FINLAND

Brussels Syria Conference to reaffirm assistance to people affected by the crisis

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini together with representatives of the international community will attend the Brussels Conference on “Supporting the Future of Syria and the region” from 24 to 25 April.

The Conference aims to support the UN-led political process and to agree about additional measures to help those affected by the crisis. The Brussels Conference in April is the sixth pledging conference for Syria. The UN’s appeal of approximately EUR 7.36 billion for Syria is a record high.

“A sustainable solution to the Syrian conflict can only be achieved through UN-led political negotiations. The permanent members of the UN Security Council have a central responsibility in this matter. Not only is the war in Syria, which has continued for seven years, a vast humanitarian catastrophe; it is also an immense regional development crisis. Within Syria, 13.1 million people are in need of protection and humanitarian aid – more than half of them children and young people,” Foreign Minister Timo Soini says.

The conference is attended by not only the EU and Syria’s neighboring countries but also by a large number of representatives of the international community: the United Nations, major donors and civil society, humanitarian organisations and development cooperation agencies. The Conference will also assess the international community’s progress in fulfilling the commitments made a year ago.  Finland has systematically shouldered its responsibility and contributed the pledged assistance: Finland’s pledge for 2018 is EUR 25 million. Half of this, EUR 12.6 million, will be in the form of humanitarian aid.

Despite the UN Security Council resolution demanding the cessation of hostilities, adopted in February, the parties to the conflict have not allowed unimpeded access to aid deliveries.
“Violations of human rights and international humanitarian law are continuing in Syria. It is important to address the matter and take action to ensure that the deliveries reach their destination,” Soini emphasises.

Finland’s support to the victims of the Syrian conflict is divided between humanitarian aid to alleviate immediate suffering and help refugees, and development cooperation strengthening local communities’ resilience especially in neighbouring countries hosting Syrian refugees. Humanitarian aid is linked, among others, with healthcare, food and other emergency relief materials, and shelter. Development cooperation is divided into support to the political process and efforts to combat impunity; livelihoods and basic services within Syria; and support for the resilience of neighbouring countries hosting Syrian refugees. Finland’s priorities include women, children, education and job creation. Finland also intends to continue to support the grassroots-level peacebuilding and mediation initiatives in Syria.

Source: Finland.ee
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Ministers Virolainen and Tiilikainen to join the discussion on energy transition possibilities

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — A delegation of directors and experts from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will visit Helsinki next week. They will also meet with Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Anne-Mari Virolainen and Minister of the Environment, Energy and Housing Kimmo Tiilikainen. The themes of the visit will be the global energy transition and Finland’s responses to it by means of research, innovation and the products and services of companies.

IRENA is an intergovernmental organisation that was founded in 2009. Since then it has rapidly risen to one of the leading organisations promoting international renewable energy use. Sakari Oksanen from Finland has been IRENA’s Deputy Director-General since 2015.

On the morning of Thursday 26 April, Business Finland will host a workshop for companies where the focus will be on the opportunities offered by the cooperation between Finland and IRENA. Minister Anne-Mari Virolainen will open the event, and Deputy Director-General Sakari Oksanen and other members of IRENA’s delegation will explain what kinds of services IRENA offers to companies regarding technological cooperation and renewable energy innovation, among others. Next, Finnish companies will have the opportunity to describe their special expertise in sustainable forestry, biomass handling and circular economy promotion.

In the afternoon, Aalto University will host a Smart Energy Transition Seminar that will seek answers to how to manage the seasonality in the clean energy system during cold winter weeks and how Finland can benefit from the ongoing global energy transition. The seminar will be attended by Minister Kimmo Tiilikainen, IRENA’s Director of Innovation and Technology Dolf Gielen and Professor Armi Temmes from Aalto University, among others. The seminar is organised by the Smart Energy Transition project of Finland’s Strategic Research Council together with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and Business Finland.

On the morning of Friday 27 April, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will host an information sharing event focusing on Finland’s role in the global energy transition. After a presentation by IRENA’s representatives, Finnish responses to the global energy transition will be described by Satu Santala from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Petteri Kuuva from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, Tiina Koljonen from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Armi Temmes from Aalto University and Helena Sarén from Business Finland.

Source: Finland.ee
Find us also on Twitter: @NordenBladet

 

Minister Virolainen to attend meetings of World Bank Group in Washington

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Anne-Mari Virolainen will attend the spring meeting of the World Bank Group and a meeting of the joint Development Committee of the International Monetary Fund IMF and the World Bank in Washington D.C. on 20–21 April.

In addition to the official programme, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Anne-Mari Virolainen will host a breakfast session focusing on women’s rights and economic development for the ministers attending the meeting of the World Bank Group.

“Women’s rights and economic development have way too long been discussed around different tables. Without a better realisation of women’s rights, the economies of developing countries will only operate at half capacity. Women must become fully involved,” Minister Virolainen says.

The breakfast session is part of the activities of the SheDecides movement. The movement, founded in 2017 on the Netherlands’ initiative, aims to improve the realisation of women’s rights related to sexual and reproductive health in developing countries.

During her visit to the United States, Minister Virolainen will also meet members of the senior management of the World Bank Group, for example Kristalina Georgieva, Chief Executive Officer of the World Bank, and Philippe Le Houerou, Chief Executive Officer of the IFC, the sister organisation of the World Bank focusing on the private sector in developing countries.  At these meetings, Virolainen will emphasise Finland’s role as an expert in the field of education, strengthening of the private sector, and the well-functioning cooperation between Finland and the IFC in the foundation of the joint climate fund. Virolainen will also draw attention to questions related to women’s equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and migration.

Minister Virolainen will also have a meeting with Deputy United States Trade Representative Jeffrey D. Gerrish to discuss topical trade policy issues and development of the WTO.
Minister Virolainen will exchange views on the significance and future of the open and rules-based trade system and the global economic development at a roundtable discussion to be conducted with representatives of the leading think tanks in Washington D.C. Former United States Trade Representative Michal Froman will be among the participants in the discussion.
The main themes at the meeting of the joint Development Committee of the World Bank and the IMF are capital increases, voting rights reform and implementation of the futures review.

Capital increases are proposed for the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development IBRD and for the International Finance Corporation IFC, both of them part of the World Bank Group.

The World Bank Group is one of the world’s biggest financiers of sustainable development. The International Development Association IDA, the World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries, is one of the most important channels for Finland’s development cooperation.

Follow the meeting on Twitter using #IMFMeetings and #WBGMeetings.

Source: Finland.ee
Find us also on Twitter: @NordenBladet

 

Finns set new Nordic Skiing 24-hour world records in both men and women

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – The Nordic Skiing 24-hour world record attempt finished at 10:00 am on Friday 13th of April in Levi, Finland. In men, Hans Mäenpää set a new world record, which is now 472 kilometres and 007 metres, i.e. almost 40 kilometres longer than the previous record of 433 kilometres and 459 metres. Anni Angria set a new world record for women, 375 kilometres and 564 metres, with the previous record being 333 kilometres, Levi.fi mediates.

– I feel absolutely terrible, said Hans Mäenpää right after the extremely hard trial.

This was the first time that Hans Mäenpää, born in 1979, skied such an ultra-long distance. The Finn from Pietarsaari was able to keep a good pace throughout the 24 hours, even though the weather conditions on Thursday were very heavy. The daytime temperatures reached over 15 °C on the 400-metre-long track around the Tunturilampi lake in the centre of Levi.

– My energy levels were good throughout the journey. I set out to break the record, and I got what I came here for. Should I someday make another record-breaking attempt, it would have to be just me, i.e. skiing alone. Daniel Strand was skiing at a really fast pace, a little too fast at times. I would like to thank the best service team in the world, Team Mäenpää, as well as the organisers here in Levi, Hans Mäenpää said.

Thursday morning saw three men starting on the world record attempt: the then record-holder Teemu Virtanen from Finland, Team Mäenpää’s Hans Mäenpää and Daniel Strand from Norway. Teemu Virtanen retired on Thursday, with 7 hours and 15 minutes on the clock. The Norwegian lasted for approximately 13 hours.

– A really amazing performance from Hans. A real surprise. I could tell from the start that Hans was “on a mission” with his determined skiing. I didn’t have the kind of a day that I could have been able to ski against myself, so I stopped around the seven-hour mark, Teemu Virtanen says.

Daniel Strand had to drop out due to a repetitive strain injury on his arm.

Hans Mäenpää skied alone for nearly 12 hours, with his own teammates from Team Mäenpää skiing in front of him as “rabbits” at times.

– I won’t be competing in the Ylläs-Levi ski marathon on Saturday, with such Finnish skiers as Iivo Niskanen, Risto-Matti Hakola and Ari Luusua in the line-up. I’ll be in the service team! Now, I’m going to have a sauna, eat and sleep, said Hans after he finished his 24-hour run.

The new women’s 24-hour world record holder, Anni Angria from Iisalmi, Finland, was totally exhausted at the finish line. Angria, born in 1981, used every last ounce of her strength during the final few minutes, with the crowds cheering for her alongside the track.

– I’m nauseated and everything hurts. But otherwise I feel extremely happy. My goal was to ski at least 350 kilometres and I reached and surpassed that. Now I’ve got a world record to my name, Anni Angria smiled at the finish.

The world records of Hans Mäenpää and Anni Angria both still have to be accepted by the Guinness World Records before becoming official. This can take a few months.

Minister Virolainen to lead a Team Finland visit to Germany

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Anne-Mari Virolainen will make a Team Finland visit to Germany from 17 to 19 April. Minister Virolainen and the accompanying business delegation will visit Berlin and Kiel, the capital of the state of Schleswig-Holstein.

The main themes of the visit will be digitalisation in healthcare and food exports. Germany is Finland’s biggest trading partner and an important export destination. The aim of the visit is to raise awareness of Finnish companies and Finnish expertise in the fields of health technology and food exports in Germany.

“Health technology is currently the biggest high-technology sector in Finland, representing approximately half of our high-technology exports. Germany, for its part, is Finland’s third most important export destination in the health technology sector,” Minister Virolainen says.

On Tuesday 17 April, Virolainen will open Finland’s stand at the ConhIT Connecting Healthcare IT exhibition and give the opening address at a bioenergy seminar presenting Finnish expertise in the area, organised at the Embassy of Finland.

The visit will be organised together with Finpro, which is part of Team Finland.

The following companies will accompany Minister Virolainen on the TF visit:
Health technology:
Abomics Oy
Oy Apotti Ab
Fujitsu Finland Oy
Genano Oy Ab
Innokas Medical Ltd.
Kauko Oy
Klinik Healthcare Solutions
Medigoo Oy Inc.
MediSapiens Ltd
Megical
Ninchat
Pedihealth Oy
Food exports:
Bryggeri Helsinki
Linkosuo Bakery
One Eyed Spirits
Raisio Nutrition Ltd
Teerenpeli Brewery & Distillery

Find us also on Twitter: @NordenBladet

 

Minister Virolainen: Africa needs investments and partnership with EU

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —  According to Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Anne-Mari Virolainen, the significance of Africa for Europe and Finland will further grow in the future. The continents should build a close partnership that benefits them both.

“For the development of Africa, fast population growth is one of the main megatrends.  It is estimated that by 2050, the population of Africa will be 2.4 billion people, twice as much as today. Half of the population will be young people. Africa needs to create 18 million new jobs each year to absorb the new labour market entrants,” Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Anne-Mari Virolainen said when opening a seminar on the future of EU-Africa-relations organised by the European Commission Representation in Finland and Kehys, the Finnish NGDO Platform to the EU.

In addition to the rapid population growth, climate change is another great challenge for Africa. “Climate change has a big impact on agricultural land and water resources. We are concerned that it may risk food security and lead to increased instability, conflicts, poverty and migration.”

The AU-EU Summit held in November last year focused on sustainable development and investments in Africa.”The new External Investment Plan (EIP) will play an important role in European investments directed at Africa. Successful investments, development of the private sector and new jobs require a conducive business environment and good governance. Their development is very much a task of African governments,” Virolainen reminded.

A recent initiative for promoting business in Africa is the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement, which was signed by 44 African leaders last month. Virolainen considers the initiative interesting from the perspective of trade and economy of the continent. It is premature to assess the eventual significance of the initiative, but its objective, removal of most tariffs, is ambitious.

Find us also on Twitter: @NordenBladet

 

Finland to join fight against impunity for the use of chemical weapons

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — Today, on 16 April 2018, Finland joined an international initiative aiming at holding accountable those responsible for the use of chemical weapons.

The use of chemical weapons is prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and in customary international law. Over the past years, this absolute prohibition has been challenged in an unprecedented manner – most recently in Syria. The CWC, adopted by a total of 192 countries, has been repeatedly breached but those responsible have not been held to account.  At present, the international community does not have any common mechanism in place to identify those involved in the use of chemical weapons, and the establishment of such a mechanism has not advanced in the United Nations Security Council.

The International Partnership against Impunity for the Use of Chemical Weapons, established in Paris on 23 January 2018, seeks to respond to this situation. The partnership aims to collect and share information helping to bring those responsible for the use of chemical weapons to justice, to support the implementation of sanctions related to the use of chemical weapons, and to serve as a forum for formulating common positions in the fight against the use and proliferation of chemical weapons.

So far, 25 countries from all continents have joined the initiative.  For Finland, participation in the initiative is consistent with its longstanding active support of the CWC and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

“The use of chemical weapons is an abhorrent crime and prohibited in all circumstances. The perpetrators must be held accountable,” says Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini. “The international community cannot turn a blind eye to a situation where the use of these brutal weapons is becoming alarmingly commonplace. It is important that Finland is involved in combatting this threat with all available means.”

Source: Finland.ee
Find us also on Twitter: @NordenBladet

 

Nordic foreign ministers meet in Stockholm to look at the international situation

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini will attend the Nordic foreign ministers’ meeting in Stockholm from 17 to 18 April 2018.

The Nordic foreign ministers will discuss, among other things, topical UN affairs and international questions, such as North Korea and Syria, the development of transatlantic relations and Russia, Ukraine, and security in the North Atlantic. Topical EU issues will also be on the meeting agenda, including Brexit and the Western Balkans.

The Nordic foreign ministers meet approximately three times a year on the invitation of the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. This year, the Nordic Presidency is held by Sweden.

Source: Finland.ee
Find us also on Twitter: @NordenBladet

 

Foreign Minister Soini to Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —  The EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) will meet in Luxembourg on 16 April. Finland’s representative at the meeting will be Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini. The topics on the agenda will be Russia, Iran, Syria, Western Balkans, and the future of external financing instruments.

Foreign ministers will discuss the relations between the EU and Russia and the implementation of the five guiding principles for the relations.  The Salisbury nerve agent attack, which was discussed in the March European Council, will probably be among the topics of discussion, too.

Foreign ministers will discuss the regional role of Iran and the situation in the Iran nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA). The EU is committed to continuing its effective implementation.

In their deliberations relating to the Western Balkans, ministers will concentrate on the foreign and security policy elements of the EU’s recently adopted Strategy for the Western Balkans. Additionally, ministers will discuss preparations for the EU–Western Balkans summit to be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 17 May 2018, which will focus on improved connectivity and enhanced cooperation in security matters.  Finland welcomes increasing and intensifying cooperation.

As part of the preparations for the negotiations concerning the EU’s future multiannual financial framework (MFF) after 2020, foreign ministers will exchange views on the future of external financing instruments.

The Council will also discuss Syria and adopt conclusions on the situation in the country. In addition, conclusions will be adopted on the situation in South Sudan, the EU’s response to malicious cyber activities, and on chemical disarmament and non-proliferation.

Source: Finland.ee
Find us also on Twitter: @NordenBladet

 

A decision adopted by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on a case involving domestic violence and the custody of a child

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —  On 5 March 2018, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women adopted a decision on a case involving domestic violence and the custody of a child. The decision stated that the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was violated.

The case was about whether authorities had neglected the state’s duty to exercise due diligence and whether the state had taken the necessary steps to protect the author and her child in the case of domestic violence.

The Committee also finds that the decision cast on the custody issue included few grounds for transferring the custody of the child from the author to the father, and that the domestic violence the author had been subjected to had been given little significance in the decision-making process. According to the Committee, the father’s ability to act as a parent, despite numerous child welfare reports and despite his conviction for violence, had not been assessed.

The Committee recalls that the primary consideration of the child’s best interest must be specified and justified in decisions cast on children. The Committee finds that the state has failed to exercise its due diligence with regard to processing the claims put forward by the author. This has harmed the child’s best interest and the author’s opportunities to equal treatment regarding the custody issue. Furthermore, the Committee finds that the authorities had applied a stereotypical and, therefore, discriminatory notion of domestic violence.

The Committee recommends that this case involving the custody of a child be reprocessed without delay. In connection to this, it is recommended that a thorough assessment of violence of the child’s father be carried out in order to assess the child’s best interest. The Committee also recommends that a due compensation be paid to the author.

The Committee also issues recommendations to general measures to be taken, inter alia, in decisions on the custody of a child involving domestic violence.

This is the first decision adopted by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women which concerns Finland in an individual communication. The Committee requests Finland to report, within six months, on the measures that have been taken in response to the decision.

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