the COVID-19 crisis. Finland pays particular attention to supporting victims of intimate partner violence and other people in the most vulnerable position. We have made sure that support services are accessible even during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, many third-sector service providers have started to offer more telephone and online services for those who have experienced violence,” says Minister Blomqvist.
Besides each country’s own measures, Finland stresses the fact that the EU works to strengthen cooperation in combating violence against women. The EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention of the Council of Europe would be an important step forward. The EU Gender Equality Strategy includes a set of measures to combat gender-based violence. The meeting organised by Germany that is intended only for gender equality ministers is exceptional. Similar meetings have not been arranged during every presidency.
NordenBladet — The Riigikogu concluded the second reading of the Bill on the coming year’s state budget (254 SE) and sent it to the third reading. The deadline for submission of motions to amend is 30 November.
Under the State Budget for 2021 Bill (254 SE), initiated by the Government, the expenditure of the next year’s state budget will amount to nearly 13 billion euro and the revenue will amount to nearly 11 billion euro. The gap is due to necessary investments in the restoration of economic growth, due to which the amount of expenditure will exceed the revenue growth. According to the main scenario of the forecast of the Ministry of Finance, Estonia’s GDP will shrink by 5.5 per cent this year and will grow by 4.5 per cent next year, falling short of the level of the end of 2019 by about one per cent at the end of 2021.
The next year’s state budget is based on ordinary rules and takes account of the exceptions due to the crisis. Next year, the government sector budget is projected at a nominal deficit of 6.7 per cent of GDP and a structural deficit of 6.6 per cent.
The volume of the investments planned by the government sector will amount to approximately 1.9 billion euro next year. More than 1.4 billion euro of EU support is planned in the state budget for 2021.
Tax revenue will increase to 9.3 billion euro next year compared to the approximately nine billion euro this year. Tax burden will fall to 32.7 per cent of GDP next year compared to the 33.8 per cent this year.
Of the 44 motions to amend submitted at the second reading, a consolidated motion submitted by the Finance Committee was supported. On the deciding on the remaining motions, they had not been supported at the voting in the committee because the financial sources proposed to cover them had been unacceptable, as they would have changed the achievement of the objectives set out in the budget.
Chairman of the Finance Committee Aivar Kokk said that, during the preparation for the second reading, the budget had been specified in view of the implementation of the plans in the Government’s action programme. In connection with the need to support the continuation of international maritime transport through Estonian ports and to motivate consignors to direct their trade flows through Estonian ports, the Finance Committee had proposed that the ships entering Estonian ports be exempted from the payment of fairway dues to the extent of 50 per cent until the end of next year and that the loss of revenue be compensated in the state budget. Funds had also been allocated for holding a referendum.
25 members of the Riigikogu took the floor in the debate. They analysed the content of the draft state budget and presented their positions. Jürgen Ligi (Reform Party), Kalle Laanet (Reform Party), Aivar Sõerd (Reform Party), Liina Kersna (Reform Party), Andres Sutt (Reform Party), Mart Võrklaev (Reform Party), Heidy Purga (Reform Party), Annely Akkermann (Reform Party), Vilja Toomast (Reform Party), Riina Sikkut (Social Democratic Party), Jaak Juske (Social Democratic Party), Siim Kallas (Reform Party), Johannes Kert (Reform Party), Oudekki Loone (Centre Party), Kersti Sarapuu (Centre Party), Helmen Kütt (Social Democratic Party), Leo Kunnas (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Mart Helme (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Sven Sester (Isamaa), Maris Lauri (Reform Party), Valdo Randpere (Reform Party), Jevgeni Ossinovski (Social Democratic Party), Peeter Ernits (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Indrek Saar (Social Democratic Party) and Henn Põlluaas (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor.
The Estonian Reform Party Faction and the Social Democratic Party Faction moved to suspend the second reading of the Bill. The result of voting: 41 votes in favour and 54 against. The motion was not supported. The second reading of the Bill was concluded.
Two other Bills passed the second reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Tourism Act and the Consumer Protection Act (234 SE), initiated by the Government, will update the requirements for the provision of the accommodation service. The requirements that are not directly necessary or in which self-regulation works well, like in the case of quality requirements, are reduced. The definition of the accommodation service and the description of the types of accommodation establishments will be renewed. As a result of the amendments, the rules for the provision of the accommodation service will become more flexible, and the number of claims and the costs to meet the requirements will decrease.
The offering of temporary sleeping accommodation by an undertaking will be deemed to be accommodation service. Accommodation service is a tourist service which is not for residential purposes but which is intended for temporary accommodation of visitors for holiday or business or other purposes and which is offered for example by day, week or month. The introduction of the short-term (temporary) service will help differentiate the accommodation service more clearly from residential lease contracts. In the case of accommodation for a period longer than three months, the special rules for residential lease contracts already set out in the Law of Obligations Act apply.
Another major amendment is that the issues relating to the categories of accommodation establishments will remain for the sector to be arranged. In the future, in order to assign categories (stars of hotels) to accommodation establishments, it will not be necessary to apply for the approval of the minister, and the accommodation sector will be able to continue quality development without state restrictions.
New digital solutions and the changed expectations of clients are phasing out the need for separate reception rooms (“table service”) and several other services, and therefore other requirements of the Regulation of the Minister will be reduced as well. No special rules are established for the sharing economy, but the principle is that requirements apply uniformly to all undertakings.
The establishments providing accommodation will also be able to register their guests electronically and the obligation to preserve visitor’s cards in paper format will be abolished.
Under the Bill on Amendments to the Government of the Republic Act and Other Acts (merger of the Civil Aviation Administration, the Road Administration and the Maritime Administration) (236 SE), initiated by the Government, the civil aviation, road and maritime administrations will be merged. According to the Bill, the name of the new merged administration will be the Transport Administration. The merger of the authorities proceeds from a general principle of the state reform to reduce the number and duplication of administrative agencies and to improve the quality and availability of public services.
The new administration is intended to establish a centre of excellence covering different types of transport that will have the capability to plan smart mobility solutions and to implement projects covering different types of transport. With the merger, the position of the deputy secretary general for maritime affairs will be established in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.
During the debate, Kristen Michal (Reform Party), Kalvi Kõva (Social Democratic Party), Sven Sester (Isamaa), Kalev Kallo (Centre Party) and Tarmo Kruusimäe (Isamaa) took the floor.
The Estonian Reform Party Faction and the Social Democratic Party Faction moved to suspend the second reading of the Bill. The result of voting: 33 votes in favour and 53 against. The motion was not supported. The second reading of the Bill was concluded.
A Bill was rejected in the Riigikogu:
The Bill on Amendments to the Social Tax Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act (244 SE), initiated by the SE), initiated by the Social Democratic Party Faction, provided that the employee would be paid sickness benefit for the first eight days of his or her sick leave in the cooperation of the state and the employer, so that the Estonian Health Insurance Fund would compensate for 40 per cent of the average wages of the person who falls ill and the employer would compensate for the remaining 40 per cent. From then on, starting from the ninth day, the Estonian Health Insurance Fund would bear the costs as per current regulation. The explanatory memorandum to the Bill points out that the compensation of the days of sick leave on the first eight days would help ensure that persons who fall ill or come into contact with an infection do not go to work but stay home.
During the debate, Signe Riisalo (Reform Party), Jevgeni Ossinovski (Social Democratic Party) and Mart Helme (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor.
The Social Affairs Committee moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. The result of voting: 51 votes in favour and 26 against. The Bill was dropped from the proceedings.
The new Minister of the Interior Alar Laneman took his oath of office before the Riigikogu.
NordenBladet — On 19 November 2020, the Government submitted to Parliament a proposal supplementing the budget proposal for 2021.The Government proposes that the appropriation for promoting walking and cycling be increased by EUR 25 million. So in 2021, the allocation to the investment programme for walking and cycling, i.e. to municipal grants, would amount to EUR 28.5 million.
Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakka considers the role of walking and cycling important in terms of both the environment and health.”The Government hopes that the municipalities will continue to have the opportunity to improve the conditions for walking and cycling across Finland. It is an effective way to increase sustainable mobility and people’s wellbeing,” Minister Harakka says.
This year, the state will support the improvement of walking and cycling conditions of the municipal street network with a record-high amount of EUR 31.5 million. The goal is to make the decisions on the grants by the end of 2020.This is the first year that the municipalities are able to apply for government grant for the walking and cycling promotion programmes. Applications should be submitted by the end of November.The aim of the promotion programme is to increase the number of walking and cycling trips by 30 per cent by 2030. All these measures support the achievement of the objective.
Support for maintenance of private roads and for advisory tasks and guidance
The Government proposes an appropriation of EUR 17 million for private road grants. In total, an appropriation of EUR 30 million is proposed for private road grants for 2021. The grant may be allocated for maintenance of private roads, provision of advice and guidance for private road maintenance associations, production of supporting material and services as well as for development, planning and research on private roads.
Flights to regional airports will be ensured also during the COVID-19 pandemicDue to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government proposes that for 2021 an appropriation of EUR 11.5 million be allocated to flight connections to regional airports.The proposal is based on the outcome of the working group on regional air services. The working group led by State Secretary Pilvi Torsti proposed in its final report in September 2020 that the state purchase air transport services to Kokkola, Joensuu, Kajaani, Jyväskylä and Kemi airports until the end of 2021.The Transport and Communications Agency, Traficom, has launched a tendering process for the procurement of these air transport services.
