NordenBladet — The Heads of Finnish Missions abroad will convene for their annual meeting on 23-25 August. The meeting will discuss foreign policy, international relations, the state of the global economy and Finland’s positioning in the post-pandemic world. Due to COVID-19, the Foreign Ministry will hold the meeting virtually in its newly renovated premises in Merikasarmi. Merikasarmi. Photo: Joonas Lehtipuu.The programme also includes topical speeches by Government leaders as well as confidential discussions with the Ambassadors. The speakers addressing the Ambassadors virtually include President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö, Prime Minister Sanna Marin, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto, Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari, Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality Thomas Blomqvist and Minister of European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen. Permanent State Secretary Matti Anttonen will chair the meeting.
NordenBladet — The conditions for further development cooperation and the forms it will take will be assessed together with the international community and development cooperation organisations as the situation in Afghanistan becomes clearer.Afghanistan has been Finland’s most significant partner country for development cooperation in recent years. Finland’s support for humanitarian aid, the work of international organisations and mine clearance has amounted to around EUR 30 million per year. Assistance is still very much needed, but the conditions for providing it have changed. “We have to see how the situation develops. That said, Finland is not abandoning the Afghan people, its children, women, men, journalists, doctors, deminers or human rights fighters,” says Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari. Finland’s support has mainly been channelled through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund administered by the World Bank and through UN organisations such as UN Women, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and UNICEF. Assistance has also been delivered through Finnish and international civil society organisations.This year, Finland has helped to protect civilian lives in Afghanistan by providing a total of EUR three million in humanitarian aid through the World Food Programme and the International Committee of the Red Cross. “Thanks to the long-term support of Finland and the international community, Afghanistan now has more educated and healthier citizens than if we had not been involved in development cooperation in the country. This work is not going anywhere,” says Minister Skinnari.“Our objective, together with our international partners, is to protect what we have already achieved. Finland requires its partners to respect human rights,” Minister Skinnari continues.In recent years, Afghanistan has seen the most significant progress in the education and health sectors. The position of women and children in Afghanistan has improved: maternal and child mortality have been halved, and millions of girls have been enrolled in school. Improvements have also been made with regard to freedom of expression and the operating conditions for the private sector.
NordenBladet — All students have the right to start their studies in a safe way. The goal that we all share is to be able to bring in much more contact teaching in higher education institutions during the autumn term. Interaction between people, both in contact teaching and in students’ leisure activities, improves wellbeing and strengthens the spirit of community. With the pandemic still ongoing, it has become particularly important to improve both student wellbeing and the ability to study.The Ministry of Education and Culture, the National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL) and the Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (SAMOK) wish to point out that by making a joint effort it is possible to ensure that contact teaching can continue and we can contribute to swiftly containing pandemic.Monitoring data carried out by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare have shown that the risk of COVID-19 spreading in contact teaching is low when adequate measures are followed. Higher education institutions are very well placed to implement these measures. However, transmission chains from different leisure activities and events have been reported, and unless adequate prevention measures are in place, the risk of infection is high in the current epidemiological situation.When organising student events that offer peer support and enable students to be acquainted, care should be taken to comply with regional and local regulations, guidelines and recommendations. It is importantthat even those who have been vaccinated wear a maskto avoid physical contact and respect safe distancing, especially indoorsto have adequate ventilation in placeto not seek the company of others if you have any symptoms indicative of COVID-19 and take the COVID-19 test insteadthat students receive a full course of COVID-19 vaccines.This way we will hopefully be able to assemble and meet people more freely later in the autumn.It is in everyone’s interest to responsibly organise and engage in events that are safe from the viewpoint of health. The Ministry of Education and Culture, The National Union of University Students and the Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences wish to extend their thanks to the student organisations for the creativity they have shown in the past and will undoubtedly carry on doing for finding safe solutions when organising events and forging a sense of community. You have supported the wellbeing of many students in higher education and provided potential for students to pursue their studies over these difficult and exceptional 18 months.Up-to-date regional restrictions and recommendations are available on the Government website. The website also has links to the webpages of hospital districts, which provide more detailed regional information:Regional COVID-19 situation and restrictions on the hospital district websites
NordenBladet — A new feature is being added to the 112 Suomi mobile app. Starting on August 17, you can use the app to submit a travel notification.112 Suomi is a mobile app produced by the Emergency Response Centre Agency and developed in cooperation with various security operators and authorities. Thanks to its large body of users, it has become a comprehensive platform for providing security services to the public.
NordenBladet — The EU foreign affairs ministers will hold an informal video conference on Tuesday 17 August. Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will represent Finland at the meeting.At the meeting, the EU foreign affairs ministers will discuss the development of the situation in Afghanistan in August 2021. Issues on the agenda include the political and humanitarian situation and consular matters.In Finland’s view, the EU must continue its work to play an important role with regard to Afghanistan in areas including the humanitarian situation, human rights and the rights of women and girls. Many objectives related to Afghanistan, such as promoting human rights, remain the same. However, changes in the situation in Afghanistan mean that the EU must reassess its policies towards the country and the means to implement them.
NordenBladet — Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Krista Kiuru talked about the development of primary healthcare services over the next few years at a press conference concerning the Future Health and Social Services Centres programme.The aim of the programme is to support the wellbeing services counties in preparing and introducing new health and social services centres where people can get the help they need more swiftly in a broad-based manner.When the acts concerning the health and social services reform start entering into force from 2023 onwards, the wellbeing services counties will assume responsibility for organising health, social and rescue services. Application round for discretionary government grants launched to speed up the changeAn additional call for government grant applications in 2021 will be opened today, 16 August, for those projects in the future wellbeing services counties that were awarded government grants in 2020. The aim of the grants is to complement, expand and continue the ongoing project packages in each wellbeing services county as required by their current situation. The additional call for applications places particular emphasis on measures promoting the availability of services in primary healthcare, social welfare, mental healthcare and multi-sectoral rehabilitation. All projects must improve access to care and ensure the introduction of psychosocial methods for all age groups.The wellbeing services counties will plan the operating models, local service points, e-services and any services they intend to centralise so that they meet the needs of the population, ensuring the accessibility and availability of primary level services
NordenBladet — Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen appoints Iiris Niinikoski and Piritta Jokelainen as Special AdvisersNiinikoski will be responsible for communications and media relations, while Jokelainen will be in charge of matters related to employment legislation, work-based immigration and integration and quality of working life. Niinikoski has previously worked in communications and public relations at National Union of University Students, OP Group and communications firm Tekir. She holds a Master’s degree in Educational Science.Meanwhile, Jokelainen has worked as senior specialist focusing on skills, employment and equality at Social Science Professionals since 2015. She has a Master’s degree in Social Sciences.Mikko Heinikoski will also continue as Haatainen’s Special Adviser. He focuses on matters related to employment, employment services and the financial administration of companies. The State Secretary to Minister Haatainen is Ville Kopra.Niinikoski started in the position on 2 August and Jokelainen will begin on 16 August.
NordenBladet — Prime Minister Sanna Marin has invited Master of Social Sciences Iida Vallin to serve as her Special Adviser. Vallin will be responsible for the Prime Minister’s communications and media relations. She will take up her duties on 16 August.Vallin has previously served as Communications Manager for the Social Democratic Party of Finland, among other positions. She served as Special Adviser to Prime Minister Marin in a similar position from 30 September 2020 to 17 January 2021.
NordenBladet — Finland Cares, a joint campaign of the Prime Minister’s Office and a group of organisations, will kick off on 16 August. The campaign will draw attention to how essential volunteer work is for the welfare state’s safety net and will highlight the contributions of organisations and their volunteers during the prolonged COVID-19 crisis.We are supported by a network that is not always visible because it is made of intangible caring and humanity. That network is made up of people who voluntarily put themselves on the line to create a better world. The Finland Cares campaign will highlight the stories of volunteers from around fifty organisations. One important objective is to encourage people to get involved in the organisations’ activities.“The COVID-19 era has brought changes to the volunteer work done by organisations, and new practices are constantly emerging in areas such as training and communications. The contribution of volunteers and new kinds of solutions are especially important, because the consequences of COVID-19 will impact people’s lives for a long time to come,” says Kristiina Kumpula, Secretary-General of the Finnish Red Cross.Organisations play a key role in dealing with crises and in preparing for them. There has been considerable demand for the special expertise that organisations and their volunteers have to offer during the COVID-19 crisis, and demand for crisis care services has been particularly high.
“With this campaign, we want to improve the visibility of volunteering and highlight its role in times of crisis and in coping with crises and difficult situations. I hope the campaign’s volunteer stories will inspire more and more people to care and get involved in a way that suits them,” says Head of Communications Päivi Tampere, who heads up the Finland Forward team at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Finland Cares campaign is part of the Finland Forward project coordinated by the Prime Minister’s Office, which aims to support the ability of people and society to cope with crises and to strengthen psychological resilience through communication. The Finland Forward project works in close cooperation with a variety of organisations and other partners.The four-week campaign will be open to all organisations, and new participants are still welcome to join. The campaign will be visible on the social media channels of the Finland Forward project and the organisations involved. You can also check out the volunteers’ stories and learn more about their organisations on the campaign website at suomitoimii.fi/suomivälittää.
Social media hashtags: #SuomiVälittää #FinlandBryrSigFind voluntary tasks in Finland: vapaaehtoistyo.fi/en/
NordenBladet — The Finnish Government decided at an extraordinary meeting on 15 August that Finland can admit a maximum of 40 additional current and former Afghan employees and their families. The decision adds to the Government’s decision of 13 August to admit 130 persons to Finland. This means that 170 persons can be relocated from Afghanistan to Finland.Under section 93 of the Aliens Act, the Government decided that Finland will admit a maximum of 5 additional locally recruited Afghans, including their families, who are currently employed by the Embassy of Finland in Kabul and a maximum of 35 additional Afghans, including their families, who were employed by the Finnish Embassy in Kabul between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2020. These individuals have asked the Finnish Government to admit them to Finland. This quota of 40 persons includes the employees and their family members.
Merikasarmi. Photo: Joonas Lehtipuu.The programme also includes topical speeches by Government leaders as well as confidential discussions with the Ambassadors. The speakers addressing the Ambassadors virtually include President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö, Prime Minister Sanna Marin, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto, Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari, Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality Thomas Blomqvist and Minister of European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen. Permanent State Secretary Matti Anttonen will chair the meeting.